Cheraine NcubeBuilding my business has been a rollercoaster of many different emotions – excitement, doubt, fun, fear, anticipation – just to mention a few. So why do I do what I do?
I remember laying on my couch in the middle of the pandemic contemplating life and wondering if this is all it had to offer.
I was in the position I had worked my ass off for, in a company I loved so much, doing what I absolutely loved, however I had reached a point where I had fallen out of love with parts of where I was. The pandemic contributed largely to that, and so did my frail health, certain negative leadership behaviours and the direction the world was going.
I lay on my couch asking myself, ‘so what you trying to do?’ What I knew for sure, was I wanted to continue working with people in an HR capacity and to continue making a real difference where I can. So I decided that I would do this on my own terms.
First thing I had to do was come up with a name for my company that encompassed what I would do and how I would do it. The name Soulv.hr was conceived and born because everything that I do is at a deep level. I wanted my clients, partners and those who would potentially work for me to understand the type of business and person I am. Authenticity and goodness are extremely important to me and having spent time in the HR space, I believe this is important in dealing with the ever growing issues and situations HR face.
Soulv.hr isn’t a tick box consultancy. I wanted to support and empower people and businesses from the inside out through change management, development and growth. That was the premise of how I wanted to make a real difference. I then had to look at what my services would be.
This was the most challenging part as I wanted to do it all as I knew and understood the full HR spectrum. The more I fleshed it out, the more I realised I couldn’t do it all authentically. Over a couple of months, with my Mom’s help, I started to formulate the main pillars of my business. I finally decided on the 3 main pillars – Personal & Professional Development, Transforming Company Culture and Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging. I felt these 3 encompassed change management, development and growth. These 3 pillars also happened to be the topics I really enjoyed working within and those I felt would really make a real difference in peoples lives because they had made a real difference to me throughout my career.
I wanted to be able to do what my first manager in hospitality did for me. Maria G believed in me and opened my eyes to opportunities I didn’t know were possible. It also helped that she looked like me – a black woman in a management position – and she was calling the shots in the department. I was inspired and intimidated all in one, but I was up for the challenge and I will forever be grateful to her for planting the seed in me and along the way, helping me water that seed.
Being an ambivert, with more introverted tendencies, has been a cocktail of experiences where I have had to learn, grow and put into action my vision. The learning I knew I had to do has been exciting and motivating. The growing up I had to do was and is gruelling at times yet so worth it. I have understood things about myself that I took lightly. I have accepted things about life, society and myself and continue to always strive to be and do better.
I have also learnt and accepted that this is a marathon. There will be times I need to slow down, there will be times I need to pick up the pace and go hard, and then recalibrate.
So, the reason I do what I do is because, I want to make a real difference doing real things!
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