As South Africa’s unemployment rate increases, the significant negative impact of Covid-19 on businesses, both big and small has become an ever-growing concern. Not to mention, the youth are the most affected by unemployment affecting 52,6%<\/a> of this population. So, it is time for us as the youth to create opportunities for ourselves and really start to take ownership of our careers.<\/p>\n Although entrepreneurship comes with its challenges, it is very important that we shed light on other young entrepreneurs who took the big leap of faith to start their own businesses. Yavanna\u2019s story (along with other young entrepreneurs\u2019 stories) should serve as testimony or rather a guideline from which the youth can read and draw inspiration.<\/p>\n After all, entrepreneurs and SMME\u2019s present the greatest growth opportunity for the South African economy and a major source of desperately needed job creation.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u201cWhen I was young, my grandparents would send us chocolates for Easter or whenever we would visit them, we would come back with bags of chocolate\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n Yavanna was born in Polokwane to a Tshwana mother and a Belgian father. Coming from a diverse family, she was able to dabble in two different cultures, and her Belgian roots account for her love of chocolates. \u201cWhen I was young, my grandparents would send us chocolates for Easter or whenever we would visit them, we would come back with bags of chocolate\u201d. Doughnuts, cookies, cake, cupcakes, you name it, as long as they were chocolate flavoured, she was on it. Funny, because the first and only thing she knew how to make when she was younger were pancakes, but it was at that moment she knew that she wanted to pursue a career that involved making confectionaries. “It was at her final practical when her pastry\u00a0<\/strong>lecturer randomly came to her station and stated that her hands are meant for pastry baking.”\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Yavanna matriculated in 2011 and left Polokwane to pursue her studies in Johannesburg which she did not complete because of her passion for the culinary arts. As a result, she decided to enroll into culinary school in Midrand where she obtained her National Diploma in Culinary Arts and obtained her internationally recognised 2-year diploma with HTA School of Culinary Arts<\/a>. At HTA, she learned about Spanish and French cuisine as opposed to baking and confectionaries. It was at her final practical when her pastry lecturer \u2013 who sits on the South African Culinary Olympic Team<\/a> \u2013 randomly came to her station and stated that her hands are meant for pastry baking.<\/p>\n After her final practical, she served as the pastry assistant lecturer and worked under her pastry lecture whom she learned a lot from about pastry baking. She had the opportunity to witness her make a bumblebee cake for her niece\u2019s birthday and this is what really sealed her passion for baking cakes. \u201cI was doing plated desserts but when I saw this cake, I immediately fell in love.\u00a0 I was intrigued by creating real-life things that are edible.\u201d Her time at HTA as a pastry assistant lecturer only lasted for 6 months as she decided that she wants to go into the industry and work a 9-5.<\/p>\n \u201cAlthough she learned a lot, she states that it was a very diffcult time in her career…\u201d <\/strong><\/p>\n Yavanna was hired at KOI Restaurants<\/a>\u00a0in Sandton and Rosebank where she held the position of head of pastry chef. Although she learned a lot, she states that it was a very difficult time in her career as she was entering a space that has been established for over 10 years, and most of the staff have been working there for over 10 years and here is this young lady changing the menu and calling the shots \u2013 \u201call of them were not comfortable with these new changes”. Once she realised the restaurant was not suited for her, she decided to start,\u00a0Oh So Baked,\u00a0<\/a>making cakes on the side and build a clientele of her own. Unfortunately, it did not go far because she was not as focused and disciplined as she was supposed to be. She decided to resign because of the long working hours and little pay however, she did not adequately plan and put in the necessary work to grow Oh So Baked<\/a>, and as a result, forfeited another opportunity to make her business work. During this period of change, she was blessed with a baby girl which forced her to relocate back home to Polokwane where she got a job at Limpopo Chefs Academy<\/a> in Nirvana to support her and her daughter. Unfortunately, her time at the academy was short-lived as she had bigger dreams for herself and felt restricted.<\/p>\n![\"Polokwane's](\"https:\/\/rocketpad.co.za\/matoyana\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/Yavi-5-2-169x300.jpg\")
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