Startup Story
Marilize Jacobs is the founder of two businesses, Pigs Can Fly Interiors & VocalCord Reputation Management in South Africa. She is a reputation strategist with a BCom Marketing Management (UP) and a career spanning interior design, marketing, and PR. Clients, especially in the Financial Services, Legal, Pharmaceutical, Hospitality and Retail industries which revere her strategic skills, thoroughness and tenacity when it comes to building and maintaining reputations. On the personal front, she is a boat skipper and avid cyclist, and also has a pro bono involvement with The Star Academy, an international institution for children with Autism.
LoA spoke to Marilize to get the low-down on how she manages two businesses plus an active, impact driven personal and family life too.
What does your company do?
I am a seasoned entrepreneur leading TWO innovative ventures. Pigs Can Fly Interiors and VocalCord Reputation Management.
Do you dream about switching to a career that’s drastically different from your current job? Many people do. But they never make the leap: the costs of switching seem too high, and the possibility of success seems too remote. The answer isn’t to plug away in your current job, unfulfilled and slowly burning out. The answer is to do both. Two careers are better than one. And by committing to two careers, you will produce benefits for both. You can learn new skills, broaden your network, and discover truly creative new solutions by committing to two (or more) wildly divergent careers. When you follow your curiosities, you will bring passion to your new careers, which will leave you more fulfilled. And by doing more than one job, you may end up doing all of them better. WHERE you run these businesses from is also important, you will realize that a Happy Work Environment (for entrepreneurs mostly the home office) is directly proportional to a Happier Life …”
“I wanted to derive happiness from the fact that I was my own boss and had the freedom to live my life accordingly. In a nutshell: I wanted to be happy at work. Really happy!”
What inspired you to start your company?
Although interior decorating had always been an interest of mine, I started out in another field. I studied BCom and worked in the marketing/PR (public relations) environment. At first, I worked as a brand/marketing manager for various blue-chip companies before opening up my own PR consultancy, VocalCord, in 2005. After almost a decade, I left my corporate job when I was expecting my twins, Ernest and Engelize, and studied interior decorating part time: Pigs Can Fly Interiors was born in 2008. BUT as a single mom with obvious financial constraints, I started thinking: Why not combine my background and experience in PR with my current business? Why not two careers? PR and interior decorating. One of my clients wanted me to help them promote their newly decorated offices. I put up my (shaky) hand and suddenly I was able to use my skills in PR again – VocalCord was reborn and my excitement to combine different interests and expertise, that is to put both my creative and strategic skills into practice, was unmatched.
Why should anyone use your service or product?
When you work different jobs, you can identify where ideas interact — and more significantly, where they should interact. There was indeed a link between my two careers, and I was subconsciously re-innovating myself. Besides me becoming happier in the process I am combining a bit of "left brain" through VocalCord Reputation Management and a bit of "right brain" through Pigs Can Fly Interiors. As an interior decorator I am not just "fluffing" pillows, but also approaching each project from a strategic / concept development perspective fed by my background in strategic PR storytelling. Does a room not have a story to tell after all?
“One of the aspects of being an entrepreneur that brings me immense joy is the opportunity to inspire and empower women everywhere, especially single mothers.”
Tell us a little about your team:
By being part of two different career circles, I could selectively (and strategically) introduce people who would typically never meet, thus unlocking value and opportunity for all involved. Journalists, graphic designers, marketing managers to name a few. This was also a way for me to give back through job creation by supporting and partnering up with various small businesses making up my "team".
Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And do you come from an entrepreneurial background?
I wanted to derive happiness from the fact that I was my own boss and had the freedom to live my life accordingly. In a nutshell: I wanted to be happy at work. Really happy. But what did it mean? What kind of happiness was I looking for?
Was it the freedom to sit and work on a beach with my laptop and cocktail in tow? (Highly unlikely as any working mom would tell you.) Or was it working towards being financially secure – always a big dream of mine?
Flashback 2008. There I was starting my entrepreneurial journey starting through my interior decorating business, Pigs Can Fly Interiors. So, there you have it. It’s your time to be happy, with two (or more) careers and an environment to be proud of to boot. In the words of icon Iris Apfel: “More is more and less is a... bore.”
What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?
Except from my ambition to continue: “happy to be working and working to be happy”, I would like to grow the wallpaper pattern painting side of my business. Unlike traditional wallpaper, this unique technique is not only more cost-effective, but also remarkably more durable than traditional wallpaper. By bolstering this distinctive facet of Pigs Can Fly Interiors I also hope to create more job opportunities.
For VocalCord I would like to keep educating clients that the value of PR extends beyond just media coverage. It encompasses reputation management, brand building, stakeholder engagement, and more, all of which can have a direct impact on an organization’s success and longevity.
“I am excited to continue my journey as an entrepreneur and contribute to the transformation of our nation through entrepreneurship.”
What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?
One of the aspects of being an entrepreneur that brings me immense joy is the opportunity to inspire and empower women everywhere, especially single mothers. I play a vital role in my teenage daughter's life as her "momager," which has been an incredibly rewarding experience. Recently, she achieved a remarkable feat by winning a national entrepreneurial award at the tender age of 13 for her first business venture. Watching her grow, learn, and succeed in the world of entrepreneurship has been a source of immense pride. It underscores the importance of nurturing and empowering the youth to embrace their creative and business potential. I am excited to continue my journey as an entrepreneur and contribute to the transformation of our nation through entrepreneurship. Yes, my lady - Pigs Can indeed Fly!
What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?
A high AQ (Advertisy Quotient) / a high level of resilience. It is more important to me than IQ, EQ and SQ. Your AQ measures your ability to go through a rough patch in life and come out thriving. Resilience and a lot of self-care!
Contact or follow Pigs Can Fly Interiors & VocalCord Reputation Management
Email: marilizeb@mweb.co.za
Website: http://www.linkedin.com/in/marilize-jacobs-35010a65
Why LoA loves it….
Many women entrepreneurs experience starting more than one business over their lives, because not everything is successful and it’s a learning curve as we all know. But few launch and run more than one business simultaneously, that takes courage and a lot of self belief. Marilize Jacobs is a woman entrepreneur who saw her path to entrepreneurial success and happiness through the launching of two very different businesses. The end result is a business building journey that makes complete sense to her and the way she wants to live and take control of her life and happiness. She is proof positive that you have to chart your own entrepreneurial course in life and business. — Melanie Hawken, founder & ceo, Lionesses of Africa