East London’s Russel Kruger on Peace, Purpose & Prosperity
2020/2021 has been a tough year for everyone around the globe. It has tested us physically, financially and above all emotionally. It has spared no-one. But however bad it has been, it has also brought out the best in those who have decided to use this ‘unexpected time’ to re-evaluate who and where we are. We have had the time to re-think our priorities, face reality and adapt and change according to the new demands of our times.
One of those people who used this time to effectively re-prioritise his life is Russel Kruger. This well known local businessman, serial entrepreneur and self-confessed ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) personality used his forced down time introspectively and productively. His ADD hyperactivity had landed him in the difficult position of operating 13 businesses, sitting on tourism boards, doing pro bono work and, through his faith, playing a very active roll in his church, leaving very little time for himself and his family.
This father of 5, qualified pastor and successful local businessman realised during this period that his priorities needed to change. He needed to downsize his business interests and focus on what was most important. While God is and always will be his cornerstone, Russel realised he did not need to spend so much time away from his family in service of his faith and multiple businesses, to the detriment of his family. What he needed was… balance!
After much introspection and self-evaluation, Russel revised his priorities to God, his wife, his children and his businesses, which he paired down to three. After seriously considering chucking it all in and becoming a full-time pastor, Russel chose to rather focus on his 3 core businesses: Jemima’s Guest Lodge & Conferencing in Bunkers Hill, the Ocean View Hotel Coffee Bay and his newest venture, the Link2Success Academy.
While Jemima’s Guest Lodge and the Ocean View Hotel are well known and established businesses in this area, Russel’s newest venture has been a 4-year journey which started with him being coached by The Coachman in East London, which ignited his passion for coaching, and led to him enrolling at the ICA (International Coaching Academy). After 4 years and many hours of training, he launched his new venture, the Link2Success Academy. Coaching, Russel explains, helped him to manage his ADD, focus the millions of thoughts and ideas constantly bombarding his brain, and most importantly, helped him to identify and prioritise his purpose and key priorities.
The Link2Success Academy’s focus is on PEACE, PURPOSE & PROSPERITY and offers two courses.
The first course is Link2Success: Self Mastering, and helps individuals find out ‘why they want what they want’ and helps guide their efforts, energy and action to achieving their goals. This 4-step programme covers everything from identifying your purpose, becoming aware of your aims and goals, navigating your way forward to achieve those goals, and finally to transformation, allowing you to live your best life.
The second course is Link2Success: 11 Steps to Master your Business. The ‘Circle of Excellence’ model is used to help clients discover self mastery through their own personal transformation and 11 key business principles.
Russel’s commitment to this process has earned him the coveted position of being selected into the World-wide Business Intelligence circle of excellence Gold Members programme. He is one of 200 odd coaches who have been registered globally to participate in this prestigious programme based on values systems and business excellence.
His current focus is partnering with World Wide Business Intelligence group to a company endorsed by the Educational alliance of Finland in order to package programmes for local and international clients .
Believing strongly in the adage, ‘a lazy man deserves to starve’, Russel will not go hungry in the future as he channels his focus and energies to achieve his aspirations. He plans to celebrate God by allocating his time to his beautiful family, to growing and developing the Link2Success Academy, to contributing to the Eastern Cape Tourism sector through his participation on the ECPTA Tourism Guides and Wild Coast Tourism forums and to his own two tourism establishments, Jemima’s Guest Lodge & Conferencing and the Ocean View Hotel Coffee Bay. In addition, he will offer his time pro bono to train and coach 2 out of the 36 homestay entrepreneurs on the Wild Coast, helping them raise the level of service to meet the business requirements and the expectations of their national and international guests.
So while 2020/2021 have been tough, heartbreaking years for many people around the world, it is hoped that 2022 will herald in positive change. The reset button has been pushed and now the time is right for us to throw off the Covid-19 wet blanket and re-imagine our futures. It might seem like an insurmountable task, but with a little effort and a lot of help from above, there is no reason why we too cannot usher in positive changes like those achieved by Russel.
Article: Sandy Loppnow
