Wongalethu Maquthu 

After quitting her teaching career, Sherrie Elson ventured into the business world.

“I took a risk and it was scary, but I trusted God,” said Sherrie.

Sherrie Elson is professionally a teacher, because of her passion for baking she decided to make some extra money on the side.  Sherrie started Cake It.  Cake It was Sherrie’s side business, it was something she did part-time.  After having to deal with kids at school, she would come home and bake.

“I guess having a granny who was good in home economics and a mom who was always in the kitchen made me fall in love with baking,” she said.

However, Cake It was not it. For a long time, Sherrie had always wanted to start a more established, she was thinking of something along the lines of a coffee shop.  She says whenever she mentioned that she wanted to stop teaching and start a business her family would discourage her.

“They always told me it would be difficult to get finances,” she mentioned.

Sometime last year Sherrie says her husband spoke to the lead elder of Olive Tree Church (a Church where Sherrie and her husband attend and where her coffee shop is situated).  The church wanted to have a coffee shop and Sherrie’s husband suggested her to the lead elder.

“One day my husband came home and told me about the conversation he had with the church elder, and that was pretty much the start,” said Sherrie.

In September last year Sherry took a risk and resigned as a teacher, and three months later (December 4^th) she opened Milk & Honey coffee shop on Florida Rd.  This is after six years of teaching.  The cakes and biscuits she sold at her coffee shop are baked by Cake It, simply put – she bakes them herself.  She has four employees at Milk & Honey.  One of them, Sbusisiwe Zwane, says she enjoys having a boss like Sherrie.

“She’s like the coolest boss. Since she’s not there most of the time she taught me to be responsible,” Sbusisiwe said.

Sbusisiwe says she is now able to finance her own needs and able to help at home financially since she works at Milk & Honey.  She says her boss has instilled some discipline in her.

Sherrie says she does not compare herself with other businesses.

“We have different things to offer,” Sherry said as a reminder.

Despite her owning the business, Sherrie say she hates the business side of things.

Picture: Sherrie Elson