ACTIVE DUTY

If you’ve had it with going nowhere on the treadmill or feeling frumpy in your saggy old leggings, these two entrepreneurs will have you inspired to sweat it out in no time.

- CAROLINE PETERSEN

myUTOPIA Sandi Dekker

STARTUP COSTS: ‘myUTOPIA had 7 546 member visits in our first year,’ says Sandi.

TURNOVER: ‘We’re in our fourth year, and have grown to about 16 800 member visits.’

Have you ever wanted to be one of those ‘I don’t know how she does it’ women? You know the type: glowing skin, perfectly blow-dried hair,a smoothie bowl for lunch and squeezing in a yoga class before work? If so, get to know Sandi Dekker – she might just become your secret weapon.

In 2016, Sandi opened the doors to myUTOPIA, a premium boutique lifestyle centre that offers fitness classes and wellness services all in the same place, so you can tick off all the errands on your to-do list without having to zoom around the city.

What made you realise your previous career wasn’t working for you any more?

I had my own interior design company and we had a round-the-clock philosophy that meant I often worked right through the night. In the end, I was totally burnt out. But yoga changed my life. I always joke about having too many voices in my head, and yoga was the one thing that allowed me to find absolute calm and quiet. Plus all my children were finishing school and I felt like I wanted to do something for me. I took the gap and became an entrepreneur.

What did you hope to achieve with your business?