Njengoko u-2026 usondela kwaye iqela elitsha leLittlePod liqala ukubonakala, besicinga ngeenyanga ezili-12 ezingalibalekiyo kwi-HQ yethu apha e-East Devon. Njengoko iPhulo lethu leVanilla yokwenyani lisiya liqina, u-2025 yayingunyaka apho uMelissa Irace, owayesakuba nguMphathi woPhuhliso oluZinzileyo weLittlePod, waphefumlelwa ukuba aphume kwaye alandele uthando lwakhe lweshishini elikhokelwa yinjongo ethile, esebenzisa konke awakubonayo ngexesha lakhe apha. Njengoko iMelissa's Heart Leaders 2.0 yayiza kuqaliswa kuNyaka oMtsha, sicinge ukuba ixesha lifikile lokuba sixoxe ngaphambi kweKrisimesi. La ngamazwi akhe:

Ndifunde lukhulu kuJanet kunye nexesha endilichithe eLittlePod. Bendingacebanga ukusebenza apha – ndize nje ukuzosela iti nentetho kuba bendiceba ukuseka ishishini elizinzileyo kwaye ndifuna ukufumana izimvo kunye noqeqesho kumntu oye wafika apho waza wakwenza oko. Ngexesha lencoko, uJanet wandinika umsebenzi waza wandinika ithuba lokuva ukuba kuthetha ukuthini ukuqhuba nokusebenza kwishishini elizinzileyo. Emva kokuba ndisandula ukubiza iti, ndagqibela ndifumana ulwazi oluxabisekileyo. Ndiyiphile le ndlela kwaye ndibone ukuba le ndlela yokwenza izinto iyasebenza. Ngoku, xa ndithetha nabantu malunga nokuzinza, ndingathi, 'Ewe, ndisebenze kwinkampani eyenza loo nto'. 

Xa ndashiya iLittlePod, ndachitha iinyanga ezimbalwa ndiphuhlisa iiNkokeli zeeNtliziyo. Ingqwalasela ikwinto ethethwa kukukhokela ishishini ngokusuka entliziyweni. Ndichithe ixesha kwindalo ndaza ndazinika ithuba lokuphumla emsebenzini nasekuphazamiseni. Kwakumnandi kakhulu. Emva komsitho omhle wokuqalisa, ndagqiba ekubeni ndinikeze iiworkshops apho abantu banokuphuhlisa khona amaqhinga okuthengisa ngokusekelwe kwinjongo kunye nexabiso. Kodwa akubonakali ngathi kukhokele ndawo. Emva koko ndaqonda ukuba kutheni. Iinkokheli zoshishino, njengabantu abaninzi, zijongene nokuxinana kolwazi kunye nokuxinana. Kukho uxinzelelo olukhulu lokwenza, ukwenza, ukwenza nokukhula, ukukhula, ukukhula. Oku akulunganga kwiplanethi yethu okanye kwimpilo-ntle yethu.

Ixesha lam eLittlePod laqinisa iingcinga zam malunga nokubaluleka kwenjongo. Konke kumalunga nokwazi isizathu sakho, njengoko uJanet esenza, nokusebenzisa oko njengamandla okuqhuba. Nanini na xa izinto ziba nzima, ungabuyela kwinjongo yakho kwaye ufumane amandla amatsha. Kwakhona kugxininise iingcinga zam malunga nokuba kuthetha ukuthini ukuba lishishini elizinzileyo. Kufuneka ucinge ngenzuzo - ewe - kodwa ucinge ngabantu bakho kwaye ufake loo P eyongezelelweyo ngenjongo. Xa loo njongo injalo ukuhlaziywa kwamahlathi emvula kwi-Equatorial Belt, njengoko kunjalo kwiLittlePod, yenza yonke into ibe nkulu kakhulu kunawe. ILittlePod indincedile ukuba ndibone izinto ngendlela eyahlukileyo. Ibiluncedo kakhulu.

Ndifumene ii-epiphany ezintle. Ndicinga ngendlela endingayixhasa ngayo indlela entsha yokusondela kwishishini – ukuze ndisuke kwimida kunye nokuxakeka kwengqondo kwaye ndiqhagamshelane nobulumko, uxolo kunye nokuhamba kakuhle okuza ngokukhokela entliziyweni. Ndiza kuqalisa iHeart Leaders 2.0 kuNyaka oMtsha kwaye ndichulumancile ngoko ndikugcinele kona ngo-2026. Xa ndiqhagamshelane nobulumko bentliziyo yam, amathuba amahle avela. Ngoku ndingumqhubi wezifundo ezimbini kwiYunivesithi yase-Exeter. Enye yiGlobal Entrepreneurial Marketing. Ndiya kuqinisekisa ukuba ndiyayiquka. ibali leLittlePod kwiimfundiso zam.

Intetho kaLittlePod ithi 'cothisa izinto ukuze izinto zenzeke'. Le yinto eyandichaphazela kakhulu ngexesha endandilichitha apha. ULittlePod undincedile ndaqonda ukuba, ngaphambili, bendisebenza kakhulu. Ndaqala ukuqonda ukuba kufuneka ndithathe kancinci ukuze izinto zilunge. UJanet wayemangalisa. Wayeqonda ukuba ndingumama ohlala yedwa kwaye wayenokuguquguquka xa kufikwa kusapho. ULittlePod undinike uluvo lokuba ndikhuselekile kwaye ndinexesha nendawo yokucinga ngamanyathelo alandelayo. Bendisoloko ndiyithanda indawo – into uJanet ayibiza ngokuba yi-'eco-bubble' encinci. Yiparadesi encinci – indawo yokulibala ngeengxaki nokuziva ukhuselekile, ujikelezwe yindalo neentaka.

Bekumnandi kakhulu ukusebenza eLittlePod. Ukuba usebenzela le nkampani, ungathi ebantwini, 'Ndiyazi ukuba senza okulungileyo ehlabathini'. ILittlePod ithetha ngqo nabalimi - ayithathi manyathelo amathathu okanye amane - kwaye, ngentliziyo yam yonke, ndingathi, 'senze umahluko kwaba bantu'. Oko kubaluleke kakhulu, ingakumbi ukuba ungumntu okholelwa kwimilinganiselo njengam. Ukuba yinxalenye yophawu olukholelwa kulo kwaye onokuziva uziqhenya ngokulimela kuzo zonke iinkalo kube yinto ekhethekileyo kum. Bekumnandi kakhulu ukuba yinxalenye yenkampani efana neLittlePod, ukuyibona isebenza kwaye ube yinxalenye yeqela labantu abanomdla kangaka.

Akukho intsuku zimbini eLittlePod ezifanayo. Le yeyona nto ilungileyo ngokusebenza kwinkampani encinci. Ungabandakanyeka kwiinkalo ezininzi zeshishini. Kungavula amehlo. Ukudibana nabantu abanomdla, ukufumana ii-imeyile ezivela kwihlabathi liphela kunye nokusebenza noRichard noPaul njengenxalenye yeqela eliqinileyo, bekumnandi kakhulu. Into enye endiyifundileyo kuJanet kukubaluleka kokuqala ubudlelwane nabantu abakwinqanaba elifanayo nawe kuba niza kukhula kunye. Oko kwandichukumisa kakhulu. NjengoLittlePod, ngoku ndidala uluntu, abantu baqala, banamathelane kwaye baxhasana kuhambo lwabo.

Bendicinga ukuba ndiyaqonda iLittlePod ngaphambi kokuba ndize kusebenza apha. Bendisazi ukuba iLittlePod yinkampani encinci ezinzileyo neyishishini elisekelwe kwimilinganiselo yokwenyani. Kodwa bendingazi ukuba kungakanani okufuneka kusetyenziswe kuyo yonke le nto. Bendingazi ukuba ngubani osebenzisa Iimveliso ze-LittlePod – ukusuka kubabhaki kunye nabenzi botywala eDevon ukuya kubavelisi kunye nabapheki abaziingcali kwihlabathi liphela. Bendingaqondi ukuba iLittlePod ifikelele kangakanani. Ndifunde lukhulu kwaye ndisamangaliswa yiyo yonke into ebandakanyekayo kunye nayo yonke into uJanet ebejongene nayo kwiminyaka eli-15 edlulileyo ukuze afikelele kweli nqanaba iLittlePod. Ndinombulelo kakhulu ngokunikwa eli thuba lokufunda ngokwam ukuba kuthetha ukuthini ukuqhuba ishishini elizinzileyo.

Ukusuka kwiqela leLittlePod apha e-East Devon, sithumela ii-vanilla hugs kwaye sibulela uMelissa ngegalelo alinike lona kwi-intanethi yethu. Iphulo leVanila yokwenyaniNgaba ungathanda ukwazi okungakumbi ngoMelissa, iiNkokeli zeNtliziyo kunye noQeqesho lwakhe lweShishini oluqondakalayo? Nceda uncede ndwendwela iwebhusayithi yakhe apha.