6 minute read
ENTREPRENEURS
BLOOMING BUSINESSES
How do you grow a small business in tough times? Five entrepreneurs share their stories with DELIA DU TOIT
When it comes to business, the news has been full of doom and gloom in recent years. An economic slump pre-dated the pandemic, which desiccated the South African business landscape. Yet a few standout start-ups have managed to rise above and build resilient enterprises in tough times. It just goes to show that a smart idea and an agile mindset can overcome even the most diffi cult circumstances.
A smocked dress from Twinkle Berry.
TWINKLE BERRY
Though she’s been creating smocked children’s clothing since 1992, Soraya Samaai’s business has gained several fans and followers in the past year. Her bespoke outfi ts are so well-loved that they’ve become family heirlooms.
“Some of the children who wore my smocked outfi ts years ago have since become mommies themselves, and I am now making clothing for their children. I only use very high-quality cotton – I even have the very fi rst dress I made, for my daughter’s fi rst birthday, and it’s still in perfect condition. Most of my dresses are custom-made for children to celebrate important milestones like christenings, birthdays or weddings. These garments hold memories for the children as they grow.”
Soraya Samaai
Samaai also makes off-the-rack garments for sale at Stitch ‘n Stuff in Claremont, Cape Town, and has started sharing her love for the craft with others. “I teach small groups of people how to smock and have lectured about smocking at fashion and design schools. It’s important to educate the next generation about the craft to ensure it stays alive.”
She’s also learned that nothing beats customer relationships in building a resilient business. “Understanding customers’ needs and wants is vital. You must build a relationship with your clients so that they always come back.”
Instagram: @Twinkle_Berry_SA
LILLY LOOMPA
Though Lilly Loompa started as a jewellery business, Lizl Naude’s successful venture is now known far and wide for its quirky, upcycled decor items. And it all started after a misfortune.
“I was working as a corporate PA and events co-ordinator when I fell down some stairs and nearly broke my back in 2004. I started making jewellery while in bed for eight weeks, and it gave me so much pleasure that I decided to quit my job to pursue the business,” she remembers.
After later completing an interior decorating course, she switched to making upcycled decor items from waste and offi cially launched Lilly Loompa Upcycled Homeware in September 2016. She’s since employed an assistant and outsources some production to a local, environmentally conscious manufacturing studio that uses timber from demolition yards or building sites under renovation.
One of her most popular products yet is the My Africa Lap Desk, which she started making during lockdown when more people worked from home. “I was inundated with people requesting the product. It’s portable, foldable and a great solution for students and people working from home or in small spaces.”
In March this year, she took home the South African Women Entrepreneurs Climate Change Lizl Naude Award (SAWECCA) honouring “the most innovative climate-smart women-owned enterprises in South Africa”.
www.lillyloompa.com
Lilly Loompa’s My Africa Lap Desk.
Mishaan Ratan of Rentoza
RENTOZA
Rentoza has turned the idea of ownership on its head, allowing users to “rent” electronics and appliances through a monthly subscription. The business has been running for three years, with consistent growth, says Mishaan Ratan, CMO.
“We have seen between 25 and 30 per cent month-on-month growth, and our staff contingent has grown from four to twenty-four employees. We are humbled and inspired by it.”
When many families’ purse strings were cut during lockdown, Rentoza became a perfect alternative. “It’s all about timing really, and our time is now,” he adds.
Like many successful business ideas, Rentoza was an attempt to solve a real issue
OCO LIFE
As a little girl, Annabel BiggarDavid’s grandmother would mix home remedies for any sickness. “It always worked and my love for alternative medicine started there. I started making remedies for friends and family as an adult and later decided to turn it into a business, after researching the global market.”
To launch the business in 2017, Biggar-David sold almost everything she had and tapped out her access bond. “When money ran out, I would barter furniture for services. For two years, I lived in a tiny room and converted the rest of the house into a laboratory and factory.”
The risk paid off. Today, Oco Life is a multiple-award-winning brand and its range of organic essential oil blends, ultrasonic aroma diffusers, air purifiers, and traditional medicine is sold through several retailers and its online platform. “We are now
that friends Ratan, Aviraag Ramdhani and Avinesh Reddy faced in their daily lives. “We were trying to think of a better way to access the latest products we needed, when we needed them, without the large cash outlay,” says Ratan.
From there, they tried different models until they found a way that worked, he says. “We tested these models and failed in some respects, but focused and expanded on our successes. We wanted to change the way people see ownership – moving from ownership to access. We are giving South Africans a completely new way to access products at affordable rates and on flexible terms.”
www.rentoza.co.za
