Living Our Sunshine with Susann Deysel
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Girl Boss Diaries

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2 Mins Read

It’s the end of the world as we know it…

I wish I had 2 seconds to rub together… seriously, just 2 seconds to myself. My husband was in hospital for a week.
If I was a stay at home mom it would be my sole job to look after the kids and cook – so it probably wouldn’t have impacted me as much. I’m not a stay at home mom, I work full time and have clients that expect services and deliverables. I can’t say I’ll do it tomorrow as if it’s nothing, if I don’t deliver my clients’ bread and butter getsaffected and then I might lose my client.
I probably haven’t slept more than 4 hours a day (since husband got admitted) and none of those hours were continuous. I haven’t been able to sit and work when the kids are off to bed because I am just so tired.
Getting up for 2 kids all hours of the night and then having to sit and wait for the nanny that arrives late every morning has me climbing up the walls. Every day she is late I am late and to me being late is the absolute end of the world. I get anxious and angry plus then add the tiredness and I’m a red hot fire that needs to contain itself.
Don’t get me wrong, I love working from home and not sitting in traffic to Sandton every day. However, I wish I could sit and work anywhere in my house without a toddler trying to get in on the laptop action by screaming like an absolute terror.
I can moan if I want to, because it’s hard to have a career/business and still be a parent when your co-parent isn’t around.
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2 Mins Read

Instagram this Brew(town)!

Sometimes you want to just drop the kid/s off to school and get home to your work but then you realise that the robot is out and you will take minimum 40 minutes to get home if you dared trying… Plus you know that you urgently need to do something for a client so you hop onto your phone and search for coffee shops with WiFi and then find a gem that you have always just ran right past.

I popped into Brewtown in Lonehill and ordered a coffee and cookie, asked for the WiFi password and got right down to work. The first time I wasn’t too adventurous and didn’t set up my photo as I was in a tizz.

The second time however I went for the mocha latte with extra chocolate… and it was sweet as chocolate. I spent about a R100 for 4 hours as I had a meeting there – it included a coffee, toasted sandwich, can of LiquiFruit and coke.

Third time at Brewtown I actually remembered to look at the name and what is in it. It is a Mocha with espresso, hot chocolate, steamed milk and cream. It should be illegal that’s how delicious it is.

So, if you are in a mood for Instagrammable coffee with a light snack, Brewtown is budget-friendly enough that you can have your coffee, cookie and a meeting there. Let’s not forget, free WiFi 🙂

My tips if you want to do some work at Brewtown:

  • Go early, they open at 7am
  • Sit at the long bench table to keep the smaller tables free for patrons
  • Get out by 11am as this is when the lunch crowd comes in
  • Try each and every coffee on their menu
  • Leave a tip in the tip jar
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3 Mins Read

Have you ever had that “off feeling” going into a meeting?

“Don’t shrink your dreams. Super-size your courage and abilities.” – Karen Salmansohn

You know when you know that a lead that came through would be a waste of time to meet with and you do it anyway – but hate yourself for doing it? That’s how I felt last week.

I have met the person before and his previous partner and I wasn’t too keen on doing business with them because I had an “off feeling” about them. They aren’t “skelm” but something is just not right.

If I can’t read you 100%, then you must be hiding something – and that is exactly what happened.

During my meeting they asked a lot of questions like “why are my services so expensive” and “can’t I just train the woman sitting across from me” and I said well, if you want me to train someone my hourly rate is x. The expression on this guy’s face because I wanted to charge for my time was quite a shock – especially since I know what they rake in a month.

When I walked out I knew that I didn’t want to pursue this client because I trust my gut. Later that night I got a notification that they removed me from the Facebook page I set up for them a few years ago… and I knew that I was right.

Their plan definitely was to get free services and string me along with the promise of a project. Unfortunately, well the gamble didn’t pay off.

On another topic…

I also went to Melrose Arch for an event and bumped into my ex-manager, the bully. Well, I didn’t bump into her, more like spotted her and kept my distance because I felt the anger rising the minute I realised it was her. Plus I had hot coffee in my hand and I like not being in jail.

Business wins!

I love that my hard work directly influences my income. When you deliver great services and your clients are happy they will refer you. I have landed another client this week in Cape Town and have an amazing new client at a resort in East Africa!

So if you don’t know it by now, I am a freelance writer, social media manager and website manager – and I love what I do!

This year will also be the first year I have to declare freelance income to SARS in a loooooong time. Luckily I have actually kept my books in order.

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1 Min Read

How did they know I stepped out of the office?

I don’t know why, but each time I go out of the office for a meeting one of my clients have an emergency. It’s like they can sense that I will be muting my phone – because I haven’t had anyone call me all week with any issues (other than the 2 days I literally stopped at the meeting venues).

It’s strange to think that I last worked at an office more than a year ago. I sometimes miss the coffee times or the long walk to Woolworths on the other side of Sandton City. I miss my colleagues even if all of them have moved on to other companies. I miss joking around and slacking off the days that I didn’t feel like working.

… don’t get me wrong, I still slack off some days to go have a coffee or indulge in a day of shopping – but what’s the fun in sneaking around from yourself?

So anyway, just because I mentioned the 2 days of meetings I want to show you something from my cupboard that I like to wear out… on my feet and arm 🙂

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2 Mins Read

A day in the life of a work-from-home mom

I don’t like doing personal posts. I jealously guard over my privacy – and I’ve been like that since forever. Sometimes I will have too much Afrikoa chocolate and feel “more optimistic” and then write a post that gives glimpses into my life.

It has been a year since I left the corporate world. When I was part of that world I didn’t realise just how much it affected my well-being. Now, reflecting back on that I was blinded by my drive to succeed and chase numbers.

This week I bought cups, plates and a sweetie dish for my office. I also stocked my office cupboard with snacks. Last month I dyed my hair pink – something that my corporate contract didn’t allow for. I’ve made my home work space the creative space that I need to be happy – and I get to spend the whole day with my cats. Don’t get me wrong, I spend a lot more time working, but I choose the hours that I’m more productive and have time to do the things that I love.

I have to admit, it’s not always roses when you work from home. A teething toddler who has the nasty habit of howling at the top of her lungs after each nap makes for interesting times. Or husband coming home early and literally waltzing by like a tornado with a flurry of words… The worst however is when you get sick, there is nobody to call or stand in for you – it is all on you.

But then I can thank my stars that I don’t have to sit in traffic to Sandton anymore and wasting 2 hours of my life a day in a car.

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