by Josefa Massinga
I have been an entrepreneurial woman for five years. In my opinion, I think it is very important that women develop their own businesses. I am not saying it is easy because until each one of us is sure that she is capable and that she will succeed, it will continue to be challenging.
In our country it is not easy to be an entrepreneur, and as women we face several difficulties, but it is not impossible as long as there is a will. It is important for each of us to find our entrepreneurial side, and for this it is necessary to know:
What kind of business do you want to do;
What are the advantages of this business;
Identify your market niche;
Design your business;
Make an assessment and feasibility study;
How much do you want to invest and evaluate the return on your investment… ..etc.
Firstly, before proceeding with the business, you need to know what you are going to invest in, if you have a downside to the intended business, and you need to know that it is not just about selling and making money. Above all we have to like what we do, and ultimately do it with love and care.
The choice of the business is not easy because we can often start the business and not even be able to make a profit, or because we do not have an investment in it, we are not dedicated. We might have made a choice on the type of business we started based on emotion or because we saw that a friend, cousin or colleague running a similar type of business, and we imitate it. That's why I said before, it is very important that we identify well the type of business that we intend to do.
We also have to be aware that in the business we will have difficulties, falls and failures, but we have to remain firm in the midst of all this if we are sure of our business. Strength of will, belief and self-confidence are very, very important factors, even our determination in what we intend and want to do.
It is necessary to know that the return on our investment is not going to be automatic and, even in the first days, we have to invest in all means of publicizing the media, social networks, to spread the word, for our business to grow.
We must not be afraid to invest in pursuing the needs of our “niche” customers, as they are our target group, and their satisfaction will also be our satisfaction.
The way we present ourselves when we go out into the marketplace to do our business is also a very important factor, in fact this is a key tool for everything to work out. It is unprofessional for us to look badly dressed, or with our hair badly arranged. It is important to know that for the customer everything is important for them to be able to buy from us (knowing that your image sells a lot and sells first). The customer before buying makes an assessment of who is selling them the product - their appearance, facial expression and smile are all very important, because it means we can perhaps sell more.
Business at the moment is not easy for anyone, we often need to reinvent ourselves. I think it is very important that, in addition to the main business we do, we could also do something that is complementary to our main activity - this can help us to leverage much more our potential.
For example:
I started selling flowers, but there were customers asking for wedding invitations. I started making the invitations in a first phase, but now I do it personally in the store. Not stopping there and seeing the great demand and request from customers, I started to buy dishes for rental, and now I am also doing decoration services for events and rental material for ornamentation. Seeing that I could add to these activities others that could also complement my core business, I also have a team of event protocols and partnerships with DJs, cooks, MCs, and with some venues in order to make more of the great demand for services.
At the time of the pandemic, when there was not much demand for our services, I started gardening as a way of not stopping, because it is also a service associated with my core business activities. These are some of the examples that I can share with you all as a way of not stopping in your entrepreneurship endeavours, because for me as an entrepreneur I am always working in my head and reinventing myself.
For an entrepreneurial woman there is no limit, for we all have strength. You are an eagle, wake up and fly! Learn to smile in every situation and see them as opportunities to test your strength and skills.
Josefa Amélia Massinga is the founder of Florista Flor Khyathu in Maputo, Mozambique. Her business, which opened in 2015, was inspired by the memory of her young niece Khyathu Massinga, who lost her life two years earlier. This store was Josefa Massinga's first enterprise, bringing her passion for flowers to a suburban area. As the only flower shop in this area at the time, she has since built up a loyal following of customers and brand recognition. She has since opened another branch called Khyathu Assessoria where in addition to flowers, customers can also access a range of other services such as floral decorations for vehicles, churches and events for special celebrations.