It's All About Courage

Can you make a living doing what you love? Is the risk worth the reward? Savanna Douglas chats to three women who took this leap of faith, even when the cards seemed stacked against them...

Chanelle Snell, 44, lives in Bothasig with her husband Anthony, 43. The couple started Infusion Coffee, a mobile coffee shop based in Cape Town.

“When we were younger, Anthony and I dreamt of being our own bosses, working together and doing something that we’re both passionate about. We’d often head out for coffee in one quirky cafe or another, and inevitably end up speaking about our dream of owning an establishment like the one we were sitting in. The warm, friendly atmosphere in coffee shops always attracted us; a meeting ground where people could get together and connect over something as simple as a cup of coffee and a slice of cake.

Fast-forward 10 years, and nothing had changed for us. We were still working our regular nine-to-fives in our office jobs – me as an officer in communications, and Anthony as a senior manager – and felt unfulfilled, but too scared to risk our financial security.

Then, a few years ago, I chatted to an old friend, who asked what happened to our coffee-shop idea, as he remembered how excited I’d been about it a decade earlier. Thinking back, I couldn’t recall a time I’d spoken about anything else with as much passion. That night, I told Anthony how much I dreaded the thought of working behind a desk for years to come. I wanted more freedom to enjoy life doing what I loved with my other half. He agreed, saying that we should make the coffee-shop dream happen or live life regretting it. And so, we mustered up our courage and took the first small step…