Page 34 - KZN Top Business Women 2022 Powed by DRG & BusinessFit SA

“Another achievement was being the speaker grateful for his advice. Now that I sit here, I’m
RESHMA MAHARAJ, FOUNDER GR EXTRA at the World Women Conference, where I took ready to take the business to new levels.”
SPACE, HEARTBEAT TRAINING ACADEMY a standing ovation for building the ordinary
AND ENSPIRED WOMEN MAGAZINE women and youth around you,” added Reshma. One of Reshma’s future goals is to see her
brand expand, especially on the Heartbeat and
ESHMA MAHARAJ is the founder of a group Reshma’s biggest inspiration she would say Enspired sides. She would love to see them
of companies. GR Extra Space offers is her late dad. “I was always inspired by his reach a global level. With technology, she said,
low-cost affordable mobile solutions business tenacity. He was always business now everything is possible, and you can sit in
Rincluding log cabins, classrooms, offices minded. We sat and talked about shop. He your own space and be training and facilitating
as well as manufactures jungle gyms. was always encouraging us not to give up. He at an international level.
taught us how to swim through the recession
Heartbeat Training Academy is fully accredited periods over the years and one thing that In advising younger women, Reshma says that
and offers health and safety training, including stood out was that he reminded us that your they need to love what they do. “They need to
First Aid – Level 1,2 and 3, basic firefighting, risk workplace is not your comfort zone. You’ve got have confidence in themselves, they need to
assessment safety officer, and health and safety to give it that effort, you’ve got to work hard be passionate about what they are doing, and
SHE Rep training. and make sure that you achieve your goals they need to understand that life is a journey,
and be successful.” it’s not a competition. If you are going to think
The third company that Reshma manages of life as a competition, you are going to focus
and operates, Enspired Women Magazine, is There are two brilliant women that Reshma on competition instead of the journey. Every
her passion. This platform inspires ordinary is grateful to – her mentor, Vani Moodley and day is a new step for you to start something
women and youth to become financially Fatima Sarigat from SmartXchange. “These new. Women need to be brave, bold and be
stable. Reshma explains, “On this platform, women would drive you to see your capabilities, confident and be passionate in what they are
we educate, promote, inspire. We take women because sometimes you are so confined behind doing.”
through different levels of mentorship and that desk, you don’t see beyond that space,”
coaching where they use their skills to generate she commented. Reshma is a wife and has been married for
an income. Most of the time, this includes 25 years. She is a mom of two, and has a
women that have been abused or women who Reshma explained that Vani has taken her from 22-year-old daughter, who is completing her
have struggled through their journeys. We a confined space and thrown her into the deep last module in civil engineering this year, and a
hope that by using their new skills, they can end. Without her mentorship and coaching, fourteen-year-old son. To relax, Reshma loves
have some financial stability.” she does not think that she would have taken cooking for her family, and just being with them,
the manufacturing business to the lengths because as she says life has become so busy.
Currently, Reshma says that her greatest that she has taken it to. “I’m an entrepreneur, “I enjoy weekends, cooking and dabbling with
achievement has been having her business but sometimes you need that little push and flavours. I enjoy those long calls to my sister or
operations still open during the erratic business guidance along the way,” said Reshma. The to my sisters-in-law, I’m very family orientated,
times of the Covid pandemic. Other achievements company started manufacturing storage unit so for me, I look forward to the weekends to
have been the many national, regional and and is now building and manufacturing mobile relax with my family.”
international awards that the group of companies classrooms, site offices, container conversions,
has taken, which is a great achievement in their and clinics. FINAL THOUGHTS
portfolio.
Some of Reshma’s biggest challenges faced “Life in the last two years, I think has been
Rehma commented, “It took years to build the were during Covid and she said that her late really challenging for every woman, for every
brand, especially our core business and for dad’s words stuck with her. “He taught me how business and family. Given the opportunity
us, this recognition shows business growth. to swim through these challenges and for me to see a new day is the biggest blessing that
We do create a lot of direct and indirect jobs it is not putting my signature on everything I anybody can ask for in life. If you are given
through the different companies that we need. I have to understand, is it a need or is it a another chance in life, get up and try again.
manage and operate.” want. Covid has taught us lots of lessons and I’m Here’s your chance to make it work again.”

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