Words: Motlatsi Radebe. Article from September 2015 issue of Bona Magazine.
These days, it’s very common to find young women holding down two jobs or leaving the comfort of a stable job to venture into business. Motlatsi Radebe chats to two women who have turned their passions into profitable ventures.
Mummy Mthembu-Fawkes, 31, owner of Earthy
Briefly tell us about Earthy.
Earthy is a natural haircare and skincare range targeted at ethnic women. We aim to encourage black women to grow their hair and nurture their skins without using products made with chemicals.
How did Earthy come about?
It was a result of my frustrations with hair. When I was young, my hair wouldn’t grow beyond a certain point. Sometimes, all I could do was a tiny bob cut. I experimented with growing my hair naturally and started doing research on what natural products worked best. When I finally figured out the formula, my hair grew longer, much to mine and my family’s surprise.
At what point did you decide that you were ready to turn this passion into a business?
My family, friends and colleagues were constantly asking me to make my special formula for them and I would always do it for free. In the end, it became too labour-intensive to be producing the formula for free. That’s what sparked the idea to turn it into a fully operational business venture. I had also grown tired and black women say that their natural hair doesn’t grow long or hearing people in corporate companies say things like, “your natural hair needs to be tamed!” Part of turning Earthy into a business venture was because I wanted to educate black women about owning and faking care of their natural hair the right way.
Did you have a corporate job before establishing Earthy?
I had a cushy senior position as the head of business development at an IT company, but I resigned from it so I could invest all my time and energy into Earthy. I’d had three unsuccessful business ventures prior to Earthy, which taught me a lot about being an entrepreneur.
What are some of the challenges that you faced? How did you overcome them?
Capital is a huge challenge for entrepreneurs. Not having enough funds means you can’t do certain things. In my case, Earthy is completely self-funded. I’ve had to scale down some of my marketing ideas because there was simply no budget for it. However, using social media as a marketing tool has made it easy to spread the word. In addition to all the platforms I use to sell my products, I also have a YouTube channel where I do healthy haircare tutorials.
What practical advice would you give to someone who is looking to turn their passion into a career or business?
Before even delving into the admin of running a business, remember that your attitude is important. The world of business has no room for people who don’t want to work hard – entrepreneurship is not about comfort! You must have an outstanding work ethic and not let rejection discourage you.
How do you balance everything now that you’re working for yourself?
A typical day for me starts at 5am and ends at 1am the next morning. I’m okay with functioning on four hours of sleep. I’m still very hands on in the making of my products and managing all the content on social media platforms. I recently introduced the Earthypreneurs concept, which is basically people who distribute my products. Now that I am my own boss, I find that it is easier to schedule things better.
Instagram: Misspeaches1000
Contact number: 060 504 6801
Thandie Dowery, 31, Founder of Nomi Handmade
Describe Nomi Handmade to someone who has never heard of it before?
It is a Cape Town-based brand that specialises in African print products, particularly shweshwe. I make home decor items, jewellery and stationery.
How did the brand come about?
By accident. I had been crocheting for a while, but it started to hurt my fingers. I decided to take a break for a couple of months. During those months, I was looking for something creative to do during my spare time when I eventually stumbled upon a store that sold the shweshwe material. I bought the fabric out of pure love, not knowing what I’d do with it. So, I started experimenting and tweaking my products to give my customers what they’d truly be happy with.
When did you start seeing potential in your business?
The first time I considered turning my hobby into a business was when I was approached by a European tourist at a market where I was selling my stuff. She was interested in stocking some of my items for her store back home. At the time, I didn’t even have a business account because I’d been selling at the market just to test the waters. The reaction to my products was positive.
What practical steps did you take in making the business a reality?
In February this year, I decided to formalise my business and registered it. I also had logos designed. Surprisingly, my business grew really fast. I have interest from stores in Europe and Australia. I’ve started shipping to Switzerland as well.
How did you secure capital for your business?
Luckily, I didn’t need a lot of capital to get my business off the ground. I covered the start-up costs with my salary. Now the business is in a position to reinvest in itself.
Have you always been a fan of nurturing a hobby while also having a regular 9-to-5 job?
I’m currently employed as a senior content manager at an advertising agency in Cape Town. My theory has always been that I can’t be helping someone realise their dream without first investing in or making a success of myself. I guess this attitude makes it effortless for me to go to work and come back and still invest time in Nomi Handmade.
How do you manage to balance the two jobs?
I do things like buying material or shipping merchandise during my lunch hour at work and I make products after hours. I always give myself one day off every week to rest.
What have been some of your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?
To date, it’s been registering my business with the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC). At the time when I decided to register it, their website had just been redesigned and had too many glitches, which was frustrating. Even when I still had my crocheting business last year, I did go through this registration process, but stopped out of frustration. The other challenge I’ve come across is finding a mentor who will guide me, especially with the administrative side of business. Everything that I do is self-taught, so it would be very beneficial if I had a mentor in the fashion industry to give me advice and guide me along. It surprises me how potential mentors claim not to have time for anything.
What are some of the tips you would give to someone who plans to turn their passion into a business?
Take whatever you have learnt in your current job and apply it to your new business, and always try new things. In that way, you will always keep your customers surprised and expand your business in the process. But, perhaps my biggest motivation as an entrepreneur comes from the book The 4-Hour Work Week by Timothy Ferriss. He says that we all work hard our whole lives only to retire in our 60s, but, by then, we are too tired to pursue our passions. So, why wait to do something at the end of your life when you could have been doing it throughout? You either pursue your passion or you will always be hired to pursue other peoples’.
Instagram: @nomihandmade
Contact number: 082 441 5087
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