LIONESS WEEKENDER COVER STORY
iCALC Training Academy, changing lives through training and development in South Africa
Mylene Bosch is the founder of iCALC Training Academy in South Africa, a private college that empowers individuals within their chosen careers. Specializing in Engineering, Business and IT studies, the business offers individuals quality education. What Mylene has done at iCALC Training Academy is to add to the mix a number of specialist mentoring and coaching groups. These help companies achieve the bottom line with efficient individuals that are cohesive in their workplace with qualified and certified coaches. The business was started in 2014 and today employs 23 people.
Lioness Weekender spoke to the inspirational Mylene Bosch about her growing business, and her passion for helping learners to improve their lives and careers through training.
What does your company do?
We conduct training for individuals as well as groups, face-to-face full time, part-time, online, self-study, and correspondence. We offer corporate training at our venue or at yours.
What inspired you to start your company?
There was a huge need for educational institutions in our area to help learners better their lives and careers.
Why should anyone use your service or product?
We care about the learner and believe that we walk a journey with them. I call students to discuss issues with them, I have helped a learner go into rehab due to an identified problem, we care about them as whole human beings and want them to leave here not just qualified but better individuals, emotionally intelligent, and people that can add value to their communities.
Tell us a little about your team
My team is a group of people who care about our vision, mission, and values, that want to see our business succeed and grow. They are qualified and are people who want the best for our learners and believe that we are depositing important things of substance into these lives.
Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And do you come from an entrepreneurial background?
I have been an entrepreneur since I was at school. I sold Tupperware and Justine, worked at a local cafe, and cut hair at school to earn extra money. I have always been innovative in my thinking and also enjoyed being my own boss. I thus started this journey at a very young age and also believe in helping to empower others so that they too can be entrepreneurial.
What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?
We have had to reshape our business due to the department of higher education and training phasing out some of our main-line courses. We have decided to expand our business platform and this includes corporate training with mentoring and coaching to individuals and groups. I am a certified coach with Chart and also with WABC and believe that we are in a position to offer corporate coaching and assist with team development and leadership training.
What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?
It is about looking to change and then actually responding to it, so that you can make it better. It is about stepping up into action and making things happen. The results are very rewarding when you achieve what you set out to achieve. You need to be brave and reach for your dreams.
What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?
Create your own future, do not wait for someone else to create it for you. Your motive must be the right motive, start your business because you want to make a difference and an impact, when this happens the income will happen. Be passionate, resilient and patient but never give up on your dream, if you fall, get up and forge ahead just maybe in a new direction but do not stay down. Look to others for support.
To find out more about Mylene’s work and her business iCALC Training Academy, contact her via email, website or social media platforms:
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | YOUTUBE | EMAIL mylene@icalcta.co.za
