A formal degree in hospitality is not always necessary for one to make it in the travel and hospitality industry; Sarah Noah is living proof of this!
The 40-year-old is the Co-Director and Manager of New View Luxury Inn in Seronga village, a 10-bedroom accommodation she has been running with her husband, Noah Kebathokile since 2018.
Armed with a senior secondary school certificate and store keeping experience, Noah bravely quit her job to venture into the hospitality industry. Two years later, Covid-19 struck, crippling the tourism industry; however, even a global pandemic couldn’t stop this force of nature!
A self-proclaimed hustler, who started off by selling sweets and vegetables from a table on a roadside, the guesthouse is just one of Noah’s many enterprises.
From her base deep in the Okavango, the Gumare native’s business empire now includes a clothing boutique in her home village, a construction company in Seronga and an eco-tourism establishment in Shakawe, where she currently resides.
In this inspirational interview with The Voice’s, FRANCINAH BAAITSE, Noah talks us through her journey, from humble beginnings to business success.
Thank you for your time. New View is beautiful; how did you find this place?
Thank you. It was by chance really. Before 2018 I was not into hospitality but our friends at Makgovango were; through our interactions, my husband and I started developing interest in the industry. This is because we are hustlers: any kind of business that we believe can augment our income, we go for it. When our friends spoke about hospitality industry and its logistics, we realised it was doable. We sought their guidance and went for it. At the time they wanted to buy a business plot here in Seronga to expand their business but because of its distant location they decided to pass it to us and we bought it.
And you have absolutely no background or training in hospitality?
Not at all. I only have a Form 5 certificate. From 2009 until 2015 I worked as a storekeeper at OSET for Curriculum Development and Evaluation department in the Ministry of Basic Education. In 2015 February, I l took six months unpaid leave from work. I wanted to check the business atmosphere outside, to check if it will pay. It was a leap of faith really. I opened a clothing boutique. I would travel to neighbouring South Africa to buy clothes to resell in Gumare and the response was impressive, it made good money. Around the same time we got serious with tenders.
You truly are a hustler?
Yes, I have to do it for myself and my family. They mean a lot to me and I am grateful because I have a very supportive husband who is more into building construction and tendering. Before all this I was a street hawker. I had a roadside table where I sold almost anything: sweets, airtime, fruits and vegetables. And it gave me better money than the salary I got as a storekeeper!
So these roadside tables have returns?
They do; if one is wise with money usage, it is good business. What I can tell you is that any business is good business as long as the operator understands that every Thebe counts. If you have P200 and decide to use 5 Thebe from it, it is no longer P200 and that has to be understood. Another advantage of running your own business is that you get to do and try other businesses on the side. You also manage your time well and know how to schedule family time, business and your other social live activities.
What happened at the end of your unpaid leave?
I decided to quit formal employment and permanently venture into business; around 2018 we built New View Luxury Inn, staring off with profits from the boutique. We did not get a loan to build it! Around the same time we were blessed enough to win a tender of building destitute houses in Gunotsoga village. The tender gave us better returns and we invested in this project. We started off with five rooms but we have since grown to ten. Currently we are extending the property and planning to build a mini conference, camping site and a swimming pool at the space at the back which we recently purchased.
I understand you do not get many tourists sleeping over. Who is your clientele then?
Most of our guests are government employees. They travel to these areas a lot to check and monitor government projects and since these areas are hard to reach, they end up sleeping here. But since the introduction of per diem for the Civil service, we are no longer getting as many bookings like we used to. We are also having a new problem where the guests have started negotiating for discounted accommodation prices. We also have challenges of cancellations.
Away from work, tell us a bit about yourself. Also, you’ve mentioned your husband throughout the interview – how did you guys meet?
I am just a simple lady born and raised in Gumare, who is blessed with a loving husband from Mmadinare. We met while I was a street vendor back in 2007. He was a student at Gumare Brigade and we married in 2014. We have three children, a girl and two boys. We are hustlers and tenderpreneurs, we tender for almost anything that can possibly be supplied.
Your advice to fellow women out there who are finding it difficult to make ends meet and feed their children?
Life is all about taking risks and ignoring self-doubt. It is not about the amount of education you have, but about dedication, self discipline and focus. Find that small business that you have passion for and go for it; try businesses that require common sense, or has traditional touch to it and you won’t go wrong if you have financial discipline and master customer satisfaction.
Finally, Thank God It’s Friday, what will you be doing this weekend?
They say I am a workaholic, I definitely will be in between the businesses, doing what I know best: hustling.
