YOLISA BAM, 28, SOFTWARE DEVELOPER WHO RUNS HER OWN BOUTIQUE DIGITAL AGENCY

Yolisa was born in Botswana and raised in Maseru, Lesotho and Cape Town. At 14, she moved to the US with her mom and by age 17, she was living on her own in New York City, a place she called home for nine years until she uprooted her life to San Francisco last year, to set up her digital business. Yolisa believes that her current choice of lifestyle was influenced by moving around a lot as a child, and being fascinated with her career mentors, all of whom successfully ran their businesses from their laptops. Having a career that is both global and digital has enabled her to literally get up and go to wherever her heart desires.

“It had always been a dream of mine to be able to work from anywhere in the world. I’ve never been one to struggle with holding on to material things, plus I’m single with no children to account to, so this openended lifestyle works perfectly for me. Around February this year, I came to South Africa on a visit, and suddenly remembered that I have dual citizenship. I moved to Johannesburg in August, attracted by the business opportunities, and that I’d still be able to service my international clients. The only strenuous element has been the six to nine hour time difference, which also isn’t too much of a bother because I have the energy for it. One of the greatest gifts my parents taught me was that I have the right to see and access any place in the world. ‘Who’s to say that I can’t experience this thing or that place!’ I plan to work from and travel Europe before the end of the year. I also look forward to exploring more of the African continent.”

Travelling, to me, is… Adventure! I love experiencing any place that I visit like a local.