Lizelle Els

I am an entrepreneur with a lifelong passion for fashion, business, and property. After attending Menlopark High School, I started my first fashion design business whilst studying towards a diploma in Fashion Design. This business was very successful, and I managed to buy my first property, a townhouse in Pretoria, when I turned 21. Over the next 10 years, I successfully managed my clothing factory and boutique, balancing entrepreneurship with my studies and raising my family, welcoming my first daughter in 1988 and my second daughter in 1995. Over the years, I ventured into several businesses, including establishing and running an auctioneering franchise in Pretoria for 3 years before venturing into a security company, which I then sold three years later. In 1998, I launched a successful corporate clothing business, operating my factory equipped with embroidery, printing, and branding machinery, while importing and manufacturing corporate apparel until selling the business 20 years later in 2018. In between my passion for property flourished, and I was buying and selling property as a hobby. In 2019, I completed a yoga teacher training course, and during COVID pandemic in 2020, I qualified as a property practitioner. My move to Knysna in 2021 came after being invited by a UK property owner to manage and maintain a luxury holiday rental property, which I later successfully sold for R20 million. In 2022, I achieved a major milestone by selling my first property in the Garden Route for the full asking price of R19 650 000. Since then, I have continued building a successful career in property sales across Knysna and the Garden Route. I love my life in Knysna and enjoy all outdoor sports like mountain biking, paddling, hiking, yoga, running, and playing golf.