This story is a continuation of "When Life Throws You Meteors."
After that day on the beach, when I decided what I wanted my career to look like, things started happening really fast.
First, some of my clients called me and explained that leaving me hadn’t been their choice. They were unhappy and didn’t want to work with someone else, so they came back.
Then my ex-partner showed up at my office, announcing that he was leaving town and handing over all his company's clients to me. Not only did I now have his clients, but I also had the rest of mine back. The caveat? He had charged hosting fees a year in advance and didn’t pay me the pro-rated difference. I informed the clients that I would gladly carry them for the remainder of their paid terms free of charge, but if they were willing to pay the hosting fees, I would appreciate it. Every single one of them agreed to pay the fees.
Next, I received a call from a former colleague - a waiter I used to work with at Saddles - who had become the operations manager for a restaurant group. He had heard about me through one of my clients and wanted help with some of the group’s websites. We worked so well together that he suggested we collaborate on a more permanent basis through his own company, which specialized in tourism, destination marketing, and itinerary management. He brought me on as the Internet and web component of the business.
He became my mentor. I watched and learned all I could from him, getting involved in tourism, marketing, client relations, and much more. I often accompanied him to see clients, did trade shows, Indaba in Durban, and joined on complimentary tours. We even sponsored Internet marketing seminars.
He re-introduced me to the restaurant group owner, who previously owned the restaurant where we used to work together. The owner was looking for a new web host and decided to take a chance on me.
Not only did I gain a mentor I worked with for over 15 years, but I also fulfilled my career wish. I studied, travelled, delved into tourism, and developed skills in web hosting, server management, different marketing strategies, and client relations. And I brought all of it together into a single, fulfilling career.
But it wasn’t all sunshine and roses. I made some big mistakes too.
At one point, I had an opportunity to work with a national hotel group. I scheduled a meeting with the CEO and, before the meeting, sent him a 12-page website proposal - naively assuming he would read it. He did not.
When the meeting began, he placed the proposal in front of me and said, “Okay, shoot.” I realized too late that he expected me to pitch its contents in less than three minutes.
I forgot how to speak English.
I completely tanked the meeting. For the next few minutes, I babbled incoherently in broken English. Even I didn’t understand what I was trying to say!
When I finished, he stared at me, visibly puzzled, and asked, “Okay, so what you’re telling me is that you’re going to do the website?”
“Yes,” I replied.
“Okay, let’s do it,” he said.
To this day, the "HOW?!" remains a mystery. But I did the website.