“Ngati ukufuna mkaka, usakhale pa chopondapo pakati pa msipu, kudikirira kuti ng’ombe zikupatse mabere. Mwambi wakalewu umagwirizana kwambiri ndi ziphunzitso za amayi anga. Ananenanso kuti, "Tiyeni, Ricky. Osakhala chete. Pita ukagwire ng’ombe.”
Kale Chinsinsi cha chitumbuwa cha kalulu akuti, «Mugwire kalulu poyamba. Dziwani kuti silikunena kuti, «Mugule kalulu kaye, kapena khalani pansi ndikudikirira kuti wina akubweretsereni.
Maphunziro otere, amene amayi anandiphunzitsa kuyambira ndili mwana, anandipangitsa kukhala munthu wodziimira payekha. Anandiphunzitsa kuganiza ndi mutu wanga ndikugwira ntchitoyo ndekha.
Poyamba inali mfundo ya moyo wa anthu a ku Britain, koma achichepere amakono kaŵirikaŵiri amayembekezera kubweretsedwa chirichonse m’mbale yasiliva. Mwina makolo ena akanakhala ngati anga, tonse tikanakhala anthu amphamvu, monga mmene analili a ku Britain.
Nthaŵi ina, pamene ndinali ndi zaka zinayi zakubadwa, amayi anga anaimitsa galimotoyo makilomita angapo kuchokera kunyumba kwathu nandiuza kuti tsopano ndiyenera kupeza njira yangayanga yopita kunyumba kudutsa m’munda. Adaziwonetsa ngati masewera - ndipo ndinali wokondwa kukhala ndi mwayi wosewera. Koma zinali zovuta kale, ndinakula, ndipo ntchitozo zinakhala zovuta kwambiri.
Tsiku lina m’bandakucha m’nyengo yozizira, amayi anandidzutsa ndi kundiuza kuti ndivale. Kunali mdima komanso kuzizira, koma ndinadzuka pabedi. Anandipatsa chakudya chamasana chokulunga ndi pepala ndi apulo. “Mukapeza madzi m’njira,” amayi anga anatero, ndipo ananditsanulitsa pamene ndinali kukwera njinga yanga kupita ku gombe lakummwera makilomita makumi asanu kuchokera kunyumba. Kudali kudakali mdima pamene ndinkayenda ndekhandekha. Ndinagona usiku wonse ndi achibale ndipo ndinabwerera kunyumba tsiku lotsatira, ndikunyadira kwambiri. Ndinali wotsimikiza kuti akandilandirira mokuwa wachisangalalo, koma m’malo mwake amayi anati: “Wachita bwino, Ricky. Chabwino, zinali zosangalatsa? Tsopano thawirani kwa wansembe, akufuna kuti mumuthandize kutema nkhuni.”
Kwa ena, kulera kotereku kumaoneka ngati kowawa. Koma m’banja mwathu aliyense ankakondana kwambiri ndipo aliyense ankaganizira za ena. Tinali banja logwirizana kwambiri. Makolo athu ankafuna kuti tikule mwamphamvu komanso kuti tiphunzire kudzidalira.
Bambo nthawi zonse anali okonzeka kutithandiza, koma amayi ndi amene anatilimbikitsa kuchita zonse zomwe tingathe pa ntchito iliyonse. Kwa iye ndinaphunzira kuchita bizinesi ndi kupeza ndalama. Iye anati: "Ulemerero ukupita kwa wopambana" ndi "Kuthamangitsa maloto!".
Amayi ankadziwa kuti kutaya kulikonse n'kopanda chilungamo - koma moyo ndi umenewo. Si nzeru kuphunzitsa ana kuti akhoza kupambana nthawi zonse. Moyo weniweni ndi kulimbana.
Nditabadwa, bambo anali atangoyamba kumene kuphunzira zamalamulo, ndipo kunalibe ndalama zokwanira. Amayi sanalire. Iye anali ndi zolinga ziwiri.
Choyamba ndi kupeza ntchito zothandiza kwa ine ndi alongo anga. Kusagwira ntchito m’banja mwathu kunkaoneka ngati kosayenera. Chachiwiri ndi kufunafuna njira zopezera ndalama.
Pamadyerero a banja, kaŵirikaŵiri tinkalankhula za bizinesi. Ndikudziwa kuti makolo ambiri sapereka ana awo ku ntchito ndipo sakambirana nawo mavuto awo.
Koma ndili wotsimikiza kuti ana awo sangamvetsetse kufunika kwa ndalama, ndipo kaŵirikaŵiri, akaloŵa m’dziko lenileni, sapirira.
Tinkadziwa kuti dziko linali chiyani. Ine ndi mlongo wanga Lindy tinkathandiza mayi anga ntchito zawo. Zinali zabwino ndipo zidapangitsa chidwi cha anthu m'banja ndi ntchito.
Ndinayesetsa kulera Holly ndi Sam (ana aamuna a Richard Branson) mofanana, ngakhale kuti ndinali ndi mwayi chifukwa ndinali ndi ndalama zambiri kuposa zomwe makolo anga anali nazo m’nthaŵi yawo. Ndimaonabe kuti malamulo a amayi ndi abwino kwambiri ndipo ndimaona kuti Holly ndi Sam amadziwa kufunika kwa ndalama.
Amayi anapanga timabokosi tamatabwa tating'ono ndi zinyalala. Malo ake ogwirira ntchito anali m’shedi ya dimba, ndipo ntchito yathu inali kum’thandiza. Tinapenta zinthu zake, kenako nkuzipinda. Kenako lamulo linachokera ku Harrods (imodzi mwa masitolo otchuka komanso okwera mtengo kwambiri ku London), ndipo malonda adakwera.
Pa nthawi yatchuthi, mayi anga ankachita lendi zipinda za ana asukulu ochokera ku France ndi ku Germany. Kugwira ntchito mochokera pansi pa mtima ndi kusangalala mochokera pansi pa mtima ndi khalidwe la banja la banja lathu.
Mchemwali wa amayi anga, Aunt Claire, ankakonda kwambiri nkhosa zakuda za ku Welsh. Anapeza lingaliro loyambitsa kampani ya tiyi yokhala ndi mapangidwe a nkhosa zakuda, ndipo akazi a m'mudzi mwake anayamba kuluka majuzi okhala ndi fano lawo. Zinthu mukampani zidayenda bwino kwambiri, zimabweretsa phindu labwino mpaka lero.
Zaka zingapo pambuyo pake, pamene ndinali kale kuyendetsa Virgin Records, Mayi aang’ono a Claire anandiitana ndi kundiuza kuti imodzi mwa nkhosa zawo inali itaphunzira kuimba. Sindinaseke. Kunali koyenera kumvera malingaliro a azakhali anga. Popanda chipwirikiti chilichonse, ndinatsatira nkhosa iyi kulikonse ndi chojambulira, Waa Waa BIack Nkhosa (Waa Waa BIack Nkhosa - "Beee, bee, nkhosa yakuda" - nyimbo yowerengera ana yomwe idadziwika kuyambira 1744, Virgin adayitulutsa mumasewera a "nkhosa zoyimba" zomwezo pa "makumi anayi ndi zisanu" mu 1982) zinali zopambana kwambiri, kufika pamalo achinayi m'matchati.
Ndachoka kubizinesi yaying'ono m'munda wamaluwa kupita ku network ya Virgin global. Chiwopsezo chawonjezeka kwambiri, koma kuyambira ndili mwana ndaphunzira kukhala wolimba mtima m'zochita ndi zosankha zanga.
Ngakhale kuti nthawi zonse ndimamvetsera mosamala kwa aliyense, komabe ndikudalira mphamvu zanga ndikupanga zisankho zanga, ndimakhulupirira ndekha komanso zolinga zanga.