The Fix Scholarship and Zulu Mien

I would really like to use this blog platform to tell the story of how Zulu Mien came about. A huge part of why Zulu Mien exists and is operational today is thanks to The Fix Scholarship.

A friend of a friend told me about a program she had completed at The Gordon Institute of Business Science in Social Entrepreneurship. I remember her saying how she thought it would be a walk in the park, but how it ended up being really intense and challenging. I investigated and applied for the program whilst still completing my MA research report.

There was a group interview process where we sat around the table for a discussion and some time later they emailed to ask if I’d like to attend an interview for The Fix Scholarship. I quickly agreed because I actually had no idea how I was going to find the funds to attend the program.

At that interview I met Fikile “Fix” Moeti for the first time – the founder of the Fix Scholarship. Some time after the interview Fix called me to say I was selected as one of the very first Fix Scholars. This is how I began my journey as part of the 2013 Social Entrepreneurship Program (SEP). As anticipated the course was not easy and required a lot of time and commitment. I actually found it far more challenging than my Masters coursework. The assignments were grueling and frequent.

Prior to 2011 I knew nothing of academia and so the rigorous coursework and assignments were new to me. I struggled to complete both my Masters research report and the GIBS program but somehow made it to the end of 2013 in one frazzled piece. One of the major assignments that you complete during the GIBS program is your Action Learning Project (ALP). I used this ALP to explore a social enterprise model to support rural women artisans.

So it was through the GIBS course that I put Zulu Mien down on paper. The next step would be gaining the courage to take the actions to make it a reality. Those first steps are not easy but eventually I had to try. But thanks to Fix and The Fix Scholarship I had done the groundwork and was ready to take the leap.

Since then Fix has been a great support, always lending an ear and a helping hand. And she’s also just so happens to make a superb model for the brand! The Fix Scholarship has grown in leaps and bounds since 2013 and the alumni support one another wherever possible and remain in contact with one another.

If you have a strong social conscience and a desire to start a social enterprise I strongly urge you to investigate applying for The Fix Scholarship.