1. What have you found most challenging as a leader of a small or medium enterprise?
A small or medium enterprise has a myriad of challenges that it needs to deal with every day. In the end, for me, it’s how you manage your time and energy that determines whether or not you are successful in this endeavour.
One of the most difficult things when we first started Brandex was trying to find some kind of balance between spending time on some tasks while neglecting others.

2. How did you become a leader of an SME? Can you please briefly tell the story?
I took the plunge in 2017 and started my first startup together with two partners. It was a success story from the beginning - we were able to scale it up quickly and build out profitable revenue streams, all thanks to our ability to work well together as a team.

3. How do you structure your work days from waking up to going to sleep?
No matter how many hours I work, I always try to make sure that I create an efficient work-life balance.
When it comes to the structure of my days, there is no fixed pattern. Every day has a different schedule in this ever changing industry of Events and Exhibitions.

4. What's the most recent significant leadership lesson you've learned?
Leadership is about motivation. You’ve got to break through the clutter and inspire people to do great things. The best leaders are the ones who know what it feels like to be on the other side of the table, who can empathize with their team members, and who are willing to fight for them.


5. What's one book that has had a profound impact on your leadership so far? Can you please briefly tell the story of how that book impacted your leadership?
I recently came across a book called Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey.
The book is described as not a traditional memoir, motivational book or advise book. Matthew shares his life stories, insights and philosophies that can be objectively understood and if you choose to, it can be subjectively adopted in your life and automatically become part of how you approach life.

6. How do you build leadership capacity in an SME?
There is no quick fix answer to the question of how do you build leadership capacity in an SME. It needs to be built with care and constant reinforcement so that the principles are embedded in the culture.

Leadership capacity is the ability to influence others, manage change, and develop others. It's important for business owners to find ways to build their own leadership skills as well as enabling those around them.


7. What is one meaningful story that comes to mind from your time as a leader of an SME so far?
Having to navigate all sorts of new fields that I've never encountered before. It is a whole new world having your own business and while it remains incredibly exciting and I'm learning so much each day. It is also very daunting at times.
I remember our first event. Truly, I was so proud of Brandex for doing it but it wasn't until we actually started buying our own equipment that I realised how exciting it would be going forward for us!