Lightbulb moments: lockdown gets people in touch with their inner hustler

Self-defence instructor Jonathan Leepo, from Constantia Kloof in Roodepoort, was teaching judo to children at suburban schools when the first lockdown slammed him facedown, without income.

He knew he had to get up fast and he did. Drawing from memory, his interest in the work his electrician father did and seeing the frustration load-shedding caused, he started selling the Loadshed Box, a small inverter setup in various price ranges, with extended battery life.

His way to the new venture started when he worked as an assistant to a friend who had a solar light business.

“It was like the carpet was ripped out from under me when Covid-19 hit.

“Judo is a close contact sport, so it was pretty much the end of everything,” he said, explaining the deep panic he felt as a father of two.

“One day I said to my friend: ‘Why don’t you make a smaller, easier, sleeker system without solar?’ and he said no. So I took that baby, washed it and came up with the Loadshed Box.”

Business is through word of mouth, although he has bought the Loadshed Box domain and hopes to have a website up soon.

“I have been going for over a year now, and my friend is still my mentor and a partner, and even has a Loadshed Box in his own home. A while ago I supplied a lady who was looking for one because her oxygen system was depleted and her batteries were on reserve.

“I gave her my box and she ran on it for four days,” he said, adding it was now about more than the money — it was also about improving lives.

Florida Hills furniture designer Ismail Jappie’s sideline bee business started as a small experiment but is now developing in several directions. He makes observation hives for schools, sells honey and beeswax balms and creams, and now, with Covid-19 around, he is exploring healing propolis tinctures.

“It all started when I went on holiday to Mozambique in about 2013. My friend there had a beehive and I was really intrigued, so he gave me some equipment. When I got home I saw that it was wood, and I realised I could make it myself in my factory,” Jappie said.

He built the wooden frame, bated it with honey and propolis, and within a week caught his first swarm. Unsure of how to proceed, he went on to Youtube and found many overseas tutorials.

He joined the local association and became a registered beekeeper.

Now he owns 30 hives around Gauteng and offers interested people a guided journey in how to get started and develop their own enterprise. Some manage it themselves and give him half the honey, some leave him to run it and he gives them a jar now and then.

Jappie has developed balms and creams, chafing lotions and now a healing tincture from his bee products – and the demand has grown during the pandemic.

Last year alone he sold 100kg of honey for R180 per kg.

“It’s a nice sideline, but it’s quite labour intensive because you work a lot in the evenings when bees don’t fly because there is no sun.”

Environmental consultant and long-distance runner Candis Lubbe discovered her side hustle, Salt Valt, by chance.

“I like to soak in Epsom salts because of the magnesium and sulphates and how they work on sore, tired muscles.

“But when I tried to buy some in bulk I found it only comes in 25kg bags,” she said.

“I bought a bag and just sold off what I didn’t use to the runners at my club.”

The demand continued to increase, and when the pandemic hit in 2020 she decided to offer the service online.

Then she added quality Himalayan salt to her offering, having realised the importance of it from her sister, who has many allergies and is always looking for better, healthier options.

Her business began growing and became a “saving grace” when her other sources of income dried up during lockdown. Spurred on, Lubbe added mud masks packed with salt rock minerals to her ranges.

Kirsten Daniels of Weltevreden Park was among 450 people retrenched by a large travel operator when lockdown hit.

She and her husband Jason listed their combined skills and assets and came up with Strawberry Occasions – a small events business they run from their garage, which offers a party service for families during lockdown.

First they developed their party-in-a-box idea for children’s birthday parties. The offering includes a box of themed décor, plates, cups, bunting, banners, a backdrop, cake, party packs and balloon garlands.

Through her contacts Daniels is also able to cater for milestone birthdays and special events for people in their homes, with chairs, tables and designer décor all tailored to taste and budget.

“It’s been a way to earn money and keep busy. I have no regrets. It has been a year now and I am still loving it.”