Title: Director

Company: Rapitrade 458 (Pty) Ltd.

Location: Cape Town, South Africa

Initially, Ivy Meyer became involved in her profession after working for 3M in South Africa. She decided to establish her own company that supplies 3M products. She also wanted to assist youth in becoming role models within their communities. The highlight of her career was when she was nominated for the Shoprite Checkers Woman of the Year in 2006, as well as receiving the professional of the year award from Worldwide Branding. Other highlights include when her dancers received South African PROTEA colors, writing scripts, directing and producing dreams into reality. Ms. Meyer attributes her success to her excellent customer service skills and positive attitude.

Ms. Meyer has been suffering from osteo-arthritis for the past five years, and receives injections in her back once or twice a year. Her motto is ‘dreams into reality.’ She also teaches dance to disadvantaged youth through her nonprofit organization, Out of Africa Dance Academy. Her dancers have placed third in the world. She has also produced, directed and written a script called ‘Dreams Into Reality,’ through which she incorporates dance and drama while including disabled and disadvantaged youth in the area. Most of the dancers come from areas with significant drug and violence problems. Ms. Meyer aims to break the cycle of poverty, crime and substance abuse by teaching youth to dance and become dance teachers themselves. She helps these youths by promoting them to agents, performing at corporate functions and having them appear on television and in newspapers. The dancers have won numerous awards. In five years, Ms. Meyer aims to obtain a larger role within the private sector.

Ms. Meyer says, “Creating opportunities is the number one care factor in my business. But it is not just to sell a product, but yourself first and make every sale or call interesting and exciting. Customers must trust and believe in you as a person before you can sell a product. I am currently promoting team-building sessions amongst staff – not selling products but a motivational session where I share my story on how I started my business, or when I was only 5 years old, how I told my mom that one day I will have my own business, a big house, where my kids can run and not worry about neighbors. Today I am the proud owner of all that. But nothing came without sacrifice — if you believe in yourself and persevere you can do all things. And part of my motivational speech – I include the environment where they work as a nurse or doctor and make them believe how important they are in our society and how we, as the patient, cherish them as the health care worker. Then I start my team-building session of fun.”