She means BUSINESS

These female founders are big business. With decades of experience behind them, they reflect on swimming with the sharks and why each day is still a chance to reach even further

- CHRISTI NORTIER

Dr Aisha Pandor

Co-founder and CEO of SweepSouth

SweepSouth is a first-of-its-kind platform for booking and paying for home cleaning services. On the cusp of its 10th anniversary, the South African company supports the work of thousands of women in Cape Town, Durban and Johannesburg. While writing her PhD in genetics, Aisha also completed a postgraduate course in business administration. She worked as a management consultant for a number of years and then launched SweepSouth in 2014. Since then, her entrepreneurial spirit has been recognised by the likes of the World Economic Forum, Forbes and the United Nations.

What has it been like to run a company which provides a platform for what are, in effect, other female entrepreneurs?

Founding a company that has been able to achieve so much tangible impact has been one of things I am proudest of in my life. I'm hugely inspired by the women who better their lives and those of their families by working through the platform. Many of them go on to build businesses themselves, to study further or implement life-changing projects for their families and communities. I'm also inspired and grateful to work with a highly impact-focused team in executing the company's vision, as well as some excellent investors who have given us space and grace not just to drive growth, but also to make mistakes and learn from them as we've progressed.

You have a wealth of experience in academia, the lab and in business. What's the common thread?