Njengoba u-2026 usondela kanye neqembu elisha le-LittlePod liqala ukwakha, besilokhu sicabanga ngezinyanga eziyi-12 ezingasoze zalibaleka eHhovisi lethu Elikhulu lapha e-East Devon. Njengoba umkhankaso wethu we-Real Vanilla uqhubeka uqina, u-2025 kwaba unyaka lapho uMelissa Irace, owayengumphathi we-Sustainable Development Manager kaLittlePod, aphefumulelwa khona ukuba aqale futhi alandele intshisekelo yakhe yebhizinisi eliholwa yinhloso, esebenzisa konke abhekane nakho ngesikhathi sakhe lapha. Njengoba i-Melissa's Heart Leaders 2.0 kulindeleke ukuthi yethulwe ngonyaka omusha, sicabange ukuthi sesifikile isikhathi sokuhlangana ngaphambi kukaKhisimusi. Lawa ngamazwi akhe:

Ngifunde lukhulu kuJanet kanye nesikhathi engisichithe eLittlePod. Angikaze ngihlele ukusebenza lapha – ngisanda kungena ukuzophuza itiye kanye nenkulumo ngoba ngangihlela ukuqala ibhizinisi elizinzile futhi ngangifuna ukuthola imibono kanye nokwelulekwa kothile oke waba lapho futhi wakwenza. Phakathi naleyo ngxoxo, uJanet wanginika umsebenzi futhi wanginika ithuba lokuzwa ukuthi kusho ukuthini ngempela ukuqhuba nokusebenza ebhizinisini elizinzile. Njengoba ngisanda kufona ukuzophuza itiye, ngagcina ngithole ukuqonda okubalulekile. Ngiphile ngakho futhi ngibonile ukuthi le ndlela yokwenza izinto iyasebenza. Manje, uma ngikhuluma nabantu ngokusimama, ngingasho ukuthi, 'Yebo, ngisebenze enkampanini eyenza lokho'. 

Ngesikhathi ngishiya iLittlePod, ngachitha izinyanga ezimbalwa ngithuthukisa i-Heart Leaders. Ukugxila kulokho okushiwo ukuhola ngenhliziyo yonke ebhizinisini. Ngachitha isikhathi emvelweni futhi ngazinika ikhefu emsebenzini naseziphazamisoni. Kwakuyinjabulo. Ngemva komcimbi omuhle wokwethulwa, nganquma ukunikeza ama-workshop lapho abantu babengathuthukisa khona amasu okumaketha ngokusekelwe enjongweni nasezindinganisweni. Kodwa kwakubonakala kungaholeli ndawo. Ngabe sengiqaphela ukuthi kungani. Abaholi bebhizinisi, njengabantu abaningi, bahlushwa ulwazi oluningi kakhulu nolukhungathekisayo. Kunengcindezi enkulu yokwenza, ukwenza, ukwenza nokukhula, ukukhula, ukukhula. Lokhu akukuhle emhlabeni wethu noma enhlalakahleni yethu.

Isikhathi sami eLittlePod saqinisa imicabango yami ngokubaluleka kwenhloso. Konke kumayelana nokwazi ukuthi kungani, njengoba kwenza uJanet, nokusebenzisa lokho njengamandla okuqhuba. Noma nini lapho izinto ziba nzima, ungabuyela enjongweni yakho uthole amandla amasha. Kuphinde kwagcizelela imicabango yami ngokuthi kusho ukuthini ukuba yibhizinisi elizinzile. Udinga ukucabanga ngenzuzo - vele - kodwa futhi ucabange ngabantu bakho bese ufaka lowo P owengeziwe ngenhloso. Uma leyo njongo injalo ukuvuselelwa kwezihlahla zamahlathi e-Equatorial Belt, njengoba kunjalo e-LittlePod, kwenza konke kube kukhulu kakhulu kunawe. I-LittlePod ingisizile ukuthi ngibone izinto ngendlela ehlukile. Kube usizo kakhulu.

Ngibe nombono omuhle. Bengilokhu ngicabanga ngendlela engingayisekela ngayo indlela entsha yokusondela ebhizinisini - ukuze ngisuke emikhawulweni kanye nokuba matasa kwengqondo futhi ngixhumane nokuhlakanipha, ukuthula kanye nokugeleza okuphumelelayo okuza ngokuhola kusuka enhliziyweni. Ngizokwethula i-Heart Leaders 2.0 ngonyaka omusha futhi ngijabule ngalokho u-2026 akubeke khona. Lapho ngixhumanisa nokuhlakanipha kwenhliziyo yami, kwavela amathuba amahle. Manje sengingumholi we-module yezifundo ezimbili e-University of Exeter. Enye i-Global Entrepreneurial Marketing. Ngizoqiniseka ukuthi ngiyayifaka indaba ye-LittlePod ezimfundisweni zami.

Inkulumo kaLittlePod ithi 'yehlisa ijubane ukuze izinto zenzeke'. Lokhu kuyinto eyangithinta kakhulu ngesikhathi ngichitha lapha. I-LittlePod yangisiza ngaqaphela ukuthi, esikhathini esidlule, ngangisebenze kakhulu. Ngaqala ukuqonda ukuthi kwakudingeka ngithathe kancane ukuze ngilungise izinto. UJanet wayemangalisa. Wayeqonda ukuthi ngingumama ohlala yedwa futhi wayevumelana nezimo uma kukhulunywa ngomndeni. I-LittlePod yanginika umuzwa wokuphephile nokuba nesikhathi nendawo yokucabanga ngezinyathelo ezilandelayo. Bengilokhu ngiyithanda indawo - lokho uJanet akubiza ngokuthi 'i-eco-bubble' encane. Kuyipharadesi elincane - indawo yokukhohlwa ngezinkinga nokuzizwa uphephile, uzungezwe imvelo nezinyoni.

Bekujabulisa kakhulu ukusebenza eLittlePod. Uma usebenzela le nkampani, ungathi kubantu, 'Ngiyazi ukuthi senza okuhle emhlabeni'. I-LittlePod ikhuluma ngqo nabalimi - akukasuswa izinyathelo ezintathu noma ezine - futhi, ngenhliziyo yami yonke, ngingasho ukuthi, 'senze umehluko kulaba bantu'. Lokho kubaluleke kakhulu, ikakhulukazi uma ungumuntu oqhutshwa yizindinganiso njengami. Ukuba yingxenye yomkhiqizo okholelwa kuwo ngempela futhi ongaziqhenya ngokuwumelela kuzo zonke izici kube yinto ekhethekile kimi. Kube kuhle kakhulu ukuba yingxenye yenkampani efana ne-LittlePod, ukuyibona isebenza futhi ukuba yingxenye yeqembu labantu abanothando kangaka.

Azikho izinsuku ezimbili eLittlePod ezifanayo. Lokhu kuyinto engcono kakhulu ngokusebenza enkampanini encane. Ungabandakanyeka ezicini eziningi zebhizinisi. Kungavula amehlo. Ukuhlangana nabantu abathakazelisayo, ukuthola ama-imeyili avela kuwo wonke umhlaba kanye nokusebenza noRichard noPaul njengengxenye yeqembu eliqinile, kwaba yintokozo enkulu. Into eyodwa engiyifundile kuJanet ukubaluleka kokuqala ubudlelwano nabantu abasesigabeni esifanayo nawe ngoba nizokhula ndawonye. Lokho kwangithinta kakhulu. NjengoLittlePod, manje sengidala umphakathi, abantu beqala, benamathelana futhi besekelana ohambweni lwabo.

Bengicabanga ukuthi ngiyamqonda uLittlePod ngaphambi kokuba ngize ukusebenza lapha. Bengazi ukuthi iLittlePod iyi-SME eyisibonelo esimeme futhi ibhizinisi elisekelwe ezindinganisweni zangempela. Kodwa bengingazi ukuthi kungakanani okubandakanya konke. Bengingaqapheli ukuthi ubani osebenzisa Imikhiqizo ye-LittlePod – kusukela kubabhaki nabapheki bobhiya eDevon kuya kubakhiqizi nabapheki abangochwepheshe emhlabeni wonke. Angizange ngiqaphele ukuthi iLittlePod ifinyelele kangakanani. Ngifunde okuningi futhi ngisamangazwe yikho konke okuhilelekile nakho konke uJanet abhekane nakho eminyakeni eyi-15 edlule ukuze afinyelele iLittlePod kuleli qophelo. Ngibonga kakhulu ukuthi nginikezwe leli thuba lokufunda mathupha ukuthi kusho ukuthini ukuqhuba ibhizinisi elizinzile.

Kusukela eqenjini le-LittlePod lapha e-East Devon, sithumela ama-vanilla hugs futhi sibonga uMelissa ngegalelo alinikezile kithi. Umkhankaso we-Real VanillaUngathanda ukuthola okwengeziwe ngoMelissa, Abaholi Bezinhliziyo kanye Nokuqeqeshwa Kwakhe Kwebhizinisi Okunengqondo? Sicela vakashela iwebhusayithi yakhe lapha.