ROSSLYN, South Africa – The general perception of a side-hustle is that it's about survival; you either got retrenched, can't find a job, or don't earn enough to keep your head above the water or put food on the table. But, what if a side-hustle is not about survival and rather about passion – whether a passion for food, cooking and baking, or creating beautiful art. If you have a passion, why not turn it into a source of income?
Today, Datsun celebrates an individual who did exactly that – turned a passion and hobby into a source of income.
Babette Kourelos of Babette's Bread became obsessed with bread baking during her final two years of her BA LLB degree as she often found herself baking through the night. After graduating, Babette decided to trade law for bread and today runs a successful artisan bread business and baking academy.
"I started small, from home, and eventually found myself driving all over Johannesburg delivering bread to specialty restaurants, delis and independent coffee shops," said Kourelos.
Just like Babette, who used her car to enable her business operations when first starting out, Datsun's vehicles have proven to be quite popular with entrepreneurs looking for economical cars they can count on. The annual Kinsey Report, which is regarded as the most comprehensive survey of motoring costs, found for the fourth year in a row that the Datsun GO was South Africa's most affordable car to service.
"Datsun is pleased to be able to support all types of businesses – whether you are an entrepreneur that just started out and you are looking for an economical car that will enable your business operations – or whether you are a bigger business like our NetFlorist fleet, one of the biggest flower and gifts delivery networks in South Africa, that were looking for a hard-working fleet to rely on," said Hide Kuwayama, Datsun South Africa managing director.
We asked Babette Kourelos what her advice would be to entrepreneurs looking to make the big move to turn their hobby into their business:
- Get all the training that you can afford.
- Skill yourself with basic finances so that your passion does not ruin you financially.
- If at first you don't succeed, keep trying – refine your processes and get a mentor.
- Don't make debt that you will not be able to repay – I started baking in my mother's kitchen and literally drove around Johannesburg looking for restaurants and shops to stock my bread.
- Hire someone to do your deliveries if you get to that point so you don't leave the area of your business that is your core competence. If you are a baker, be the baker, as customers in the bakery would want to see you.
- You are your brand and therefore, use your name as your brand-name. For example, nobody knows ABC bakery, but everyone knows Babette's Bread.
Reliable and affordable vehicles will contribute a significant amount when starting a new business.
The Datsun GO and GO+ models now come with a six-years/150,000km warranty, which allows entrepreneurs to drive away knowing there won't be any unexpected large expenses in a few years' time. Also, as part of the warranty, Datsun will also offer roadside assistance and access to a customer contact centre that will be available for customers to call toll free every hour of the day, every day of the year.
The GO and GO+ now have redesigned front grille and bumpers (front and rear) and 14" wheels. The New GO and GO+ models are powered by the energetic petrol engine that produces 50kW at 5,000rpm and 104Nm at 4,000rpm paired with a smooth 5-speed manual transmission.
The Datsun GO also comes with a long list of safety features which will ensure that you are not skimping on what is really important. Standard specification includes reverse parking sensors, intermittent wipers, central locking, an immobiliser, ABS, driver and passenger airbags, and retractable seatbelts. In a first for the segment, all new Datsun GO and GO+ Lux variants have been fitted with a new stability control system called 'Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC).
To find out more about the Datsun GO, book a test drive at your nearest Datsun dealership or visit www.datsun.co.za.
Contact
Veralda Schmidt
Media Relations
Datsun South Africa
Mobile: 082 820 8562
veraldas@nissan.co.za
