….it was a Thursday in February 2016 and I was seriously low. I was sitting at my desk and I just couldn’t look up. I knew that if I looked up I would have to resign. With nothing lined up. No Plan B. Single mom, three kids to support and no Plan B. And then I looked up….
My screen was open on LinkedIn and this quirky, sexy, cheeky post was screaming out to me. Recruiters wanted in Cape Town. I instantly fell in love with the brand…. Swift Momentum – the Recruitment Firm. It was pretty much love at first sight. Without even considering that I actually live in Jozi, I responded to David Sarembock, then a stranger and now my business partner but more importantly, my friend.
David responded almost instantly and asked if he could call me later that afternoon. And he did. At exactly 16h00 as scheduled. Tick box – a man of his word. David listened while I passionately explained why I love what I do. People, people, people. Integrity. Realness. Creativity. This is what I bill. This is what I earn. This is what I want from my work. This is what I definitely don’t want. We agreed we should meet.
From the minute I engaged with David and the brand of Swift Momentum, I felt a sense of “home”. And just like that, I quit my job. Yup, that’s right – ‘with nothing lined up. No Plan B. Single mom, three kids to support and no Plan B.’ “The best start-ups generally come from somebody needing to scratch an itch.” —Michael Arrington, TechCrunch founder and co-editor.
And so I started to scratch my itch. I booked a flight to Cape Town so that I could go and meet David Sarembock. Stranger. I only had one day and had to fly back that same night. We met for an hour and a half. Funny thing is, he thought I was coming for the weekend and had no idea that I was there just for the day, just to meet him! On the flight home, I knew that I had planted a big seed in my world of work but I also knew that under no circumstances were my three teenagers going to agree to move to Cape Town at that time! Being Capetonian, David was super chilled and suggested we keep in touch and see what unfolds. I just couldn’t let it go. I needed to water my seed, dammit!
A few days later, I planted the next seed which together we are now growing…. Swift Momentum Jozi. The second time I met David, I flew to Cape Town for a few days so that we could meet with lawyers and accountants and he took me for dinner so that his wife and his close friends could give me the nod. Or not. But clearly I passed because that was the birth of Swift Momentum Jozi and my partnership with David, his team and the incredible Swift Momentum brand.
Eight months down the line, I know that the most epic thing I did all year was to act on my gut, take a flying leap of faith and back myself. Moreover, my leap allowed me to find a business partner and a team who have backed me from the very beginning. It’s not easy to find such integrity, such passion, such generosity but it is absolutely possible!
Do yourself a favour – when you next find yourself in Woodstock, Cape Town, walk into the Swift Momentum office and get a sense of it yourself. The pride that each person has for the brand is palpable. When I first met David, I said, “I like to think of myself as terribly stable but highly unpredictable.” Dave, thank you for taking a leap of faith with me. Thank you for your faith and generosity in Swift Momentum Jozi and thank you for making this the most gratifying and FUN adventure I’ve ever undertaken.
We live in incredibly challenging times. Countries and corporations are being run by narcissistic megalomaniacs who have lost the understanding of the greater good. My best advice is to trust your gut when it tells you to leave. Trust that voice inside that is begging you to back yourself. One day when I’m old and moving on, I want to reflect on my life and say, ‘Wow! What an epic adventure,’ as opposed to, ‘Shew, that sure felt safe.’
I dare you…. go plant a seed and have an EPIC adventure growing it!
