On Friday the 26th of August, the grade eight Product Revolution classes were treated to an inspiring talk and delicious breakfast – hosted on the ORT premises by Ooh La La founder and business woman Karen Schneid. As the bus drove out of the school premises, the group was filled with excitement – and eager to see what entrepreneurship looks like, outside of our classroom lessons.
We arrived at the ORT premises in Houghton and were stunned to see that the conference room contained not only chairs ( as we had expected) but a long, large table running down the middle of the room, filled with delicious bagels, salmon, a variety of cakes and a platter of spreads. As if this was not enough, hidden at the back of the room was another table – laden with Ooh La La sweets, treats, nougat and confectionery.
In an interview facilitated by David Zidel, Karen Schneid captivated the audience with her story of branching out of her legal career into the confectionery business. This started off as a hobby for her – traveling the world and coming home to her kitchen to bake delicious treats for her daughters’ birthday parties and family events. After years of keeping her passion for baking as a mere hobby – she finally sent her husband David to sell her wares at the Blue Bird market. From the success of that market, Karen eventually began selling her treats to her local grocery stores. Today Ooh La La goodies can be found in groceries stories throughout Johannesburg, the OR Tambo airport and are available internationally on the worldwide Ooh La La website, where they have won international awards such the ‘’Great Taste’’ stars awarded in the UK.
What did we as grade eights learn from this talk? Karen emphasised that we do not have to choose ONE career path or ONE profession. She has never left law and has enough passion and energy to commit to both professions. She also said that passion alone will not guarantee success – and hard work, as well as being willing to do the ‘’dirty work’’ is also necessary for success. Karen encouraged us to step out of our comfort zones, and to pursue our wildest ideas and goals. She emphasised patience – and promised that very often these dreams take years to come true. Karen convinced us that ‘’no idea is a bad idea’’ and we need to have courage and bravery to follow our goals.
The grade eight Product Revolution group is so thankful to our teachers: Mrs Naidoo, Ms Caldeira, Ms Pienaar and Ms Van Straaten for organising the outing and accompanying us to this interesting event. It was indeed an experience we will never forget – particularly those of us who were lucky enough to sit on the ‘’lucky chairs’’ with stickers and won prizes such as Ooh La La hand-crafted confectionary which will be enjoyed for days to come.
By: Danni Angel, Grade 8, Product Revolution, Budding entrepreneur
