🍌 THE PROFESSOR & ME KNOW YOUR BUSINESS FROM THE GROUND UP I recently came across the story of Samuel Zemurray—the immigrant who became known as America’s Banana King. He started by buying overripe bananas that other traders considered worthless. They saw waste. He saw an opportunity. His story reminded me of my father and the lessons he taught us at Funchal Fruit & Veg in Silverton. The Professor believed that you had to know what you were selling. He taught us the names, varieties and uses of our different fruits and vegetables. He knew which apples were sweeter, which fruit was best for cooking and what a customer needed for a fruit basket or arrangement. He didn’t manage the business from a distance. He worked inside it. He understood the stock. He understood the customers. He understood the people doing the work. 🌿 THE PROFESSOR’S WISDOM You cannot lead a business properly from behind a desk if you don’t understand what is happening on the shop floor. ☕ MY TAKE Technology and reports are useful—but they cannot replace firsthand knowledge. Go to the customer. Look at the product. Speak to the people doing the work. See the problem for yourself. Before you try to grow your business, make sure you truly understand it—from the ground up. 💬 YOUR TURN Do you know your business from the ground up—or are you trying to manage it from a distance? — Gilbert Nobrega The Professor & Me

☕ COFFEE TIME WITH GILBERT FOCUS ON TODAY Yesterday is finished. Tomorrow is not guaranteed. All we truly have is today. One lesson I have learned is this: Do the hard thing first. The easy thing feels comfortable—but comfort doesn’t always produce results. The hard phone call. The difficult decision. The task you keep postponing. Going out and doing the work when you would rather stay comfortable. That is usually where the real progress is hiding. You don’t win by avoiding the difficult things. You win when you face them, finish them and realise that you were stronger than you thought. So today, don’t ask: “What is the easiest thing I can do?” Ask: “What is the hard thing I need to do today?” Then go and do it. That is where the real satisfaction comes from. Focus on today. Do the hard thing. What hard thing have you been putting off? — Gilbert Nobrega The Professor & Me Stories

❤️ THE PROFESSOR & ME — TOGETHER, THEY MADE US BELIEVE Everyone heard my father saying: “You guys can do it.” But inside our family, we knew where much of that strength came from. It came from my mother. Today, for the first time in The Professor & Me, I want to introduce the woman who stood beside The Professor—and who quietly helped drive our family forward. My father was the visible encourager. Whenever we brought him a new idea for the fruit shop, he would listen and say: “Let’s do it. You can do it.” He trusted us as his boys. He gave us the freedom to think, try new things and learn through experience. But my mother was the matriarch of our family. She was a powerful woman who never needed to make a noise or stand in the spotlight. She stood quietly beside my father, supported our ideas and gave us the emotional strength to believe in ourselves. My father gave us the words. My mother gave those words their strength. Together, they created a positive home where we were encouraged to try—but also taught to remain disciplined, focused and true to our values. They didn’t promise that everything would be easy. They simply made us believe that if we learned how to do something properly, worked hard and remained focused, we could do it. Looking back today, I realise that much of our family’s success was built on this partnership. The Professor may have been the voice saying: “You can do it.” But standing beside him was a strong woman quietly making sure that we believed it. 🌿 THE PROFESSOR’S WISDOM A strong family is not always built by the loudest person. Sometimes its greatest strength comes from the quiet person holding everyone together. ☕ MY TAKE My father gave us confidence. My mother gave us strength. Together, they gave us the belief that we could face life, build something meaningful and carry the family legacy forward. 💬 YOUR TURN Who was the quiet driving force behind your family? #TheProfessorAndMe #TogetherTheyMadeUsBelieve #FamilyLegacy #TheMatriarch #ICanDoIt #FamilyValues

OFFEE TIME WITH GILBERT Today’s coffee comes with a heavy heart. Sometimes life brings news that stops you in your tracks. When you hear that one of your Loved one —is facing a serious illness, what do you do? The truth is, you don’t always know. You feel frightened. You feel sad. You ask questions that nobody can answer. Being strong doesn’t mean pretending that it doesn’t hurt. It means lighting a candle. Saying a prayer. Standing beside them. And choosing to make every conversation and every shared moment count. Today, I am rooting for that loved one . I am praying for him, speaking positively with him and looking forward to sharing many more conversations together. If someone you love is going through a difficult time, don’t wait for the perfect words. Call them. Listen to them. Pray with them. Remind them that they are loved. Life is fragile—but it is also precious. Stay hopeful. Treasure the moment. It’s magical to be alive. — Gilbert Nobrega The Professor & Me

🚙 THE PROFESSOR & ME My father was a Peugeot man. For his first 30 years in South Africa, he hardly drove anything else. He owned Peugeot 204s, 304s and 404s—but his real favourite was the Peugeot 404. At one stage, we had three Peugeot 404s at home. Each son would drive one to the market, collect fresh stock and deliver it to our different fruit and vegetable shops. But one Peugeot 404 LDV became a family legend. My father bought that bakkie when it already had approximately 400,000 kilometres on the clock. Most people would have thought it was finished. The Professor saw a workhorse. That Peugeot eventually travelled more than 800,000 kilometres—carrying fruit, vegetables and the weight of a growing family business. It wasn’t fashionable. It wasn’t new. But every morning, it got up and went to work—just like my father. 🌿 THE PROFESSOR’S WISDOM A good workhorse doesn’t need to look impressive. It just needs to keep showing up. MY TAKE Today, people are always chasing the newest car, newest tool or newest opportunity. But success is often built with what you already have—used properly, maintained carefully and worked consistently. YOUR TURN What car did your father—or your family—swear by? — Gilbert Nobrega The Professor & Me