"Very Touching": Woman Sacked from Corporate Job Finds Success in Roadside Business

• Neliswa turned adversity into opportunity after losing her job, using a gazebo and hustle to build a thriving kota business from scratch
• Faced with unemployment, Neliswa didn't have resources or experience, but she did have determination
• Her journey from office girl to self-made success resonated deeply, sparking praise and admiration online

Neliswa was an office worker who had never cooked professionally before. But when she was laid off from her corporate job in 2018, she decided to take a leap of faith and start her own Kota business.

Kota is a type of sandwich filled with meat, cheese, and chips that is a staple of South African street food.

Neliswa bought a gazebo and set it up at a roadside, where she began making and selling Kotas to her neighbors and friends.

Read also

"How I got scammed and found myself in Dubai": Lady opens up about her uncle scammed her

Soon, her business grew and she gained a loyal fan base online, who admired her resilience and determination.

From jobless to Kota queen

The office girl turned entrepreneur shared her story on the Black Capitalist Facebook page, where she opened up about being retrenched from her job of seven years, forcing her into unemployment.

She wrote:

"I started the business not knowing that it would be my bread and butter. In the beginning, I had nothing; no place to work and no idea where to start. So I got a gazebo, a small gas stove and I took to the street and sold food on the side of a road outside a local clinic," shared the Kota TwoNice founder.

Neliswa admits that she didn't know what she was doing but persisted in making the hustle work nonetheless.

Read also

"I am making millions": Nigerian woman who started business with only N20k dances in new shop, video trends

"I taught myself how to make different meals. Every day I'd teach myself something new, about food and about business," Neliswa shared.

Today, she caters for events, has a mobile kitchen, and a sit-down outlet she calls her own.

Neliswa advises aspiring entrepreneurs to start with what they have and to have a thick skin.

Netizens reacts to woman's story

Mzansi people were moved by Neliswa's story and praised her an inspiration online.

Mzansi Head Honchos commented:

"This is very inspirational. No one should give up."

Babielona Motsemme said:

"Keep on going girl. Spirit."

Sarah Radebe said:

"Congratulations You look so young for someone who has worked more than seven years."

Gugs Mtolo commented:

"Beautiful sister, you're a true inspiration. I started mine last weekend hoping to grow and employ youth in my area."

Mthandeni Nkomo replied:

"Big up to my sister for being the ultimate inspiration and motivation."

Read also

Doja Cat opens up about Dumisani Dlamini and their non-existent relationship: "Never met my dad"

Nhlakanipho Zwane replied:

"Okuhle nomusa kubenawe."

Woman ditches the teaching to build a thriving piggery

Meanwhile, Legit.ng previously reported how a teacher turned to a proud pig farmer at 28, carved her own path, defying expectations and showcasing how ambition and hard work can transform aspirations into actuality.

The Kenya native diligently saved money while teaching to purchase land and establish pig farm in KwaNongoma.

"The love I have for pigs, which my maternal grandmother instilled in me when I was younger, motivated me to venture into pig farming," she shared

Source: Briefly.co.za