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Name: Claudia Nel
Superpower: Medical distribution company owner & lifelong learner
Today we are talking to the amazing Claudia, a 42-year-old mother of 2 beautiful children, wife to an amazing husband, business owner and survivor of breast cancer.
Honestly, this wonderful woman reminds me why I started this blog and do these interviews – she’s brave, bold and unbeatable. She’s an inspiration. She’s a reminder to us all that nothing is impossible.
Here’s her full, uncut story:
Hi Claudia!
Please tell us a bit about yourself.
From small beginnings, I have through hard work, honesty, positivity and constant perseverance achieved my dreams, but along the way I’ve had to learn some tough lessons.
I believe that today I’m a healthier, happier and even more successful woman than before because of that.
You’ve been very successful in life and built a strong family of your own. Who played a key role in your childhood?
Being raised by a stepfather who rejected me and a mother with depression and difficulty dealing with her own life, I found a haven in my grandmother’s loving arms.
She taught me little life lessons, which helped me to decide long ago that: my past won’t determine my destiny; I will work hard to shape my own future; I will refuse the negative; and I will not allow depression or family drama to ruin my children’s opportunities one day.
I decided that I would be successful, even if my stepfather wanted me to fail.
You started working from a young age. What did you do?
I often joke and say, ‘I might not be the smartest girl on the block, but I’m surely the hardest working’. I’ve always believed that anything is achievable if you want it bad enough and if you’re willing to work very hard to achieve it. Persistence beats resistance.
So that’s what I did. From Standard 9 (17 years old) I worked at the local supermarket kiosk over weekends to earn pocket money, and then I added waitressing to the mix. I ended up waitressing for 12 years – right through my studies at university and my first 2 real jobs.
Waitressing money had to pay for my tuition fees, cover rent and put fuel in my little Volkswagen Beetle (which I only bought much later in my first year when I could afford it) because there was no parental support for this. From an early age I knew how to work hard.
I qualified at The University of Pretoria in South Africa with a BA degree focused on psychology. I just wasn’t sure if I really had much of an interest in counselling or listening to other people’s issues all day.
So, you finished your studies and weren’t sure that was what you wanted to do. What helped you to finally decide?
My uncle asked me what I wanted to do and I said I wanted to make money, as I was raised with little money in a very divided house. Struggling to make ends meet as a teenager and student, I knew I wanted a better life for myself.
My uncle said, ‘Well, if you want to make money you should get into sales’. And that’s what I did.
Wow, so it was wise words from your uncle that totally changed your direction. How did that go?
My first real sales job was with Panasonic. After about a year and half, I realized that I wanted to get into medical sales. Not just any medical sales, but medical devices. This is a difficult industry to get into when you’re young and inexperienced.
I started climbing the ladder. The first rung was working for a small pharmaceutical company with basic over-the-counter pharmacy products, to gain experience as a medical rep. Then, almost 2 years later, I got my big break with Earth Medical, which appointed me as its Western and Eastern Cape Urology representative.
Claudia (front left) playing baseball with some of her colleagues from Earth Medical.
Eager to prove myself, I worked hard and quickly exceeded targets. My achievements created new opportunities and I was offered a product management position in light of the company launching new women’s health implants.
I left Cape Town with a heavy heart to relocate to Gauteng to chase my career dreams. As a product manager I learnt so much more and my director at the time, Richard Twyford, was a true mentor.
It’s great when you have a mentor to guide you! What did Richard teach you?
Richard taught me that titles mean nothing, to make people matter, to walk away from business that is not done the right way, and to keep doing business honestly.
Those are some great principles to live by. Where did you go from there?
I continued to study marketing through The University of South Africa part-time as I realized that this would be a benefit to me going forward. Soon, I became the business unit manager for the Urology and Women’s Health division.
I believe my success in management is based on my belief to lead by example and to treat everyone with respect. I’ve always been a very involved manager and completely understand the challenges my sales teams face in the field.
Working so hard and being recognized for achievements is great, but many don’t realize that it isn’t all glory – there are falls before and after for us all. Tell us what happened to you.
In 2006 I won an international achievement award for the growth achieved in South Africa for women’s health.
A month later I was informed that we had lost our one and only agency; the one we grew so strongly and for which I had just received an award!?
They had decided that the business was big enough to directly represent itself in South Africa. My entire world fell flat. My team was looking to me for answers, and I kept reassuring them that we’d get through it.
How did you cope as the one who people were counting on to sort things out?
My team members went on their December holiday break while I was scouting for new agencies. When they returned, we still didn’t have a single product to sell. Stress levels were very high, and I developed an autoimmune disorder as a result.
But as tough as it was to keep the team together, it was worth it. I realized that you, as a manager, are only as good as your team. I was able to source new products, good ones, and together we rebuilt the division and learnt from our previous mistake – don’t put all your eggs in one basket.
We now had several agencies and created our own basket of product offerings, sharing risk that way.
What about love? Have you found it?
With my career moving strongly in the right direction again, I was blessed to have met my soulmate through friends in 2008. Derick is not only my best male friend, but a partner who allows my growth and supports my ventures all the way.
Claudia with Derick, her soulmate and best friend.
We married in 2011 and have since had two beautiful children. I have been blessed with an amazing family.
So, you started a family and also started a business. Tell us all about that.
In 2015 there was a lot of restructuring in the Litha Healthcare group, of which we as Earth Medical were now part of. What was known as Earth Medical was falling apart – all the other divisions had closed down or been ‘stolen’ by colleagues who had left the company, and here my division was left high and dry.
My mentor, Richard, had left long before when he got ill and was no longer there to guide us through the rough waters. The changes created a lot of uncertainty with my sales teams, and I had several meetings with the manager of the parent company to discuss options. I even met with Richard again to seek advice.
After many more meetings with company directors, I eventually said to them, ‘I’m a big girl and will handle whatever happens, so just decide if you are going to give me your commitment and we rebuild the business or not. If not, I’m happy to take my sales team and the products that are left and start up our own operation’.
The answer was the latter. They thought it sounded like a good idea but were wondering how I would fund that…
Wow, that was quite a brave statement to make to top management! Did you manage to fund it?
I did. I made it happen.
I took all my savings, sold both my properties in Cape Town, pulled in my product manager at the time, Liz Venter, as a partner, re-signed our international contracts, and we started Sure Medical.
Claudia (left) and Liz Venter, her business partner, sitting at their stand at the 2018 National Congress of the South African Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (SASOG) in Durban.
I negotiated payment terms with Litha to buy all their current stock holding and pay it off over several months. I couldn’t afford my entire sales team, so we had to downscale. I moved my entire operation into my husband’s office, and he provided us with a business address and Wi-Fi.
We hit the ground running, literally.
And now you were funded. That’s amazing. I bet there was a lot of hard work after that?
Liz and I worked non-stop. We earned half of what we did before. We cut costs wherever we could. There were early mornings and late evenings.
Because I was in the field and in operating theaters most of the day, the admin and business management had to be managed after hours and on weekends.
Hospital staff receiving in-theater training on how to use Sure Medical products to help women across the country. These training sessions are hosted and fully sponsored at least once a quarter.
What gave you the edge in your business?
We were passionate about our business and dedicated to establishing our brands and regaining commitment from customers.
We focused on service and giving back in the form of training. We have invested endless hours and a lot of money on training doctors and nurses to become better at what they’re doing.
Claudia has invested a lot into training doctors and nurses on how to effectively use her company’s products – a passion she has that also gives her a competitive edge.
How did all of this affect your family life?
Although my husband was very understanding, the long working hours was felt by my family and was unfair towards my children. After a year and a half, it took its toll. I can admit that it had a negative impact on our marriage and left me with huge feelings of guilt towards my children, who I had little time for.
Everything in life comes with sacrifice, and this was obviously part of mine. But where do you draw the line?
Claudia with her husband and two young children.
What about you, Claudia? How did you handle the stress?
The balance wasn’t there, nor was the health. I ate badly, never relaxed, tried to juggle a million things, slept very little, picked up weight, and the list goes on and on.
Things had to change.
I discussed the plans for changes with my husband. I employed more people and structured my business better.
I know that these are called ‘growing pains’ in business – a time for transition that entrepreneurs face as their business grows. What impact did going through these changes have on your business?
When Sure Medical reached 2 years of existence, we could proudly say that the company was on its feet and doing very well. We were delighted about our success.
We were earning well again. Many of my old sales people were back on my team, along with some fantastic new ones. We had our own offices. I have my own fancy office. We signed more contracts. Our product portfolio was amazing. The hard word had paid off… and I was determined to find balance and restore what I had lost on the home front.
Claudia with her husband and Sure Medical family.
You say you developed an autoimmune disorder from stress earlier on. How did you take care of your health at this stage?
I slowed down slightly, paid more attention to my family, and tried to catch up with myself. With that came the responsible thing to do every year and go for check-ups. I scheduled my doctor’s appointment early in 2018 with a nagging feeling that I should go for a mammogram, as I was over 40.
My doctor told me not to worry if cancer wasn’t in my family history and that I should only do a mammogram sometime before 45. I wasn’t aware of any breast cancer in my family and there were no lumps or anything odd going on with my breasts, but something kept on nagging me.
So, I scheduled an appointment for a mammogram – my first one. I didn’t really have time to go, but with an appointment in my diary it was just another thing to tick off my to-do list.
I remember rushing to the appointment as my day was full and I didn’t really have time for it, but I needed to tick it off my list.
And then it happened: it was my first mammogram and they found breast cancer. What a shocker! It seems that nagging voice was truly the Big Man upstairs looking out for me.
Claudia standing next to a cross, a symbol of her strong Christian faith.
How did the medical staff break the news to you?
I remember the radiologist immediately telling me that there was a suspicious area in my left breast and that she would be honest with me, it certainly looked cancerous. She then told me that a biopsy was needed immediately.
The shock brought me to a standstill and fear immediately kicked in. Fear that I wouldn’t see my children grow up and that they might need to grow up without a mother. Fear that I hadn’t even started living properly and there was so much I still wanted to do, like updating my children’s albums. And obviously fear for the biopsy that was just about to happen, without anyone there to hold my hand.
How did having a medical background influence all of this?
Being in the medical industry myself, the radiologist’s report referring to a BIRADS 5 lesion told me it was cancer before I even got the biopsy results. My husband told me not to be so negative and that it might be nothing, but I understood the lingo and was very emotional.
Even though by profession I should know that cancer is manageable if caught early, it’s very different when you suddenly become the patient and emotions take over.
The ‘what nows?’ and further tests consumed my days. After my diagnosis, my mother recalled that my biological father’s mother had actually died of breast cancer. Little to my knowledge, it was in my family history after all.
What cancer treatment did you choose?
Well, big decisions had to be made regarding treatment options.
I was still young. I wanted to see my children grow up and enjoy my business maturing in the years to come, so the decision was an aggressive one. I decided on a double mastectomy.
Claudia in hospital with her children a few days after her double mastectomy.
After the mastectomy there was another personal blow. What happened?
Two days after leaving the hospital my mother passed away unexpectedly, which shook my world again. Being diagnosed with breast cancer was a huge shock and losing my mother shortly afterwards was another shock.
But I believe that God has given me a second chance. He was that nagging voice that led me to have my first mammogram early enough to save my life. Clearly, my work on Earth is not done.
I’m so sorry to hear that. Where did you go from there?
I then had reconstructive surgery and got treatment plans to manage my health and risk of cancer returning. I’m on different treatments and see my oncologist regularly. I’ve started managing my lifestyle and health in a completely different way, trying to balance work and family. I also try to get more rest these days.
Although not where I need to be yet, there is already a huge improvement to the way I lived before. I’ve invested in a nutritionist who specializes in cancer patients and have learned to eat healthier. My family have changed some of their eating habits too.
Claudia living a healthier and more peaceful life after finding out she had breast cancer.
Although there is still a long way to go to 100% recovery, we are living a better life now. I value my time with my family more. I don’t spend time on matters that don’t matter. My business has continued to grow strongly, even though I put in slightly less hours.
But with me being more rested, healthier and balanced, I’m thinking clearer than ever before.
I know you give back by training those who use your medical products. How else are you giving back after your experience with cancer?
I know that many women are not as fortunate as I am in being diagnosed early. I’ve therefore started charity incentives through my business to raise funds to support charities like Pink Drive.
My story may be similar to many other women, but I hope that my lessons learnt the hard way could be good lessons for other women to learn the easy way.
Most importantly, look after yourself. Without you being beautiful, healthy and strong, you will eventually find it difficult to give more of yourself to others because there might be nothing left at some point.
Balance is so important in life. You’ve done so much in your life and you clearly have a lot more living to do! What have you discovered about yourself through all of this?
I’m a determined self-starter and have always pushed myself very hard to achieve. Enough was never enough. I always wanted more and more. I know I was working myself to death, so to speak, and my children were growing up in the background. I needed a wake-up call, and I got it.
Working hard is good, but all that I achieved could have been achieved without breaking myself in the process. Now my life has meaning. My marriage is stronger, I’m healthier, I truly see my children and their individual uniqueness, and my business is booming.
What plans do you have for your company?
We’re taking Sure Medical to the next level and are strategizing its expansion beyond South Africa’s borders. My team is strong and we’re dreaming BIG again.
Any words of advice for us?
Work hard but make a lot of time for the people that matter in your life too.
Everything you do is a reflection of who you are (wisdom from my grandmother), so tackle a small task and a big task with all your heart!
Travel, grab opportunities, live your life and enjoy it, because life can be really short. I always thought that was just something older people say, but now I get it. Don’t postpone everything. Be responsible, work and do what must be done, but please live a little… or a lot if possible!
Claudia diving in the deep blue sea. She believes that if your dreams don’t scare you, they aren’t big enough!
Remember to say thank you to God for all your blessings. And when you’re not sure what the right answers are to a tough decision, pray for guidance and the answer will come to you. I’ve experienced this over and over in our business.
Where can we find you these days, Claudia?
I balance my days with enjoying my family, amazing work colleagues and friends and building a stronger business from one month to the next. I want a business that we can all benefit from and that can give back by helping others through charities and our medical professionals in the form of training.
For business-related queries or to see what our company is up to, check out our website: www.suremedical.co.za
♥♥♥
Claudia, thank you for sharing your experiences and wisdom with us. From little life lessons from your grandmother to the large life lessons you’ve covered today…
You show us that no matter where you come from or how little you have, you can always make the decision to change your life and build a better future for yourself and those you love. And once that decision is made, it’s vital to consistently work on that goal to get yourself to where you want to be.
There are so many great business points in your interview – find a mentor to guide you, hard work opens doors, take care of your team, and treat everyone with respect.
On the health front, you remind us how important it is to know your family history and listen to your instincts. Also that we need to take time out and keep the balance, before things get out of hand.
And most importantly? We need to love ourselves for who we are, and love those around us as often and as much as we can. Live life and try to experience it all, because it’s short and beautiful and totally unpredictable.
Claudia, we wish you much love and light on your journey. Well done for making the decision to be a success in your life, no matter what. Put on that tiara and keep on making history. Respect.
