The Resilience of Building a Business from Scratch

The Resilience of Building a Business from Scratch

Starting a new business is no joke. It takes grit, patience, and an unshakable belief in the vision. Walking away from a long-term partnership is never easy, but sometimes, it’s necessary. When I left, there was no financial cushion waiting for me—just the realisation that if I didn’t move now, I’d be stuck in a situation where I had little control over my own future.

I’m a sound engineer, a voiceover artist, a final mix engineer. I thrive in the creative space—crafting soundscapes, delivering powerful performances, and bringing stories to life. But what I wasn’t? A website builder, a coder, or an e-commerce expert. And yet, I had to learn. Fast.

The Hardest Lesson? Learning Everything From Scratch

The first step was finding the right name. I went through several before settling on Voiceover Institute South Africa—a name that felt strong and aligned with my vision. Then came the digital side of things. I quickly grabbed voiceover.co.za, a domain that surprisingly no one had claimed. That felt like a win.

But the real challenge? Building the website.

• GoDaddy seemed like a great place to start, so I dove in. A full week of building later, I realized their package didn’t support e-commerce. Scrap that, start over.

• Got a new package. Built everything again. Oh no, turns out their e-commerce solution doesn’t work in South Africa. Another refund, another wasted week.

• Tried Wix next. Same issue. Coding problems, limitations. Another refund.

• Finally, I landed on Shopify.

By this point, I had no choice but to become a self-taught expert. I learned about:

• Templates and customization – Every change affected multiple pages, so I had to edit code manually.

• SEO and Google Indexing – Understanding how to make my site visible.

• E-commerce payment systems – Setting up merchants like Peach Payments (which came with its own headaches).

• Booking Systems – Tried different platforms before settling on Calendly.

• Third-party apps – Fiverr, Shopify plugins, and external developers helped fill the gaps.

The Cost of Going Solo

Every single service I once paid others to handle? Now on my shoulders. And while it was overwhelming, it was also empowering. Instead of being at the mercy of someone else’s system, I could control and manage everything myself.

December was no holiday. I was in the studio, grinding 17-hour days, making sure this business didn’t just launch—but thrived. My family barely saw me, but I knew this short-term sacrifice was worth it. If I didn’t push hard right then, I’d fall behind. And I built it just in time.

The Momentum is Building

Now, things are starting to happen. SEO is kicking in, people are reaching out, and Voisa is becoming a real force.

And if that wasn’t enough? We’re opening a U.S. branch. That’s right—Voisa Texas is on the horizon, and it’s about to take everything to the next level.

This journey has been brutal, but it’s also been the most rewarding experience of my life. Building a business isn’t for the faint of heart. But if you’re willing to do the work—really do the work—you come out stronger, smarter, and in full control of your destiny.

This is only the beginning. Let’s go.