To celebrate International Woman's Day, The Hope Factory salutes inspiring businesswomen

Puso Fisher is the owner of Ofensay Photography & Events in Johannesburg. She enrolled in The Hope Factory's Enterprise and Supplier Development Programme, which features a strong mentorship element, last year.

“I have gained much more than I expected from the programme. The greatest input I received was concerning my overall business strategy. For example, how to position my business to attract the clients I want to attract,” explains Fisher.

The theme for this year's International Women's Day is: Inspiring Change. It encourages advocacy for women's advancement everywhere in every way. It calls for challenging the status quo for women's equality, and vigilance to inspire positive change.

In my view success is not an event. It is the outcome of preparation and persistence

Puso Fisher: Inspiring Change

It‘s refreshing to meet an inspiring young entrepreneur in South Africa who has achieved this. Fisher left the corporate world to start her own business and live her dream.

“The mentorship is very effective – having someone to fuel your vision and brainstorm solutions to business challenges is invaluable.

The training workshops are practical and address current business needs. The Hope Factory also provides a platform to network with like-minded individuals, gain access to markets and obtain capital investment to grow my business. In less than six months on the programme, my business turnover doubled.”

Fisher has benefited from the inputs of The Hope Factory's programme and she has advice for other female entrepreneurs: “An entrepreneur needs resilience and patience. And, more importantly, one needs a sense of excellence – in order to provide a competitive offering of high quality and value to clients.”

Being your own boss comes with great lessons. “I have learned to embrace uncertainty and to release myself from the urge to control every detail of my journey – that is a decision I have to make almost daily. I have learned to be fearlessly persistent – hearing “no” from a prospective client does not faze me anymore, I simply move on.

Success is about much more than money – if your business makes a positive difference in the lives of its employees and surrounding communities, in my view it is a successful business, although the money is obviously welcome.”