For Nathanael Padayachee, success is not measured by how much money has passed through his hands, but by the number of lives he has been able to change through giving back to his community.
The businessman, who has been nominated for the Daily Dispatch Local Heroes Awards, said helping others had changed his outlook on life and given him purpose during difficult times.
“Someone once told me how many millions went through my hands,” Padayachee said.
"And then I thought to myself, that's not an accomplishment.
“I want to be known for how many people I changed, how many lives I changed, even just for that one moment, for that one day."
Padayachee said giving back had also helped him through personal and business challenges, including a period when he lost almost everything.
“I don't think I'd be here today if I never had that heart, if I never had the people behind me,” he said.
He said business remained difficult, but remembering the people who benefited from their work helped him stay focused.
“When you're working every day and you're stressing and fighting, you think, 'Why are you going to war?'
"And I remember, this is why. The number of people that we actually affect,” he said.
His passion for helping children and babies is also rooted in his family history.
He remembers watching his grandmother establish her business, City Fruits, at the plaza and hopes to pass on the same spirit of giving to his own children.
“I always take my kids with me when I give back because I want them to carry on with this legacy,” Padayachee said.
One experience that stayed with him was discovering that a 15-year-old boy had never owned a wheelchair and had to be carried around.
“I thought wheelchairs were free, that you go to a hospital and fetch one. There's such a need out there,” he said.
Padayachee said the Local Heroes nomination was unexpected, adding that the people they helped inspired him just as much as he hoped to inspire others.
