Nami Business Plan and Prayer Journal

When you study social sciences, you get exposed to quite a lot of the things that happen in the world around us. Some of it will bore you, but some sections will have you sitting at the edge of your seat, eager to know more. When I was doing my undergrad, I was really interested in this theory called intersectionality, which was pioneered by Kimberlé Crenshaw. She basically looks at the life experiences of Black women in America and says that because they are Black, female, and possibly poor, they find themselves at the bottom of the food chain.

Similarly, I came across a body of literature called Bosadi theorisation. My understanding of it is that it is the South African version of Intersectionality. It looks at the Black South African girl child – she’s Black, she’s a girl, and she’s from a disadvantaged or middle-class background. She’s South African, so she probably has witnessed or experienced some form of gender-based violence. You take her and say, “Listen, there are institutions out there that are designed for you.” If we’re talking BEE, women empowerment, equity in employment: Black women are still at the bottom of the food chain.

There are funds available of institutions saying “we’re here and we want to fund businesses where 51% of the company is strictly owned by women.”
The opportunity is there - we just need to remember who we are, to remember that we are worthy of good things - gear up to do the hard work. AND GO.

I struggle to do things without God ... and without mentioning Jesus.
Whether it’s an exam, a drive to the store, a conversation with a friend - best believe that I will make special mention of God -He’s the biggest part of my existence. There’s nothing that I do where I can say “Yoh, Jesu kindly wait here and close your eyes and ears cause I’ve got this”... He’s the essence of my being.
I remember having this idea and I went to my male cousin, who is the same age as me, and we’re both business-minded and we’re both Christian. I went to him and said something along the lines of, “What if God is using the business to help me grow, to draw nearer to Him?” And he said to me, “No, Thando, the business of business is making money.” Another man said “all we care about is ROI, leave your creativity at the door”. I spoke to another guy friend of mine recently, and we were talking about the business plan model. He said to me, “It’s technical, it’s logical – the whole point is to show people who are buying into the business that this thing is gonna make us money.”

And that perception isn’t flawed because the reality is that you invest R5 with the hope to get R10 back – a return on your investment. I’ve spoken to Black men as it pertains to business, and based on my observation, we’re not built the same. Some men view God as a dictator - that’s how they choose to experience Him - in line with their socially constructed views of masculinity.

But me? Like I said - God is my dad - and in my Fathers house? I get to dream, pray and see Him as I move and walk with Him on a daily.

When I think of a Black woman, I think Glory – a full embodiment of the presence of God. Hence, when institutions come and say, “We want women to come and apply for funding, we want them to succeed, we want them to be empowered,” I roll my eyes as they throw a business plan template at us – one that looks exactly like the one that was drafted in the 1700s, when the existence of a young Black woman in South Africa was one of resilience, resourcefulness, and leadership – yet unrecognised and unsupported. Maybe it’s just me, but when I think of a business plan, it tends to strip away all of me. And if my business plan is my foundational document that I need to fall back on when days get dark, then how am I falling back on something that doesn’t even speak to me? As a Black South African woman in 2025, the traditional business plan doesn’t work for me. I’m not at the point where I’m writing this for funding – I just want to sit down and have a dream and speak to my Father about the dream and watch as I give Him the space to love on me and shape my mind and think of unimaginable things...So, if you’re looking for a journal that will allow you to pray, grow your faith... get your creative juices going, while still covering all that you need to fulfil the requirements of a traditional business plan, then this is it.