There are moments in academia that remind you that careers are rarely linear. A few weeks ago, I found myself in one of those moments. I had planned to contribute a book chapter to an upcoming Bloomsbury Academic edited volume. Like many academics, I underestimated just how demanding the postgraduate submission season would become.

As the Founder and Director of Ulwazi Scientific Communications and STEM Research (Pty) Ltd, our busiest periods coincide with university deadlines. Master’s and PhD candidates rely on us for proposal development, research reviews, scientific editing, and publication support. This year was no exception. Our commitment to our clients meant that my own writing took a back seat.

Eventually, I had to accept that I was going to miss the submission deadline.

Rather than disappearing or hoping no one would notice, I emailed the editors to apologise. I explained what had happened and accepted responsibility for not submitting my chapter on time. I genuinely believed that would be the end of my involvement with the book.

Then something completely unexpected happened.

A few days later, I received an invitation from the editors asking me to serve as a peer reviewer for another chapter submitted to the same edited volume.

Reputation Is Built Long Before the Opportunity Arrives

Academia often celebrates publications, grants, promotions and awards. Those achievements matter. But many of the most meaningful opportunities arrive quietly. An invitation to review a manuscript is one of them. Editors do not simply look for someone who holds a doctorate. They look for someone whose judgement they trust, whose expertise aligns with the topic, and whose feedback they believe will improve the quality of the final publication.

The invitation reminded me that while deadlines matter, professional reputation is built over years through consistent, high-quality work, integrity, and meaningful contributions to the academic community.

How Entrepreneurship Changed My Academic Journey

The experience also made me reflect on something much bigger. For many academics, career progression follows a relatively structured pathway within universities. Opportunities to review manuscripts, collaborate on major projects, or contribute to strategic academic initiatives often increase with seniority and institutional responsibilities.

My journey has been different.

Building Ulwazi Scientific Communications and STEM Research has fundamentally reshaped my career. What began as a research support company has become a platform for engaging with universities, researchers, postgraduate students, policymakers and academic publishers across different sectors. Over the past year alone, I have been invited to collaborate on national and international academic initiatives, appointed as an Advisory Board Member and Collaborator for the DSTI/NRF–Sasol Research Chair in Development Studies, and now entrusted with reviewing scholarly work for an international academic publisher.

These opportunities did not arise because I followed a conventional academic trajectory. They emerged because I have always been different, I am not the conventional researcher and entrepreneurship created new spaces for impact.

Peer Review: One of Academia’s Quiet Foundations

Peer review rarely receives public recognition. It is usually anonymous. It is often time-consuming and it is almost always done in service of improving someone else’s work. Yet it remains one of the most important pillars of scholarly publishing.

As reviewers, we have a responsibility not simply to identify weaknesses but to help authors produce stronger, clearer and more rigorous scholarship. The goal is not criticism for its own sake. The goal is better science, better research and better knowledge. Having recently completed my review, I was reminded just how much careful thought goes into ensuring that published scholarship meets the standards expected by the academic community.

A Reminder to Keep Showing Up

Missing the deadline was disappointing. Being invited to review reminded me that one missed deadline does not define an academic career. What matters far more is the reputation you build over time, the quality of your work, the relationships you cultivate, and the integrity with which you conduct yourself.

For me, this experience was also a reminder that entrepreneurship and academia are not competing paths. When done intentionally, they can complement one another in powerful ways. Ulwazi has become far more than a business. It has become a vehicle for advancing research, supporting scholars, building partnerships, and creating opportunities I could never have predicted when I first registered the company. Sometimes, the opportunity you think you’ve lost is simply making room for a different one, and sometimes, that opportunity arrives in the form of an email asking:

“Would you be willing to review this manuscript?”

Cheers

Dr Kolisa Yola Sinyanya