Lolly Ramlaul
My journey began in the challenging times of apartheid in Durban, South Africa. I was part of a family-owned supermarket that served the local industrial sector. My days were filled with unloading stock, stocking shelves, and attending to customers. The work was physically demanding, and money was a rare commodity that came by only through strenuous labour.
Determined to carve a different path for myself, I ventured into various businesses, eventually setting up a sales and marketing agency. It flourished initially, but as the market evolved, I had to pivot quickly, especially with the responsibility of a new-born son. To compensate for the business downturn, I ventured into life insurance sales, which unfortunately didn’t yield much success due to the divided attention and challenging clientele.
Subsequently, I transitioned to a role as a personal consultant at a bank, offering loans to those less privileged. This phase proved to be lucrative and fulfilling, marking my most profitable years. However, the bank’s lending model wasn’t sustainable, leading to its closure. The journey was fraught with ups and downs.
Yet, with each setback, I gained invaluable insights—knowledge on managing finances,prioritizing expenses, investing in new ventures, and nurturing relationships. These skills were crucial in maintaining my family’s financial stability. The move to the UK in 2002 presented a fresh set of challenges. Despite a significant debt load, I was prepared to take on any job. Starting as a night supervisor, I later became a Service Quality Supervisor at Stagecoach London. Within two years, our financial situation had improved enough to buy our first home in the UK. I invested time in self-education, attending workshops, and seminars, and delved into property investment, which provided a steady cash flow.
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After 12 years with Stagecoach and now amidst company layoffs, I chose to leave and seized the opportunity to focus on investing and establishing my own business, my future and my family’s future. I’m no prodigy or sage, but the lessons from my early business endeavours have been profound. It’s been a long road of investment, both financially and in terms of time and learning.
My experiences have shaped my financial acumen, enabling me to support my friends and family’s thriving life in the UK. I take great pride in their success and I’ve now set up a platform to help more people and expand their reach of what passive investing can accomplish.
I further help start-up businesses with consultancy services, business planning, and structure through to fundraising solutions. In addition, I provide HNW investors with options when seeking to diversify into financial instruments alongside growth companies looking for funding to scale across different geographies.