Great expectations and the messiness of life

Durban - Author and businesswoman, Cindy Norcott with her new book, How Does She Do It? a behind-the-scenes look at being an entrepreneur.“IT SOUNDS successful. It sounds perfect. But it’s not.”

That’s taken from the second page of Cindy Norcott’s new book How Does She Do It? which details the journey of this successful Durban entrepreneur and how messy it can get behind-the-scenes when you are running your own company and balancing being a wife and mom at the same time.

It’s a familiar role for women across the world and this book not only acknowledges it’s not always “rainbow and sunshine” in the world of a successful entrepreneur ‒ but also lessons she has learned and which anyone can apply to their business.

In her book, she looks at the lessons such as accountability, prioritising, how to build confidence, how to say “no”, building a brand and how to “get so much done in a day”, among many other tips and traits ‒ useful for any entrepreneur.

Unlike her first book How To Be Unstoppable, which she said was a more factual account of her entrepreneurial journey, this one includes being less than perfect and despite all those imperfections and mistakes, how to grow and thrive in your chosen business.

Norcott, who started her Durban-based recruitment agency Pro Talent in 1994, said this week: “It’s that behind-the-scenes work, which can include thinking, worrying, strategising, networking and ideation. Nobody sees those hours of work, but then anything worth achieving does take hard work.”

The book took her 19 days to write, during which Norcott was up and working before 5am and another six weeks of editing and rewriting.

“I had been meaning to write this book for about three years. As I saw it take shape, it was very satisfying. It was my voice, my truth, my experience, how I’ve learned and everything I’ve experienced,” she said.

She also reveals many light moments, to which every working mother can relate, including a final few paras from her daughter Lexie who writes: “Every meal that my mum makes is like an episode of Fear Factor. One evening while I was eating the last bite of my chicken schnitzel, my sister shouted out that it was still frozen. I was wondering why it was so crunchy ‒ I do believe this has happened to me on more than one occasion.”

And with the world slowly emerging out of the Covid pandemic, Norcott said her business also had to undergo some dynamic changes to keep up with the “new normal”.

With the latest “Great Resignation” trend where people on a global level are looking to change their lives, Norcott said this year had been her company’s “second best year in 20 years”.

“We had to bring in new ways of doing things; how could we do things differently, how can we add extra value for our clients and how to connect with clients.

“The Great Resignation has opened the world up globally, it has stripped boundaries,” she said, saying that before the pandemic, her business was largely focused in KwaZulu-Natal, but that had changed dramatically.

Norcott is also a firm believer in random acts of kindness and giving back, having created the Robin Hood Foundation in 2005, which has helped thousands of people across the province.

“Helping someone gives you a new perspective and you walk a little taller when you have helped someone else.

“It doesn’t have to be money, it can be your time, some advice, a phone call. When you are doing compassionate work, you don’t have time to be navel gazing,” she said, adding that research has found that 100 hours of volunteering a year boosts a sense of happiness.

On that first lesson in business, Norcott said it was having belief in yourself which lead others to believe in you.

“I have learnt over time that in life we are more likely to get what we expect than what we want. One of my strengths is that I expect a lot of myself and for myself, and I act decisively on that expectation.

“I believe in having great expectations.”

The book costs R230. For more information or to order a copy, email cindy@proappoint.co.za

WIN!WIN!WIN!

Five lucky readers will win a copy of How Does She Do It?" by Cindy Norcott. To enter SMS TIOSBook followed by your full name and email address to 33258 (SMSes charged at R1.50). Competition ends on Wednesday at 9am. Terms and conditions apply. Winners will be informed telephonically.

The Independent on Saturday