Top Tech Tools for Women in Business, a flagship programme presented by the Cape Innovation and Technology Initiative (CiTi) in collaboration with the City of Cape Town, aims to help female entrepreneurs and founders advance their digital competencies and gain practical tech skills that they can use in their businesses.
Entrepreneur, Patricia Manshon, the founder of The Academy of Life Coaching, is a former participant of the programme, and shares her journey with us.
After retirement, you have a lot of time to reflect, and it isn’t always pretty. Upon retirement, Patricia Manshon discovered that she was never the best version of herself. She didn’t like what she saw.
Only when she went on a quest to discover her true self, did she like what she saw. On this journey she realised “just how much responsibility we have in developing ourselves holistically”. This is something that formal education does not teach you.
This is how the Academy of Life Coaching was born. It offers a six-month course introducing global methods, skills and techniques adapted for local communities. Registered in 2009 and accredited with SABPP since 2012, the course has three strong underlining principles and approaches: Emotional Intelligence, Spirituality (not religion) and Holism.
“Our experienced facilitators guide our participants to discover the best version of themselves. Better still, we equip our participants to impart this knowledge to others, thus continuing job creation.
“We started from humble beginnings, on the floor around the fire, just ladies inspiring each other. From that groups alone, we have many success stories. The first lady to complete her portfolio of evidence completed her matric and her B Ed and has now been teaching overseas for many years. Another retired from teaching at a well-known high school to run marathons and is now one of our best facilitators.”
Manshon believes that the Women in Business Programme was a turning point in her business. “Like the body, a business needs well thought out systems that work together to bring out the best. At the beginning of our journey, the academy focused on our product (the material). We focused on the “CAR” approach, being client centric, action oriented and results driven. However, with my young talented and focused graduates assisting me we can build a company with proper systems and policies that can drive the business to greater heights.”
“This programme, presented by a group of dynamic and diverse experts in their fields, is a must for improving or maintaining SMME’s and entrepreneurs. Thus, adding to the success of the economy of individuals, communities and the country.”
“I certainly learnt much regarding the subjects and updated information. The facilitators were all young experts with such generous attitudes. Each module enlightened, educated and provided me with the confidence displayed by our facilitators. I was extremely proud to have been afforded the opportunity to be with a diverse group of participants, even though it was during the lockdown.”
“After 12 years, we can now finetune our expansion and procedure projects. I have young graduates in the office already implementing what I have learnt from your course.”
If you are a female founder/CEO and would like to participate in the Women in Business Programme for 2020, apply now.
