Change often begins with a feeling, a quiet nudge that something isn’t quite aligned, paired with the courage to reimagine what could be. That is exactly what led to the transformation of Vegan Jobs Africa into Nett Kind. What started as a niche recruitment platform has now grown into a global movement designed to support businesses and individuals who are driven by purpose and committed to creating meaningful impact. To dive deeper into this exciting new chapter, we sat down with our founder, Hayley, to ask her some questions about what inspired the rebrand, what Nett Kind stands for, and what she envisions for the future.
1.What inspired the decision to rebrand from Vegan Jobs Africa to Nett Kind?
I had never been fully invested in the vision of Vegan Jobs Africa; having said that, I was also feeling resistance to closing it or making a big change, such as the one I have since made to rebrand & re-align. After some reflection on why this was, I realised I was holding on to the fact that VJA was/is the first & only company in Africa specialising in vegan recruitment. Ultimately, I realised that while that was important to me, the change to Nett Kind doesn’t change that fact & my desire to not only go global (which I felt was hard with VJA) & my own values around veganism being about doing the best you can do, led me to a whole new vision, & Nett Kind was born!
2. What does the name “Nett Kind” mean, and how did you choose it?
I had this idea that I wanted to change our mission to help businesses & individuals who are just doing good in the world, who are making a positive impact & the term net positive came to mind. Net positive means giving more to the environment & society than you take. I played around with many words & also considered letting the new version of VJA fall under the Wild Dreams Movement. Wild Dreams is my other business, which consists of Wild Dreams Hospitality, Wild Dreams Coaching, Wild Dreams Training, but also Wild Dreams Vegan, which relates to my Vegan Consulting work. I tried many versions of Wild Dreams ”something” to relate to my vision & I couldn’t find anything that encompassed what we do, while still falling under Wild Dreams, so I then started looking at other options! I went back to the Net Positive idea & words, another compassion came up & Nett Kind just worked. I love the name so much because it totally explains who we help. We then added ”Work with Purpose, Grow with Impact” as our signature tagline.
3. How has the mission or vision of the platform evolved with the rebrand?
The two main differences are that we don’t have a solely Africa focus, we are now global & I am very excited to navigate that! The other being that a business doesn’t need to be Vegan for us to help them (or an individual) many will be, but it’s just about helping any entity, whether that is an organisation or a person, have a positive impact on the world.
4. What kind of impact do you hope Nett Kind will have across the continent and beyond?
My hope is that Nett Kind will support entrepreneurs who are leading with impact, with the impact they make being the main reason they are business owners. I want to show people that you can have a career that you love, that you don’t have to compromise & that even if you are an employee, you can feel purposeful in your career. In general, I want businesses globally to look at their values, mission & operations to make sure they are making the best possible decisions for the good of the planet, animals & humans.
5. Will Nett Kind still focus on vegan and ethical opportunities, or is the scope broader now?
The scope is much broader & I hope to educate along the way, which is where our consulting comes in. For example, an organisation may be doing great things, but could be supporting & guiding them to do even better. Or it may be that they are struggling to convey their mission to their team, so we help with that through our signature consulting & workshop on team alignment.
6. What has been the most exciting part of this rebranding journey for you personally?
The excitement of the business being 100% aligned with my values. My existing business, Wild Dreams is too for example we have never helped hunting properties, or any unethical animal interaction businesses & we most definitely have a blacklist of clients who we are aware are not the best employers to ensure the people we place are in happy workplaces BUT… with Nett we have an auditing process before we even work with any company which means there will be no grey areas as to if we are working with businesses that are ethical & making a positive impact.
7. What are your hopes for the next year for Nett Kind?
I do believe in planning, but I am also very much an ”in the moment” entrepreneur, so my main hopes are just that the right opportunities come are way, because I know that when they do, I won’t hesitate to move forward at full speed. It will be interesting to be interviewed again this time next year to measure our impact!
At its heart, Nett Kind is about more than recruitment or consulting; it’s about shaping a future where values and impact go hand in hand. Whether it’s guiding organisations to make better choices for people, animals, and the planet, or helping individuals discover purposeful careers, Nett Kind stands as a reminder that we all have the power to contribute to positive change. Hayley’s journey shows how alignment and vision can transform not only a business but the impact it creates in the world. The road ahead is filled with possibilities, and this rebrand marks only the beginning of the ripple effect Nett Kind hopes to create across Africa and beyond.