Startup Story / First published March 19, 2017 / Updated September 7, 2020
Marlese Wallis is the creator and vision carrier of MIES body products. She studied Drama at Pretoria Technicon in South Africa and pursued an awesome career as a performer in the first Afrikaans girl band called Shine 4. It was during this time that Marlese made the very first product and only after moving down to Cape Town from Johannesburg, did she pursue it as a career. Eleven years later and MIES is still growing and building business muscles! Marlese loves all things natural especially body care, loves people, giving them work, and loves the hustle of being an entrepreneur.
LoA chatted to founder Marlese Wallis this month to find out more about this growing brand.
What does your company do?
We manufacture natural bath and body products made from only kitchen and garden ingredients for example; brown sugar, olive oil, essential oils, beeswax, flowers etc. We supply to different niche shops/salons/spa's/gift & online shops and also have an online shop where people can buy directly from us.
"Being an entrepreneur in South Africa is pretty special... there is a camaraderie and support amongst us, men and women and a respect that I wish everyone could experience."
What inspired you to start your company?
In 2004 I was in my 20's and loved pampering my body with lovely products. I could however not find a body scrub that did the job properly. Some had no exfoliation, some had plastic balls in, some were gel-like that left your skin dry and all in all underwhelming. My thoughts were if I can eat the ingredient then it should be ok from my skin on the outside, right? I asked a somatologist friend for some advice around mixing essential oils and base oils, sugar or salt etc. Her advice was to sit on the floor of a pharmacy and go through all the essential oils on a chart (because at this stage we did not Google yet!). I made the first body scrub on Kyknet's breakfast show "Ontbytsake" when we were still in the girlband Shine4 and it was a huge hit! Soon I had to have it tested... never knowing it would actually be the beginning of something so amazing that make so many people happy and bring business to others.
Why should anyone use your service or product?
We make all our products by hand and in small batches to ensure quality. Our products are good for your skin and the environment, especially when it goes down the drain. We don't use any harsh chemicals, colors, sulphates, dyes etc. We source all our ingredients, packaging, labels, ribbon all from local businesses. When customers buy from us, they support many many many other small businesses as well. I thank you for this!
"My heart blooms at the beautiful testimonies we get from clients, and it usually comes on a day where you want to stop it all, because sometimes as an entrepreneur you want to quite your job five times a day."
Tell us a little about your team
Primrose was 17 years old when she started working for MIES. She could not read, hardly speak, had no confidence... she is now 23 years old, she can read and write and has gained so much confidence! She is a mixer at MIES first of all but also does everything in between from labels to packing orders.
Faith has worked for MIES the past four years, is a confident young woman and has been a model for MIES kimonos a couple of times. She also mixes, makes, labels and packs products.
Merolyn is our seamstress for all our kimonos. She lost her factory and 14 workers due to imported clothing. It was lovely to find her and make her part of the team.
Stephni is our candle maker and we found her by chance... she did not realize her value when we met last year, and when I asked her whether she could make candles, her answer was... I can google it! And she did! My kinda girl!
Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And, do you come from an entrepreneurial background?
Looking back I think I have always been a hustler.... I remember at the age of 4 I wanted my own sweet shop so that I did not have to buy sweets. I then remember how I painted tablecloths and wooden kitchen decor and sold it to home industries while I was a drama student (many in the hostel thought I was an art student because I was painting in the wee hours of the morning!). After that I have always worked for myself except one time where I was desperate for a salary but soon realized that I should be in charge of what I do and what I earn. Working for a boss, did not work for me. This was during my beginning years of MIES body products and it was hard some months to get through. After I decided to give MIES a go and do it properly, things started to change and MIES started to grow.
"We are hoping to grow and give more people work, hope and confidence in themselves and also support more small businesses across the country."
What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?
Ooh we have so many plans! We would love to expand and we are currently working on two new ranges for two very different clienteles. And with this we are hoping to grow and give more people work, hope and confidence in themselves and also support more small businesses across the country.
What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?
Being an entrepreneur in South Africa is pretty special... there is a camaraderie and support amongst us, men and women and a respect that I wish everyone could experience. My heart blooms at the beautiful testimonies we get from clients, and it usually comes on a day where you want to stop it all, because sometimes as an entrepreneur you want to quite your job five times a day! I collaborate with a lot of creatives throughout each year and they all inspire me. One of my highlights was when we had to make kimono gowns for all of the Miss SA winners of the past 60 years at their Jubilee Celebration in 2018. I am a beauty pageant fan and making up these gifts for them and then meeting them will definitely stay one of my best moments as an entrepreneur! World peace!
"I know our success lies in the fact that we make our products ourselves, we put our energy and love and creativity and prayers into every pot and every bottle and every jar of MIES."
What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?
You never know how long it will take for your business to really kick-off... some have it immediately, some take years. If you really want to do it, believe in it, then go for it with all you have... soon you will eat, sleep and play your business! Persevere darlings!
Contact or follow MIES Body Products
WEBSITE | FACEBOOK | INSTAGRAM | EMAIL info@miesetc.com
Why LoA loves it….
Women entrepreneurs who create businesses, products and brands that are inspired by their personal passions are the ones that resonate most with us as consumers. Passion for what they do drives them and reflects in everything, from the brand story, to the product development and through to the packaging. Marlese Wallis embodies what it means to be passionate about the whole process of brand building and creating an eco-friendly product range that is both kind to the environment and to the consumers who buy them. It has been wonderful to see this beautiful brand grow and thrive over the years, and to see Marlese build a loyal customer base who love her products and the ethos behind them. This is definitely a brand to watch over the coming months and years. — Melanie Hawken, founder and ceo of Lionesses of Africa