Pontsho Manzi is a businesswoman, a professional and motivational speaker, facilitator, coach, image consultant and an author. As a business woman, she is the Managing Director of Botlhokwa Group, a holding company for three subsidiary companies called Recrutrain, FabImage and Bonisa Media. Pontsho is a qualified HR practitioner with a Degree in Human Resource Management.
She founded Recrutrain, an HR consulting and training company with an impeccable 8-year track record for delivering innovative staffing and training solutions to both private and public sector organisations in South Africa and neighbouring countries in the SADC region.
I Am Driven By | I am driven by a burning passion and need to fight for the underdog. I am passionate about helping people especially young women and girls. What drives me are the constant smiles of girls I have helped to regain their confidence and self –esteem. It is living a life of purpose and finding out every day why I was born. I have found what I was born for and that is to build the confidence of young girls and women of the world starting from my community, South Africa and the next stop is the world.
My Highlights | Besides giving birth to my two beautiful children, the highlight of my life has been to build my company from scratch without help from any of the so-called development agencies aimed at helping young entrepreneurs. My biggest highlight, however, was starting a media empire in order to use it as a vehicle for touching lives and reaching out to the forgotten and downtrodden. I am most proud of the Fabulous Foundation for Girls (FabGalz) and the work we are doing in schools in townships and rural areas of South Africa. What I do with Fabgalz allows me to see the wonders of God and his love in every single girl that I mentor or have spoken to. The feedback I receive and the appreciation that someone cares and wants the best for them. These young girls want to be the best and they need someone else to show them how and as the foundation we assist them in doing that and then paying it forward by helping other girls just like them.
The Difference Between Good And Great | The difference is simply that people who are great at what they do are selfless and their actions are the extension of their purpose and character. They do not do what they do for recognition but do it simply because it just has to be done and they lead from the front in doing it. You can never be great at something if you do it out of necessity but only venture to be great if you do it out of a purpose that is higher than yourself. Great people are people who have found their purpose. It is said that there are two most important days in one’s life, the first one is the day they were born and the second one is the day they discover why they were born.
A Key Talent | Thirst for knowledge is a strength that has been critical to my success as well as a talent to spot the next big trend. I have always ensured that I am constantly learning in every environment I find myself in. I learn from people, books, attend courses and anywhere I can gain knowledge. You have to surround yourself with people who are better or know more than you so you can always lift your game to a higher level. When you find yourself being the brightest person in the group, it is time to move to another group. Always keep learning in order to be a better version of yourself. Every month, take stock of what you have learnt and every year review your knowledge and move to the next level. Constant learning keeps you young and motivated and relevant. I have an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and that has been critical in honing my educational, business skills and social skills, and has kept me relevant throughout the years. I have learnt over the years that every bit of knowledge I have gained has taken me to where I am and more knowledge will even take me higher.
Principles I Live By | The most important principle is to never compromise your values for money or for personal gain alone. It is the belief that every cent that I earn is earned with integrity and a strict sense of ethics. I live and believe in integrity and living a life of purpose in doing what you love. I was told it would never be easy and you will face many battles and steep hills but the rewards are far greater than any money could buy. The passion keeps you going when your mind and body tells you to throw in the towel.
Lessons I Have Learnt | I have learnt that good triumphs over evil and that no good deed goes unnoticed. I have learnt that no matter how small a gesture or act of kindness is in your eyes, it may be a gigantic gesture to a recipient who receives it just in time and to someone who may have been wittingly or unwittingly praying for it. I have learnt to always do good and expect nothing in return. Life always has a funny way of paying you back in many ways you never imagined.
My Future Dreams And Ambitions | My biggest goal is to make all my business ventures to be big enough so that I can concentrate on my purpose of helping women without having to worry about money ever again. I dream of being able to help as many women to help other women and their communities in many more ways than I ever can. The need is too great for any one person or organization to do alone. FabGalz is only a small part of a bigger vision which is much bigger than me. The plan that I have for this foundation scare me when I think about them but I believe that if your dream is not scary enough, then you have dreamt big enough and are limiting what God can do through you.
The Meaning Of Life | We are all born on this earth to be of service to others. If all you do only serves you, then you have not explored the depth of your purpose for being born. You find meaning in doing something that goes beyond your selfish interest and for the greater good. Whatever that greater good is. You have to leave a legacy and a mark that you were once on this earth and meant something to at least one other human being so you could be remembered. You come into this life with nothing and cannot take anything with you, but you can leave something for someone else who comes after you. We all borrow life from our descendants and people who come after us. We have to leave this life better than we found it, perhaps the way you would have wanted to find it when you were born.
The Best Advice I’ve Received | Find your purpose and live it. You will never work a day in your life! A tree never thinks about being a tree, it just is. Find your purpose and just be.
Advice On Building Wealth | Never chase money in anything you do. By chasing money, you cause it to run away from you and you will never have enough or have the time to enjoy life. Never chase money but let your talent and purpose draw money and wealth to you. If you do what you love, money will eventually find you and even chase you.
I Am Inspired By | My mother and many other strong women I have met inspire me. They are my role models without even trying. All the great women, past and present, I would have wanted to meet in my life and only read about are my role models. They are too many to mention but they all lived a life on purpose and I got to know about them through their work. My mother taught me that we all have our races to run and that no race is the same, just like the fingers on each hand are not equal but all have their purpose.
The Legacy I Would Like To Leave | I want to die knowing that I made a difference to at least one person through my existence in this life. I want to die knowing that I changed one person’s life for the better by being me and giving them a platform and the privilege to be themselves. This is the legacy that FabGalz and I want to leave behind for women of the world.
