Baker anna Mhlanga, 56, lives with her husband Jimmy in Somerset West. With the help and advice from businesswoman Margaret Hirsch, she’s found success in a new career. I left my job as an administrator at a local technikon in 2004 after working there for nine years. My husband, who is a pastor, needed my help to be more involved in the church. Not having my monthly income made things financially difficult, so I enrolled in a baking school to learn how to make cakes that I could sell in my free time.

The only problem was my baking wasn’t that good and it was hard to start a client base from scratch. At the beginning of 2014 my daughter Bongi attended a business lecture by Margaret. After the talk, she approached Margaret for advice about my baking venture. My story must have touched her, as Margaret invited us to meet her a few weeks later to see if she could help me. tHe JOurney Margaret’s first task for me was to make a profit from my ingredients.

My next challenge was to find women who were willing to pay me for a baking lesson. Surprising myself, I managed to complete both of these easily. Margaret then gave me the opportunity to perfect my baking skills using proper equipment in one of the Hirsch’s kitchens – without wanting anything in return. With my new skills, my business, Bonaria School of Baking, quickly grew, and now I don’t only make cakes to sell but also teach other women to bake. Bongi heads up a kitchen in Centurion and also teaches a number of students.

When my husband was transferred to Cape Town earlier this year, Margaret built a kitchen at the store in Somerset West so I could continue working. I couldn’t have grown my baking venture without Margaret’s belief in me. She’s not only provided me with advice and a space to create work for myself, but she has given others the opportunity to learn a new skill too. Businesswoman and entrepreneur Margaret Hirsch, 68, lives in Johannesburg with her husband allan. I believe in empowering women and giving them the tools to grow.

When Bongi told me about her mother Anna, I knew I wanted to meet her. From the beginning, Anna showed a great work ethic and I wanted to take a chance on her. She proved me right. I’m in a very fortunate position to be able to help others – I paid it forward to Anna and she is now paying it forward to the students she teaches at the kitchen. I hope all the women who learn from Anna and Bongi will one day pay it forward, too.

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