Startup Story
Nelly Paulser is an Events Branding Designer and the co-founder of a graphic design, printing, branding and events business in Zimbabwe called Graphic House Zim. She is an Alumni of the Academy of Women Entrepreneurs, a Geneza School of Design Scholar, a recipient of a Tony Elumelu Foundation grant, one of the 503 African Women Entrepreneur Finalists selected by Women In Africa for training and mentorship, and now a UPG Biashara Candidate - Class of 2023. She is also a winner of the 100 Voices For Our Planet Award and was nominated for Women Changing the World Awards presented by Dr Tererai Trent. She is also an ImpactHer Ambassador for Zimbabwe. Above all this she is a wife and a mother to three beautiful children.
LoA spoke to the passion driven creative entrepreneur, Nelly Paulser, to learn more about her business and her ambitions for the future.
What does your company do?
Graphic House Zim is a graphic design, printing and branding business that has harnessed the art of creativity and found a way forward to increase a brand or community building message in the market place through various forms of branding. In short, our main target markets are new entry businesses. If you are new, we are here to brand your business so you are visible in the market place. We have also recently ventured into full events branding. We customize and brand your event so that your personality is reflected in your event. We also offer this same service to corporates as well.
“If you are new, we are here to brand your business so you are visible in the market place.”
“One thing that startups need to understand is luck or the big break they need happens when opportunity meets the prepared. So they should ensure everything is in place right from the beginning.”
What inspired you to start your company?
It all started when we noticed that early startups never worry about branding at the initial business stage. They wait until a big company requests for business from them then they just rush to get maybe one page invoice designed without putting thought into it, just to service that particular order. For us, this was a problem because it meant the startups do not see their businesses beyond the "now". This inspired us to step in with a business that would educate them then assist them to start branding their businesses properly and look beyond the now and plan for where they see themselves going. One thing that startups need to understand is luck or the big break they need happens when opportunity meets the prepared. So they should ensure everything is in place right from the beginning.
Why should anyone use your service or product?
What makes our business special is firstly, our service is personal, of great quality and high standards. One can also find everything branding that they could possibly need in one house - OUR GRAPHIC HOUSE. Secondly, the best part about our services is that you don't have to be in our offices physically in order to book for our services. We have leveraged on technology and are able to render you our services from the comfort of your home. This also allows convenience for all our clients within Zimbabwe and outside Zimbabwe.
Tell us a little about your team
My team is a very young, strong and vibrant group comprising of individuals who not only look forward to every challenging opportunity that we get, but also love to see the Graphic House brand grow. They have a tag line they love to use, "We Come Highly Recommended." They also call themselves, "Team No Sleep,” because they insist that we don't sleep as a team until we get the job done. I absolutely love my team!
“The biggest lesson I've learnt is that failure is part of the process and makes you even better if you take the experience positively.”
Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And do you come from an entrepreneurial background?
I was named after my late Aunt (my Dad's sister) - Nellia Chiwaura. She was an entrepreneur who started a beauty parlour called Bijou Beauty Salon just above the Meikles Hotel in our capital city Harare. The beauty parlour is still running today and whenever I would spend time with my Aunt I would closely observe her and I learnt my very first business lessons from her like accountability, hospitality and customer care, as well as hard work. She was a very hard worker and her hard work always paid off.
My journey so far has really been lots of hard work, long hours and sacrifices. It's also been making mistakes and failing, feeling discouraged, forcing myself to keep going and ignoring the whispers of those waiting for me to fail. There has also been a lot of learning from experience, trainings as well as learning from other entrepreneurs. The biggest lesson I've learnt is that failure is part of the process and makes you even better if you take the experience positively.
What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?
My future plans are to make an impact on local community schools by the use of design, printing and branding tools at my disposal in a bid to build a safer and more peaceful learning environment for all Zimbabwean children in line with sustainable development goals.
What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?
Being able to use skills we have to create a recognized brand or help spread a community message that can change a life or an entire communities' perception about something for the betterment of the world gives me the satisfaction of being an entrepreneur. Nothing gives more satisfaction than impact.
What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?
The advice I can give is no matter if no one believes in you, if you feel it in your spirit that you were born to be an entrepreneur, then push your business until it is birthed. Women have a strange God-given ability to birth things. Keep believing that you can do it and you will succeed. Look for other entrepreneurs to collaborate with, to network with, and never forget to keep it original. Let your business carry your unique signature because it's the uniqueness that everyone will so willingly pay for.
Contact or follow Graphic House Zim
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | EMAIL graphichousezim@gmail.com
Why LoA loves it…
We love sharing the stories of businesses that focus on assisting other entrepreneurs to grow and thrive and Nelly Paulser is one such entrepreneur. She saw a gap in the market to fill a need and help small businesses to position themselves positively to their clients by strengthening their brands and getting their product messages across through great design. As a passion driven entrepreneur, Nelly understands what her clients need and her business is poised to help so many other successful businesses of the future to grow too. — Melanie Hawken, founder & ceo, Lionesses of Africa