April 2022 Edition

3 . M o h l o m i F o o t w e a r o w n e r s p e a k s a b o u t h i s j o u r n e y . 6 . N o b l e H o n e y C o m p a n y , a n i n t e r n a t i o n a l h o n e y m a n u f a c t u r i n g c o m p a n y b a s e d i n t h e U S . 9 . G o r g e o u s l y Y o u , a w o m e n e m p o w e r i n g b r a n d . 1 2 . C u r l E n v y P E , a n e w s t o r e o w n e d b y S i s t e r 2 S i s t e r n a t u r a l h a i r s a l o n o w n e r . 1 5 . S l i p p e r D a y , a n a n n u a l f u n d r a i s i n g i n i t i a t i v e b y T h e R e a c h F o r A D r e a m . 1 8 . S e e w h a t M o l o M h a m b i P R o f f e r s a n d p a r t i c i p a t e o n t h e i r S U R V E Y t o a s s i s t t h e m d e l i v e r t h e b e s t t o u r i s m p a c k a g e s i n t h e c o u n t r y . 2 1 . M i s s D e a f S A , m u s i c a n d m o r e . . .

Konvenient is the new normal

Meet Mosiuoa Zachariah Palime, the Founder and CEO of Mohlomi™ Footwear. He was born in Ha-Rantuba, along the Mohokare (Caledon) river but currently resides in Pretoria. After losing both his parents he then became the head of the family since he was the eldest of the six siblings. Growing up for him was very challenging as his father was a miner who did not fulfil the headship role in the family to support financially, emotionally and spiritually. His mother did her best to support them financially, selling livestock offal, working at the farms and shoe factories, to make sure they attend school and matriculate. Moreover, she instilled Godly principles and supported them emotionally so they can have better coping mechanisms in life. Mosiuoa excelled academically and was awarded a scholarship after matric to pursue his studies in veterinary science up to postgraduate level. He used his scholarship stipend to take care of his siblings.

Please share when did you commence with MOHLOMI FOOTWEAR and what inspired you to go for it? “The inspiration came from Wiseman Chief Mohlomi, who survived between (1720 – 1816), and my mother who worked at a shoe factory for five years. I and my siblings would help my mother to sew pieces of shoes together that she brought home from work. The more shoes she sew the more money my mother was paid”.

What challenges you faced when you were trying to get your sneaker business off the ground and how did you tackle those? “After approaching a number of shoe factories locally and internationally for the production of Mohlomi™, the major challenge was the amount of money required to produce the sneakers. Moreover, there were no interested investors or government departments or even banks to fund Mohlomi™. I had to revisit my business plan so that I can fund Mohlomi™ from my own pocket. What really helped me to get Mohlomi™ off the ground was my passion and the desire I had to break generational curse, so I can leave the legacy”.

What makes your sneakers stand out? “Mohlomi™ reminds us that it is fine for our wisdom and insights to be entirely original and African. Our sneakers are not only comfortable but also good quality and fit any outfit”. Your highlights thus far? “Getting positive and negative constructive feedback from customers and social media police have been very instrumental to be where we are today”.

Lastly, where do you see MOHLOMI FOOTWEAR in 5 years-time? “In the next five years the brand will be at most malls, shopping centres in Africa and beyond African borders. We want to create more than 10,000 jobs as we own the product chain and distribution channels”.

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100% artisanal honey

Born, raised and still resides in the United States, Atlanta, Ga - Armond Wilbourn is the founder of Noble Honey Company, an enterprise that produces varieties of honey products. This young entrepreneur grew up on the Westside of Atlanta with his mother and younger siblings.

When did you commence with Noble Honey Co and what made you choose to go for this product? Also, what makes your honey different from other honey brands? “I began beekeeping in the year of 2014. While farming watermelon and raising 50 hens, I purchased two colonies to help with the pollination of my crops, and the rest is history. I instantly fell in love with honeybees and decided that’s all I wanted to do moving forward".

"Currently, we produce different varieties of honey such as Wildflower, Sourwood, and Orange Blossom. To give a brief description, Wildflower Honey is the nectar of many different flowers, Sourwood Honey is the nectar of the Sourwood tree found in the Southern United States, and Orange Blossom Honey is the nectar of citrus trees typically found in Florida. Most honey in the United States is adulterated in some way, but our honey is pure and raw. Meaning, that we don’t filter our honey, its only lightly strained to remove any large particles while still maintaining the integrity of our honey”.

In starting, what were your challenges and how did you overcome them? “Our challenges over the years have been the same challenges that many beekeepers/farmers face, which is the access to land and the access to capital. We’ve had to fund our business ourselves through the means of savings and family investments. Currently, we lease two acres of land in Palmetto,Ga, but we hope to soon overcome the lack of access to land and purchase a farm of our own ”

What other products do you offer under the Noble Honey Co umbrella? “Currently we offer many different products derived from honey and beeswax. Products such as Beeswax Lip Balm, Beeswax Candles, Ginger Lemonades made with Honey, and also a Hot Pepper infused Honey”.

Lastly, since you have commenced, please share the highlights of your business? “The highlight of our business would simply have to be to simply still be in business throughout this pandemic. We’ve witnessed so many different businesses close their doors during this pandemic, so we ’ re honored to still be thriving in spite of the hurdles this pandemic has created”.

Shipping internationally

House of Gorgeous Pty Ltd, was founded by Nomangesi Gigi, a Community Activist and a SHE specialist by profession. Nomangesi was born in Cape Town, relocated to Bloemfontein in the Free State in 2016 to pursue her career in Manufacturing Industry as a Safety Officer. “I was raised in a business household, my father was a business man and I started working for him from my primary days and I’ll earn my weekly pay every Sunday. My mother was a domestic worker during the week and she was selling hardbody chickens over the weekend. When did you commence with HOUSE OF GORGEOUS and what inspired you to go for it? “I started House of Gorgeous in 2019 with company registration and trade mark registration. The operations began in August 2020 by launching,

it on social media and selling at the neighbouring flea markets every weekend and direct sales to friends, family members and referrals. We expanded our product variety later in the same year by adding giftware and 2021 we added headwear rage (Caps and Barrett) and we will be expanding to clothing, and homeware soon. To start, I was inspired by women empowerment, motivation and support awareness talks as most women are dealing with self-esteem issues, resulting to self-doubt and seeking validations from other people, thinking that beauty means glamourous. I then decided to create a female lifestyle brand to inspire women and create feminism awareness in our community to uplift the women ’ s confidence”.

Gorgeously you!

Challenges you faced when you were trying to get HOG off the ground and how did you tackle those challenges? “Being a founder and funder of your business put a huge financial strain and can affect your life in general, also being the employer and employee requires more time invested and can cause time loss for family and social life. Some of the challenges was to get the product and printing supplier local, resulting us to source out of the province and paying more money on inventory but still maintain the good mock-up to sustain the business. But Perseverance and consistency led to determination and achieving goals”.

What makes your brand stand out? And what are your business highlights thus far? "First, it complements women so when they buy the merchandise they feel Gorgeous and beautiful as they are constantly reminded every time they are using their merchandise. Secondly, our merchandise caters for both genders, and all ages. Also, the brand can be printed in three different kinds, full logo, single word and single alphabet to cater for all feminists and create more awareness on feminism. Highlights are, In 2022 we joined the Department of Small Business Development network through SEDA Bloemfontein branch and already had our first exhibition during the minister road show for sales and marketing".

When not busy pushing HOG, what do you do to unwind? “When I get time, I try to in-cooperate rest inbetween by taking power naps, spend time with my son and socialize with my friends every now and then. Other than that, I am full time working”.

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iKonvenient lewey...

Growth is one of the encouraging parts to any entrepreneurs journey. Though it takes a lot to reach that point but celebrating those who makes it to that point should be what we do whenever the so called small businesses are taking bold step of opening one more store under their sleeves. We hear from Mrs Nkalitshana and how she managed to take her business to the next level.

HER SECOND STORE.

”It was not an easy move but a dream I always had to make sure my clients can easily access my premises without thinking twice about the location. This time I tried to open a new shop that is closer to many, though this shop will be a bit different from the main store in Newton Park but still all services in Newton park will made available this side too, including the hair equipment and products I am now selling in the new store". she said.

What inspired you to take that bold step and are you coping? "The dream first, and the need to meet clients half way. I had to think about not only a client that is working and can afford transport to anywhere, in my mind to grow the client base I had to find the busiest and central side of town where even a tertiary student can walk in without any hussle. Also, when we start we want to go big, I always wanted a bigger space to add more services, hence Curl Envy PE.

What is Curl Envy PE about? "Curl Envy PE is a hair treatment center where clients and non-clients can treat their hair and find DIY hair equipment. Clients can also find hair and skin products that are organic and suitable for their needs at affordable prices. We have also made sure we do not sell our products only but other African brands too. The aim is to make sure we support our fellow entrepreneurs while creating a one-stop shop for client's hair needs".

How are you handling two hair salon stores? " I have made sure to bring in a team and equipped them in running the day to day operations before I started with the second store. Now I am busy building the team in the new store to know the products, know the needs of clients and be able to run without me so I can go find new clients, but yes it is not easy but I have a strong support system so yes I am coping".

Where do you see your business in 5 years time? " I want to be the biggest hair supplier in the city and be a good competition to all the already available suppliers. I can see that dream coming through because i understand what our people need in terms of hair treatment and products and I am here to close that gap and recreate pride in the use of natural hair and organic products".

Lastly, how can people access your services? " We are open everyday at 52 Westborne Road, Richmond HillWalkins are accomodated too. We also deliver nationwide.

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The Reach For A Dream Foundation, an organization that seeks to inspire hope to children fighting life-threatening illnesses through the fulfilment of their dreams is inviting the community to participate on their biggest annual day.

To make even more kids dreams come true they have partnered with a few retail stores and the community can participate by buying R20 stickers as a fundraiser to the Slipper day initiative.

Their primary mission is to fulfil the dreams of children between the ages of 3 and 18 who have been diagnosed as having a life-threatening illness by a medical practitioner.

We do not discriminate based on race, culture, financial status or any other factor. Each child living with a life-threatening illness is given a chance to dream. Reach For A Dream believes that no child should live without hope. Childhood can be the most magical phase of the human existence, filled with dreams, aspirations and most of all…fun!

For children who have been diagnosed as having a life-threatening illness, the magic of childhood may be lost in the emotional, physical and financial strain of dealing with their illness. Reach For A Dream tries to alleviate some of these strain (which often affects the whole family), by creating a different environment for the child – one that is not focused on her/his illness

"We are supper exited to launch our annual #slipperday2022 on the 6 May 2022. Let’s Stand Together & Support Slipper Day!! Our biggest annual fundraiser is set to inspire and make even more dreams come true, together with our retail partners: Wimpy, Baby City, Dischem Pharmacies, Toyzone and Pick n Pay". Our new funky range of slippers is now available to purchase from our store. Visit site and rowse through the new range and gear up for the big event. The Slipper Day supporter stickers are now available to pre-order and will be available on sale in-store from the 4th April 2022. With every purchase of your supporter sticker you will receive a FREE Famous Wimpy Coffee on Slipper Day when you redeem your sticker at any of our retail partners. We are encouraging everyone to join in on #SlipperDay2022 and gear up for the big event happening on the 6 May 2022.

Having a Public Relations and Marketing team is not an investment for big corporations to bank on alone, but is a crucial step for the Growth Strategy of small and local businesses as well.

Here at Molo Mhambi Relations, our services are designed to help you understand the needs of your clients as we grow your business network and create partnerships that increase your bookings and add to the value of your guest’s experiences.

From creating website content for Proactive Hospitality Solutions (Client) to planning a social media strategy for Imibono Woodenworks (Client), creating a website for Sutol Engineering (Client), and doing voiceovers for radio or corporate videos, our wide range of skills allows for us to take a holistic approach to your Marketing and Public Relation needs

SERVICES

Writing for websites, and creating a template based website. Social media strategy, content planning, and management. Voice over for radio adverts, corporate videos, promotions, narrations, training videos, product demos, etc. Creating sales brochures and marketing presentations. Creating and editing business profiles Strategy to make your marketing meet your business plan goals

"Our diamond process increases your market share as we help you to speak to your customers well. Molo Mhambi Relations helps you to... • Dig out what makes your business special • Polish the selling points that add value to your clients • Display your business following a strategy to distribute your message to increase your sales "

MissDeafSouthAfrica 2022FinalistMichaelaGregory

Meet the vibrant and stunning Michaela Gregory, an East London born who was sent to boarding school in Cape Town at the age of 3, where she spent most of her life living with friends whom she feels were and still are like her own family. When she is well established in the modeling space Michaela wishes to be a brand ambassador but not sure for which brand yet. “I started to enter the contest in March 2018 because I wanted to inspire others to work with the deaf community, and though there could be boundaries in communication but one can learn to communicate in sign language because deaf people are always willing to teach the willing to learn. And I also entered the contest to create more awareness about the deaf community.”

I entered the contest to create more awareness about the deaf community

How has it been since you started to enter Miss SA Deaf? “It has been a challenging and interesting journey, simultaneously. At some point I I left college but now I am studying again. I then happen to lose my gran in 2018, and that destroyed me so deeply that it took time for me to regain my strength. I gained so much weight during Covid as I spent lots of time less active than before, I found myself being a size 42 but now I lost 20kg and feel happy".

"Currently I have entered Miss Deaf SA 2022 for the third time, hoping to win the title this time around. The main focus for me now is to keep the right weight, as I continue doing my expected charity work from the competition. I’m now doing the project of Kays Haven of Hope, Soup Kitchen visits and Girls sanitary drive in different schools".

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Love And Sorrow

Dineo N Kodisang is an 18-year-old award winning author and blogger from the heart of Johannesburg, Gauteng. She was born in Soweto, but currently she resides in a small township far South of Johannesburg.

Dineo has always been described as a bubbly child that loved being at the centre of attention. She did not have the best childhood but that is what groomed her into the young woman that she is now. How did you become a writer? “I started my writing journey in my small journal and before I knew it I had a full body of work with the title 'Love And Sorrow'. I wrote this book with the aim to inspire, educate and most of all heal parts of people that they are afraid to speak about. Also, I decided to write this book to educate women and men of all ages about the dangers of falling in love and how it can drive one insane”.

Dineo definitely has a wild imagination for writing such an intense piece of work at the tender age of 13. Her inspiration to start writing came from her surroundings, as she wrote “Love And Sorrow” after she learnt deeply about teenage pregnancy and decided to put herself in a pregnant teenager's position. She wondered what she would've done and what toll such an event could take on a girl's mental health.

As soon as Dineo was satisfied with “Love And Sorrow” she desperately wanted to see it published, but had no idea how hard it would be. She knocked on so many doors and each time a door would be shut in her face however, she persevered with the belief that her dreams were valid and nothing would stand in her way when the time was right, then.

Please share a brief review about the book: “Love And Sorrow is a book that gives us a look onto Dineo Lydia Kodisang's life before and after she became a single teenage parent. It also gives us a look into her mental health before and after child birth. It truly shows us how life can simply change in front of one ' s eyes, and there's nothing they can do or anyone else can do to stop that change from happening. The most important aspect of the book for me has to be when I have decided to love my son Sipho regardless of his nature. I believe this shows the reader that acceptance is key no matter what your surroundings or the people in your life say. Love people for who and what they are ” .

Lastly, what do you do when you’re not writing? “When I'm not writing what keeps me sane is music, listening to music is similar to writing because it transports you to places you never knew existed in your imagination”.

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Buffet

The Queenstown born rapper by the of Alter Kay, real name Kwazi Titi has recently released visuals of his thoughtful and brilliant single named “Buffet” aka food for thought. Alter Kay is a singer/rapper/producer who comes from a home where music was loved as his mother was a choral choir conductor. Kwazi started rapping when he was 14 years old and recorded his first track when he was 15 years old, under the pseudonym King Kay. After few months, he changed his stage name to Alter Kay. His parents didn’t really know that he was a rapper, until they saw his performance videos on social media, and they didn’t approve with his music career as it affected his studies negatively. Thus far in his music journey, one of his highlights was when he was followed by Street Runner (an American Grammy award winning producer) on Twitter, and that gave him confidence in his sound and made him believe more in himself. At the age of 16, he won a rap battle that took place at a Hip hop event that was taking place next to his school.

Yesterday's price is not today's price.

He was known as one of the best rappers and performers in his hometown. His lyricism was praised by everyone who listened to his music or his freestyles on radio stations. He describes his music as “the mix of the old and new school Hip Hop, with other genres, such as Bounce and R&B music”. He also refers to his music as his diary. Alter Kay lists Kanye West, Eminem, Drake, Chris Brown, Kendrick Lamar, Nas, Jay-Z and J. Cole as his top influences.

October 2020, Alter Kay released a mixtape titled “A Teen“, which got over 10 000 streams within six days of its release, getting over 15 000 streams within a month and later got over 20 000 streams. “A Teen” consists of different sounds, such as Rap, Trap, RnB and Bounce music. On “A Teen“, Alter Kay reflects on his life as a teenager, including his love life, friendshipsand his past experiences. He also raps about what’s happening around the world, like the police brutality and GBV (Gender Based Violence). “A Teen” isby far his most popular project, being played and reviewed in other countries like United States of America, Nigeria and United Kingdom. Now Alter Kay has made his BUFFET visuals available on YouTube, a song worth listening and checking out.

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6 Things to do BEFORE you start Investing.

Before you start investing, there are a few things you need to get in order to ensure that your investing journey goes smoothly and that your assets are protected. One thing that can get in the way of your investments is debt – when not used to correctly it can erode the value of your money and sometimes even force you to prematurely exit your investments. For this reason, debt is number 1 on this list.

1. Getting rid of debt

There are several well-known methods to effectively manage debt. For example, the snow-ball method and the avalanche method. The avalanche method involves paying off your debts in order of the highest interest to the lowest, while the snowball method includes paying them off in order of the size of the debt itself, from the smallest debt to the largest one. Pick the method that works best for you and apply it. There’s also little things you can do to speed up the process, such as paying off more than your minimum required payments, and using any extra money or “windfall” for the debt.

2. Build an emergency fund

The justifications for having an emergency fund are many, prime among those are that unexpected expenses can arise any time, and having an emergency fund can help cover those without hurting your wallet (or getting into more debt).

For investments though, part of the reasoning is that when those emergencies do arise, you won’t have to sell your investments in order to cover your emergencies. Although it might take a while to build up, the recommended amount to have in your emergency fund is 6 month’s worth of expenses, but more is better of course.

3. Increase your income

There is no one-size fits all method to increase your income, it all depends on your situation. Assess your situation and look for gaps in which you can increase your income. Some things one can try if their situation allows are:

· Negotiate for a raise at work

· Apply for a higher paying job

· Start a side-hustle or business

· Try online jobs such as transcription and app testing in your spare time

·Teach people what you know for a fee (in person or online).

4. Understand your spending

Check back on your bank statements from the previous couple of months and look at where your money is going and how it is being spent. If you have a budget, compare it with the bank statements to see if you actually stuck to it, and if not, why not? What can you change or do better next time? From there, decide how much you can afford to save, how much to invest, how much you want to spend on daily living and other expenses. Lastly, as a safety measure to ensure that you ’ re consistently investing - when your money comes in, set aside your saving and investing money

FIRST, then spend the rest your expenses.

5. Map out your investment strategy

There are more than thousands of different kinds of investments, and having a clear strategy can help narrow down that number while trying to maximize profits...

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Hosted at the idyllic Grey High school field next to the famous Bell tower, the Night Of The Classics seems to be the weekend to look forward to if you in and around the Nelson Mandela Bay.

Loyiso Bala who will be part of the exciting line-up mentioned, “I am looking forward to the night and thank you for the opportunity, I feel blessed to be part of this collaborative event. Also, the event will be a sort of reunion even for us as artists as I have performed with most of the lined-up artists until Covid denied us those amazing moments”. The event will take over on the weekend of the 23rd of April 2022 with Gala evening with corporate hospitality Family picnic in the park and Family picnic in the park on the 24th of April Sunday afternoon, this event promises to showcase South Africa’s finest entertainment!

The event line-up will feature: Richard Cock (Conductor); Loyiso Bala (Performer), Zolani Mahola (Performer), Craig Hinds – Watershed (Musician), Eastern Cape Philharmonic Orchestra (Orchestra with Etiene Mecleon), Marcus Wyatt On Trumpet (Musician). 2000 tickets are made available for this exciting event.

The Gala evening with corporate hospitality on 23 April 2022, will cost R499 per person, which can only be booked in block bookings of 10 seats.

The Family picnic in the park tickets which will be on the Sunday afternoon the 24th April 2022 will cost R180 per person.

For more about the event CLICK HERE:

Enterprises (PTY) LTD & Hollywood Foundation Event