The significance of financial literacy cannot be underestimated. It is more important than ever, not only to learners, but also to graduates who are about to enter the job market.
Portia Malatji is the founder of PM Skillshouse, a company that empowers individuals with practical knowledge and financial literacy. PM Skillshouse’s goal is to see the majority of people living in secluded areas get a deeper understanding of how to manage their finances.
Before the entire world was hit by Covid-19, Malatjie and her team used to criss-cross the country to provide training. They have successfully equipped 200 000 people with financial literacy.
“This vision is built daily so we can bring it to life in auditoriums, training rooms, classrooms, community halls, churches, playgrounds and outside spaza shops,” adds Malatjie.
PM Skills House has since touched the minds, hearts and lives of multitudes in a real practical way. This is mainly because, wherever they go they address people in a language they can understand.
“ PM Skillshouse was founded in 2014 to change lives through consumer financial education training that is meaningful, relevant and inspiring,” Malatjie told Transform SA.
“I think people still need to learn, if you are to consider the effects of Covid-19. Obviously the unemployment rate has skyrocketed. So, there is a gap in terms of financial literacy and how people start their business. We work with
freelance trainers, and we empower them to find jobs easily,” she said.
As a company committed to shaping the communities of tomorrow in a powerful and responsible way, PM Skillshouse is also working to become a trailblazer in the carbon neutral space. While this would be an uncharted territory for their
business, they are hoping to continue leading the way from how they use energy in their office.
“I think people still need to learn if you are to consider the effects of Covid-19. Obviously, the unemployment rate has skyrocketed, so there is a gap in terms of financial literacy and how people start their business. We work with
freelance trainers, and we empower them to find jobs easily,” she said.
Having a competitive edge over your competitors is crucial if you want to sustain business growth. Malatjie said they always strive to be ahead of their competitors. “We follow the latest trends when it comes to consumer financial literature. For instance, when Covid-19 hit, we had to migrate to online training sessions. So that we could still continue training people remotely. We had to make sure they adapt to changes to keep her business running,” she said.
The Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR)—has disrupted many businesses and PM Skills House was no exception to this. Malatjie said she had to make sure that her business did not lag behind. “We had to learn how to conduct
business online,” she said.
Running a business is not easy, especially if you don’t have a passion for what you do. Luckily, Malatjie is one of those few entrepreneurs who have a deep passion for what they do. “You need to love what you’re doing because it is not like an 8 to 5 job. My staff knows that we get bookings throughout the week. Sometimes we get bookings for Saturdays and Sundays. You need to love what you do, and always think on your feet,” said Malatjie.
It has been just 27 years since the first democratic elections were held in South Africa, and a lot still has not changed. Malatjie poignantly explained how the process of transforming the country is happening at snail’s pace .”I think as a country we still have a long way to go. But for me as a black owned business I make sure that we address that sure.
99 percent of our staff are women, so we are empowered because when you empower a
woman you empower the nation,” said the
mother of four.
Malatjie unwinds by listening to old school music such as Caiphus Semenya, Miriam Makeba, including Michael Jackson and AKA.
