Hayley was retrenched when she was three months pregnant with her first child. At the time, it felt like the very worst thing that could have happened to her. She had earned herself a great reputation with flexible hours, the certainty of maternity leave, and everything else so many of us work towards when thinking of becoming a mother. Now, just when she needed it, all the security she had worked towards for so long was gone.
She knew one thing: To make her mark in a new corporate environment would require long hours and a killer commute while some-one else raised the little girl she was growing. This knowledge gave her the shove she needed to start her own business. For the second time. Except that this time she had much more at stake and more to lose.
In three and a half years she has been privileged to become a mother to two little ones with many tears, smiles and enough sleep deprivation to last two lifetimes. But Hayley is not some-one to shy away from a challenge. In her own words, she “runs ultramarathons for fun” and “there is nothing that can prepare you better for the marathon of motherhood than being an endurance athlete”.
However, she admits that raising two children while simultaneously starting a successful business is another level of challenge completely. Building the business took longer than she ever estimated, but it has paid off. The salary she takes from the business is, as of last year, finally back up to what it was when she was retrenched and the work she is doing is literally changing lives – one piggy bank at a time.
As Co-founder of The Money School, Hayley and her business partner educate South Africans about how to make the most of their money: how to save for big purchases rather than go into debt for immediate gratification. They teach couples how to communicate better about money and plan a budget together in order to reach their common goals. And, best of all, they can teach you how to teach your kids about money.
I was so intrigued by the work The Money School does that I went along to hear Hayley and her business partner speak at the MoneyWeb Money Expo. I left with two craft boxes (each containing three jars, some paint, glitter, stickers, a door hanger and a photo frame) and a very useful education on how to educate my children about money. This would be the start of some entirely new and exciting conversations with my three and four year old boys.
Previously, my boys thought money was a meaningless piece of paper. Now, they know that money must be earned or made (they earn their own by doing little chores around the house) and, once they have it, they can choose whether to save (and earn interest), spend or share what they have. We tithe 10% of our earnings and can now make our sons aware of our priorities in a real way though their “jars” while encouraging them make up their own minds about what they choose to do with their money. When my oldest sees me purchasing an app on my phone, he asks, “Mamma, is your jar in there?” He’s starting to get it…
The Working Mothers Expo, brought to you in partnership with MiWayLife, brings together everything working mothers need under one roof. 4-6 November 2016. Sandton Convention Centre. Meet our MCs, Elana Afrika and Claire Mawisa, at the Speakers Corner.
If you would like to inquire about sponsoring or exhibiting at the event, please email us and we will send you all the details you need.
Tickets available at Computicket