On Point with Sandy Nene

21 year old Sandy Nene is a well know Durban Blogger, who started SA bloggers and writes for zalebs.com , voices.news24.com and yomzansi.com/mag. He has been published on many others, including: agossip.com, a fashionfriend.co.za, blaque.co.za, durbanzone.co.za. He also writes for print mag called Deelish Life 'N Style Mag and all this, while he has a full time job.

When he worked at the Conversation lab, up the road from us, in the Richefond office park, he would pop in to visit in his lunch breaks to engage in Skill Share sessions with Lauren.

He first heard about The Sett from the Uber Team and is very supportive of co working in general.

“Like most people, I used to think that I couldn’t work from the Sett because I already have a full time job, but it’s a great place for personal meetings or to host workshops from. Also, because it’s open from 7.30am, I can pop in for a coffee before work too.”

Sandy is known for speaking out and having strong opinions about important issues, so we asked him 3 important questions…

Why co-work?

“The corporate culture of the past is changing to become a more creative free space. We all have a voice, we can all be our own bosses and so co-working spaces are really the way forward for the future of office spaces. It’s a great way for the youth and fellow south Africans to get to know each other, interact, develop friendships and start to break down cultural barriers through understanding each other better and learning more about each others goals and dreams. We have a very opinionated youth with lots to say, and an open free flow space, promotes starting the conversation.”

Why collaborate?

"It takes a lot of confidence to be creative these days. Although more and more people are understanding the importance of sharing ideas and not holding back – it’s vital not to feel threatened by others (those that do will try to bring you down and holdback their own ideas from you). We are all creative in our own ways, with our own strengths. I will never have certain skills that come naturally to others and that’s why collaborating with them is such a good solution – you are able to learn and grow from those who support and encourage you and you may be able to teach them something new too. We all have different things to offer. That’s one of the things that makes life interesting!"

What's your advice for budding bloggers?

"Don’t get into blogging for the wrong reasons: to get free stuff, be invited to cool events and get paid for advertising. Those things can happen, but if you are going to blog: Blog for Love! It’s a lot of hard work and dedication and you are always striving to learn and improve. You are there to tell stories, document your life and share your opinion. You need to be brave and fearless as not everyone will like what you have to say. Make sure you have a good support network who will encourage you even when times are tough and get to know other bloggers out there. We are all in this together!”

Sbu's Story

Sbu is the Sett’s resident Coffee barrister. His passion for creating the perfect cappuccino is evident in every serving and his warm smile is a constant reminder that he is a person who truly loves what he does. 

Sbu is a young man who has overcome many personal challenges to get him to where he is today. From a lonely life on the streets to the success of the Sett, his realizations and insights are an inspiration to us all. This is his story...

Sbusiso Justice Nkolothi arrived in Durban on the 10th February 2010, after leaving his hometown of Bulawayo, Zimbabwe. With the world’s focus on South Africa as the place to be for the world cup, he decided that is was time to start his life over, in a new place, leaving behind his family and everything familiar to him from his 27 years. With the promise of a job in Durban, he arrived alone, with nothing but a new name that he has given himself: Sbu (which means ‘Blessing’.) 

Life in Durban was not what he had anticipated. The job did not materialize, and opportunities were not abounding. Sbu’s first two months were spent living on the street, until finally at the end of April he got a job at a fast food restaurant on South Beach. The job meant he had somewhere to stay and food but… no salary. His daily allowance of R20 provided a night sleep at the local shelter. Encouraged by this small improvement, he kept working as hard as he could. After 4 months, the shop closed and he was given a token salary of R600. Quickly he got another job – part time, for R30 a day, (which of course didn’t cover rent and food) but within a month his salary increased to over R1000 per month. Hard work was paying off and life was beginning. 

Then opportunity struck when he was given a chance to be a runner at Durban’s well loved, Mama Luciano’s restaurant and bar. Feeling revitalized and positive with his new good fortune, Sbu worked harder than he ever had before, putting his all into it. From cleaning, being one of the kitchen staff, to becoming a waiter and barman, he did whatever he could to learn and challenge himself. By October 2010, the restaurant’s owner, Marco doubled his wage. Unfortunately shortly after, Sbu’s new found confidence tipped into arrogance and he started to steel money from the bar. He was quickly caught but instead of being fired, Marco gave him a choice:

Pay a R200 fine and stay or leave instantly. 

His choice was a blessing and at that moment, Sbu made a promise to Marco and himself that never again, would he let money control him. He admitted his crime and decided to choose an honest path for himself where the opportunity to learn would replace the chance to chase money. 

His mistake had cost him Marco’s trust and it was up to him to do everything he could to redeem himself and earn it back. With his new insight he used the opportunity to challenge, grow and improve. 

Life at Mama Luciano’s taught Sbu about:

• Forgiveness, 
• Developed his passion to understand people, 
• Gave him the ability to deal with strong personalities and 
• Began his love affair with coffee…

He was kept on his toes, had to think on his feet, and was never allowed to be lazy. In 2011 Spu met Raymond the Deli chef and started working with him. Ray was an excellent motivator for Spu, by leading through example- never tired, negative or depressed, with huge passion for his purpose. Soon, the two became friends. 

Life with all its ups and downs was guiding Sbu up a path of self-improvement. Following Ray’s guidance, he focused on being friendly, engaging, honest and hardworking.

Unbeknown to him, a certain group of the restaurant’s locals, were also the founders of the Sett and in February 2013, Sbu got a call for a job interview to operate the Sett’s canteen, be the Coffee Barrister and serve the co-workers. At this time, Ray’s kitchen was also providing the daily lunches to the Sett. 

Walking into an empty room and being told to visualize a vibrant space filled with desks and working people was a stretch of his imagination, but Sbu took a leap of faith and held the opportunity given to him. He believed that what was described to him would be all that they said it could be…. that this one place would change his life. And he was right…

“Being a part of the Sett is like coming home. I have found the right space for me. There is so much support, great opportunity and I have so much respect for the people and the place. The people truly care and I have experienced love like I have never felt before- it’s like family. When I wake up, I don’t think, I am going to work- I feel like I am just enjoying my life. There is nothing I’d rather do. This is the kind of life that I dreamed of when I left Zimbabwe. I am so thankful and truly and blessed to be apart of this.”

Sbu has learnt that even when you can’t change your environment, you can still change your perception. This gives you personal empowerment and stops you from stressing so much about an uncertain future. Patience, respect and loyalty are vital in a work culture as well as constant gratitude. Although life will test you, every day, you must strive to a better person. 

Sbu is a prime example, that we all have a story of why we are where we are today, that the people we meet forever change and shape us and that life is ultimately, a blessing to us all. 

Meet Lauren

Hi, I’m Lauren Wallett and I write this blog for you! 

I am passionate about writing, story telling and conversation and as a result, write 4 full time blogs and contribute Collaborative Consumption's blog as a global ambassador.  My business is called Malva.

I feel that what we do is a reflection of who we are, so for me, Malva is more than just ‘what I do’ – I see it as ‘who I am’ too… Simply put though, I offer various marketing services. 

I love talking about the “Malva philosophy” which is very collaborative in essence. For company details on what I do, you can check out the proof is in the pudding page of my website.

I adore co-working from The Sett and one of my favorite things about living in Durban is that this space exists. I am a person who likes to share what I love and when I am a fan of something, I like to talk/tweet/post/update my status about it! I found my happy place when I discovered The Sett and am thrilled that I am able to officially market it to everyone now. I feel that the reason I able to to complete all my work and still enjoy time off, is because of the focus and clarity I get when working in the Sett's unique environment. 

LETS CONNECT!

I like connecting with all creatives, whether it be to share skills, bounce ideas, get feedback or collaborate on a project together and soon I will be looking to grow my business by including graphic designers, copy editors and pro active social media experts to the Malva team. 

I am looking forward to sharing inspiration with you on this blog. If you have any suggestions or feedback you are welcome to email me directly. 

P.S: Check in next week where I share some Spot On inspiring quotes from a few of my greatest influencers. 

Meet Gareth

Gareth Henderson is 1 part industrial designer, 1 part lemonade maker, 1 part interior designer, 2 parts adventure seeker, 1/2 part tennis player… missing a 1/2 part. 

(His birthday is on 9/11!)

Gareth specializes in hospitality and retail design (interiors) and furniture and systems (industrial) through his business: g i h 

We loved how g i h believes how design should work:

Carry a notebook everywhere

Sketch

Work hard, stay humble

Take stimulating breaks

Teach others about what you know

Try new things

Do more than you are asked to

Simplicity is the ultimate form of sophistication

Collaborate

He also has a blog on the site. 

Gareth is a keen collaborator and out sources to creatives in the following fields: 

• Social media
• 3D rendering
• Graphic design
• Shop fitting
• Architecture

So contact him, if you’d like to set up a meeting to potentially work together. 

Gareth likes exercise and being active through playing sport and you can also spot him serving freshly made lemonade at Durban’s i heart market! 

Meet Sarah

Sarah Batchelder is the first person you’ll meet when you come to the Sett...

Sarah handles all the behind the scenes administration: as the daily manager, she manages all the logistics to ensure that everything runs and functions smoothly. She is also the hostess, accommodating the daily coworkers, their guests and the companies who come in for meetings or training. Sarah is the person you go to with any questions, if you’d like printing done or need assistance with bookings, and as a trained chef, she also organizes and prepares the Sett’s healthy lunches… 

Simply put: the Sett wouldn’t be the Sett without Sarah. 

Her job is perfect for her because she loves being with people and socializing is officially part of her days work. “Good coffee is an essential part of life” Sarah says, and at the Sett the coffee flows, unlimited, on tap so it’s a welcomed perk. “There is more to life than work” and when she is not at the Sett, Sarah loves being outdoors, engaging in adventurous activities and eating “Food makes me a very happy person”. 

Sarah is your go to girl for everything Sett related, so when you come to visit, say hi!

For more on Sarah, Click here for some of the things that inspire her.

Sarah's Inspiration

Sarah Batchelder shares some of her inspiration…

Click on the links to be directed to the articles and you are welcome to pin the images to your own inspiration boards on Pinterest, or re-pin directly from The Sett's Pinterest 

• How great leaders inspire action

• Why creative people sometimes make no sense 

7 Time management tricks

Future co-working and why it will give your business huge edge 

• Entrepreneurship without boundaries 

Which article did you enjoy the most? 

What inspires you? 

Leave a comment and share the links to your favorite articles so that we can share them with our readers. Or you can post directly onto The Sett Facebook page  or Tweet us