I wanted to sit down and write this while the week is still fresh — not once everything feels “figured out”, but right in the middle of it.
Minette and I arrived in the UK on 20 January, and what followed wasn’t a highlight reel. It was friction, admin, cold weather, stairs, delays, and a lot of moments where things didn’t go according to plan. London hit us first. Small flats. No lifts. Five flights of stairs. Suitcases up and down. Trains, buses, crowds. Everyone rushing — eyes on their phones, chasing the next commute. It was loud, fast, and oddly disconnected. It made us very aware of how easy it is to get trapped in motion without direction. We connected at a few events with potential partnerships and building our community and support. We attended the High Level event, where they are seriously considering coming to S.A! From there we headed to Doncaster, where Minette lived and worked years ago. Slower pace. Cleaner. Friendlier people. Strangers going out of their way to help us. It reminded us that environment matters more than most people realize. But one thing became very clear, very quickly: We packed for comfort — not for movement. Our luggage became an anchor. Every staircase, every train change, every check-in felt heavier than it should have. That’s when the idea of having our own wheels, our own space, our own “home” stopped being a nice-to-have and became essential. So we committed to buying the van. That decision alone opened a new chapter of challenges: - Needing a UK address just to purchase - Paying for a registered office service - Sorting insurance with South African licences - Paying a full year upfront (around £4,000) - Putting down a non-refundable deposit - UK Tax on the car and and and... And then… delays. Clutch issues. Gearbox out. Parts missing. MOT pending. All while we had no accommodation secured because we were timing everything around collecting the van. At the same time, business didn’t pause. We were running: - Daily Zoom calls - A 3-day online challenge - Paid webinars - Coaching sessions - Client work - Team management Across a 2-hour time difference, unstable Wi-Fi, and coffee shops that charged £7+ for two cappuccinos.