INSPIRATION


T


hey say men are from Mars and women are from Venus – and these fundamental diff erences in the genders’ make-up means they also relate diff erently to money.


Mapalo’s chosen to focus on the fairer sex by educating and inspiring women about fi nances. “My fi rst experience with money


was at the age of eight, when I asked my sole-breadwinner mother for a pair of roller-skates and she produced her payslip to show me she couldn’t aff ord them. Instead, she said that if I saved


be realised. That was when the business really started doing well!” Mapalo believes that while a large


up my pocket money to buy them, she’d pay half the price. I never did buy the skates, but decided to save my money anyway – and that eventually led me to start www.womaninfi nance.co.za,” says the 29-year-old entrepreneur. However, before she could aim to


become the “Suze Orman of Africa”, she had to earn her stripes at a corporate, where she learnt valuable lessons. “It was diffi cult for me to achieve my


goals, as my attention was divided,” she admits. “I started the business on a part- time basis, but soon had to start taking it much more seriously. I simply backed myself and believed it was possible for my entire dream –not just a part of it – to


number of fi nancial consultants claim to off er South Africans sound fi nancial advice, they often miss the mark. “I speak to women in a way they can


understand easily, so they can relate not only to what I’m talking abut, but also to me as a person,” she says. “Statistics show that, given the same opportunities as men, women tend to handle their money better. I help nurture this natural inclination by keeping my sessions, blogs and talks on a real level. I talk about fi nances like a friend, without using jargon that can confuse important issues.”


PURSE-STRING SAVVY: MAPALO MAKHU, FINANCIAL GURU FOR WOMEN


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