More about me.
i Karen Wessels i Mommy i Entrepreneur i Speaker i
Wife and Mommy 1st, then business woman,
then coach and speaker.
Many ask: “How do you do it?”
CEO of 3 International companies, involved in multiple local startups, coaching new startups, hosting masterclasses and webinars, keynote speaking, doing sales in all my own companies (almost daily), being a mother to my baby girl Carley and “the teenager” Niandre and a wife to Albert, my life and business partner. All while still taking care of me, eating well, exercising regularly, and reading a business book a month.
I love doing business.
I believe my growth as a person and speaker started because of my success in business. I started my entrepreneurial journey a long time ago and went from self-employed to being CEO and running 3 international businesses. My businesses are designed to support each other and other business owners and new business owners.
All my direct ventures are global service based businesses supporting our international footprint and clients driving over 90% of the work to our South African based staff. I believe in the power of our South African workforce and I will do my best to expose and educate the global business world about our South African workforce quality.
The art of business is what drives me and job creation is part of the reason why I do what do!
I love sharing my knowledge.
I am very passionate about 3 umbrella subjects, Sales, Marketing and Remote Working / Outsourcing.
I sell daily and I own Africa’s biggest Virtual Assistant agency, leveraging my daily experience of what and how things work on the ground and years of entrepreneurial experience. I always offer a very inspirational and helpful talk. My goal is always to show my fellow humans the so-called monster of sales is merely a misunderstood puppy and the mystic world of outsourcing is very easy, possible and hugely efficient, when understood.
I have been fortunate enough to speak on multiple big stage events and a few smaller stages. I really enjoy both big and small stages and I love seeing the “lights go on” when my audience feels and understands my message. My absolute favorite is inspiring that one person who really needed my message on the day.
Small group and One-on-One sessions.
Real knowledge transfer and real world situations. I enjoy hosting workshops and masterclasses as I always feel I walk away learning the most. I believe in interactive learning rather than lecture style, having found my methodology ensures a better understanding and enjoyment level, allowing for a more memorable experience and a longer lasting sense of the value I strive to drive.
Many people need that one extra explanation or that slightly different angle and I will help with everyday experience and examples.
I have worked with UCT’s Graduate School of Business, MTN Solution Space, Woodstock Bandwidth Barn, SB Incubator, Lionesses of Africa Incubator, Techqala Incubator and Thrive.TV
Business Woman
I love doing business.
I believe my growth as a person and speaker started because of my success in business. I started my entrepreneurial journey a long time ago and went from self-employed to being CEO and running 3 international businesses. My businesses are designed to support each other and other business owners and new business owners.
All my direct ventures are global service based businesses supporting our international footprint and clients driving over 90% of the work to our South African based staff. I believe in the power of our South African workforce and I will do my best to expose and educate the global business world about our South African workforce quality.
The art of business is what drives me and job creation is part of the reason why I do what do!
Keynote Speaking
I love sharing my knowledge
I am very passionate about 3 umbrella subjects, Sales, Marketing and Remote Working / Outsourcing.
I sell daily and I own Africa’s biggest Virtual Assistant agency, leveraging my daily experience of what and how things work on the ground and years of entrepreneurial experience. I always offer a very inspirational and helpful talk. My goal is always to show my fellow humans the so-called monster of sales is merely a misunderstood puppy and the mystic world of outsourcing is very easy, possible and hugely efficient, when understood.
I have been fortunate enough to speak on multiple big stage events and a few smaller stages. I really enjoy both big and small stages and I love seeing the “lights go on” when my audience feels and understands my message. My absolute favorite is inspiring that one person who really needed my message on the day.
Sales Trainer
Small group and One-on-One sessions.
Real knowledge transfer and real world situations. I enjoy hosting workshops and masterclasses as I always feel I walk away learning the most. I believe in interactive learning rather than lecture style, having found my methodology ensures a better understanding and enjoyment level, allowing for a more memorable experience and a longer lasting sense of the value a strive to drive.
Many people need that one extra explanation or that slightly different angle and I will help with everyday experience and examples.
I have worked with UCT’s Graduate School of Business, MTN Solution Space, Woodstock Bandwidth Barn, SB Incubator, Lionesses of Africa Incubator, Techqala Incubator and Thrive.TV
“The most important thing in business is honesty, integrity, hard work, family, and never forgetting where we came from. It should drive us to own our space, obsess about driving value, and always pursue more knowledge.” ~ Karen Wessels
Some of my past experience
More Personal Karen
How tall are you?
Much shorter than you might think, I’m a modest 1.67m, however, I own my whole 1.67m and love to walk tall 🙂
How many children do you have?
2 fabulous girls. Actually 3, Albert my partner (a grownup teenager), my beautiful baby girl Carley and gorgeous Alexis.
How many animals do you have?
So many it’s like a zoo 
Because our home base is on a farm we have everything from pigs to cattle and sheep to dogs and birds and everything else in between.
Who is your favourite band?
Hands down Pearl Jam – yip always been an alternative rock kind of chick! Second is a South African blues artist Dan Patlansky (if you don’t know him, Google him, he has amazing skills when it comes to a guitar.)
What is your favourite gadget?
Gots to be my mobile phone. I conduct so much business from it, it’s crazy! I live on my mobile because I’m involved with so many ventures, my mobile is attached to my side. Plus managing a little one means I usually only have one hand available while holding her with the other!
What’s your favourite film?
You’re really forcing me to reveal my age! It’s a tie between “What’s eating Gilbert Grape?” and “Pulp Fiction”.
What’s your favourite colour?
I’m a huge fan of green. Always have been. I like crisp green (like #74D600) and it goes well with most other great colours.
What is your favourite holiday destination?
I’d flip between Russia and Reunion Island. Russia is so beautiful and I enjoy the Russian people, their dry sense of humour and straight forwardness. Reunion is awesome, we don’t need a Visa to visit and it’s all French. I love most things French, cuisine, wine and Champagne.
What was the first car you bought?
A very racy white Opel Cub – man that car could race! I was regularly speeding down the N1 in Cape Town, stop street to stop street and traffic light to traffic light was so much fun. DISCLAIMER : I’m not condoning speeding and breaking the law on public roads! Go to the track if you want to speed or race!
Who do you enjoy following the most on Twitter?
For marketing it’s #GaryVee (@garyvee) and for the rest Lionesses of Africa (@lionessesA). I’m a Lioness and Melanie and the team ensures great and informative content all round.
What’s your favourite drink?
Water, more specifically San Pellegrino. It’s a natural sparkling mineral water from Italy and I can consume copious amounts of it. Second on the list is French Champagne or MCC. I must admit I also love a good Shiraz, my favorite being Jean Taillefert of the Laborie Wine Estate.
What’s your favourite restaurant/bar?
Blowfish in Cape Town for sushi and Turn n Tender Bryanston for a great rib-eye steak. Those are my two most loved dishes.
Was there a particular person that inspired you?
My granny Cecilia was a fashion inspiration. She was always well groomed, gave every outfit attention to detail and always carried herself with grace. In the business world I currently find inspiration from business people like Jayshree Naidoo, Melanie Hawken, Barbara Corcoran, Gary Vaynerchuk and Taylor Swift. You can learn loads of business lessons from Taylor, she makes a mean business woman!
Who’s your favourite Dragon?
I had to google this! Lol. (I’m definitely a Shark Tank fan!) I quite enjoy Deborah Meadan’s style. Very no-nonsense and get on with it kind of attitude. I like Barbara Corcoran from Shark Tank, she is always sparkly, brightly dressed and she have a different understanding about business – read, she comes from a sales background and I feel that makes her very powerful! I think there are many parallels between Deborah and Barbara, I would love to have them both as coaches.
Do you think it’s easier or harder to be an entrepreneur today, compared to when you started?
I think it’s easier, because I understand now that in times of less it’s the best time to hustle and really make money. The internet and all the awesome tools and apps available make it so much easier. In today’s environment we can achieve the same reach and branding in months that would have taken businesses years to achieve back then. It is so much easier to succeed today, you have to be very creative though.
If you had to start from scratch again, what would you do next?
Well I’ve only ever done service based businesses, so I would definitely go into product. Yip. Luxury women’s accessories to start off with and go from there. I love leather and I believe that will be my entry point into products, luxury leather goods for the upper-class successful business women out there, or a mommy-and-baby line.
Karen in Media
Make contact with me
General stuff and media Q’s.
Email Albert: albert@karenwessels.com Mobile : 2782 574 0775
Wow your audience by bringing me in to speak:
Email Karen: karen@karenwessels.com