WWW.TRUELOVE.CO.ZA (^) |^2019 OCTOBER | 75
WOMAN ON TOP
IMAGES Supplied
YES,YOUCAN!
Thinkit’simpossibletogetoutofdebtandstartinvesting?Makhurecommendsthefollowing:
Assessyouroveralldebt.Youcan,either,firstpayoffthedebt(s)withthehighestinterest
rateortargetyoursmallestdebtandthenmoveontothebiggerdebt.
Buildanemergencyfund.Anemergencyfundshould,atleast,besixmonthsofyour
salary.Yourdebteliminationplanisworthnothingifyoudon’thaveanemergencyfund.
Haveanannualsavingstarget.Thiswillpushyouhardertosave—evenifitmeans
takingon anotherjob. Sometimes,peoplefocus somuchon theirsalaries thatthey
completelyforgetaboutothermeansofmakingmoney.
What are you saving or investing for? Remember that there is a big difference between
the two. Saving is short-term and it’s money that you will most likely spend. Investing, on
the other hand, is so that you don’t ever have to work a day longer in your life.
Johannesburg days — a pure result
of passion trumping everything else.
Makhu, who has just over five years’
experience in the financial services
sector — first as an Accountant and then
later as a financial advisor — has stuck
to her guns when it comes to staying on
a career course that will see her educate
women about money.
It is this same passion that has served
as her career compass throughout.
“For instance, there was a point where
I’d quit my job as an Accountant
then went into a kids’ party planning
business with my sister, which was
doing relatively well. When I started
looking for formal employment again, I
resorted to reading the job description
instead of the spec. I had learnt that
there was no point in jumping from job
to job without ever stopping to ask if
the job was aligned to my career goals.
I was quite clear about wanting to join
a company where I would indulge my
passion for getting women excited
about financial literacy,” she says.
Her next job offered exactly that
and became an invaluable learning
ground until her unplanned and
hastened resignation in 2016. “I’d
already started Woman and Finance
while on maternity leave. When my
then employer offered to buy it from
me, saying they’d much rather have
their employees fully committed to the
company instead of their own projects,
I knew I was onto something great,”
she says. Not wanting Woman and
Finance to be turned into just another
marketing tool, she jumped ship and
has since been committed to growing
the platform and establishing herself as
a sought-after financial speaker.
FINANCIAL NAKEDNESS
Before hitting the big time with her
speaking engagements, Makhu would
give talks at churches, schools and
then her own events — something she
believes prepared her for the big stages.
As someone who understands the
backstory to the financial industry’s
product offerings, she says she still
gets nervous when addressing a room
full of financial experts. “Sometimes,
I get the feeling that people wonder
what a glammed-up young woman
like myself knows about money. I love
it when people doubt me based on my
looks, only to change their minds after
hearing me speak,” she jokes.
Makhu is very generous with her
money wisdom too, making sure to
intersperse money lessons and hacks
throughout the interview. For instance,
she says, parents shouldn’t waste their
time with education policies, but rather
invest in tax-free savings accounts or
global accounts.
In her money coaching sessions
— something that’s decreased due to
her growing business commitments
— some of the first questions Makhu
asks clients are, “What is your money
goal? What informs your decisions
around money?” A lot of our money
woes boil down to a lack of discipline,
which Makhu says won’t mysteriously
disappear until we do the internal work.
“If you avoid making decisions about
your money, you will forever work for
and chase money — and be trapped
in the rat race. It’s important to pause
and think about your money goals,” she
adds.
GROWING BEYOND MEASURE
One of the lessons Makhu learnt while
penning her book is that, the best way to
do something is to lock yourself down
and just do it. “I literally wrote the book
in a couple of months and it is 60 000
words long,” she chuckles, reflecting
on how manic the process was. She
continues: “I would take my son to
school, come back home, start writing,
do other stuff or work, prepare dinner,
make sure everyone is fed and happy,
take a nap until 10 pm, wake up and
write until 4 am.”
Makhu also has the pleasure
of sharing her money wisdom
through writing columns for various
publications — among them City
Press newspaper. In fact, her writing
commissions have grown so much that
she’s had to bring a writer on board to
help with that side of the business. Next
on her cards, is building a strong team
to move the business forward. “I’m
approaching big financial corporations,
offering to help them communicate
simply and better with their existing
clients. It’s nothing like I’ve ever done
before but I’m super excited about it,”
she shares, adding that she never waits
for the perfect time to start. “I never
start things when I feel that I’m ready.
Opportunities find you in the midst of
‘doing ’, not while you’re waiting.” ■
lu
(lu)
#1