The Afrluent Media team recently caught up with Yazinkosi Ndlovu, the co-founder of Elite Designs which specializes in designing outfits for different occasions. She is the founder of Mayaz Beauty, selling beauty products and also a makeup artist. She shared with us some fundamental key factors for entrepreneurs to consider when starting new businesses or growing their current ones.
Mayaz showed how when choosing a line of business to go into, it’s important to tap into who you always wanted to be when you were younger. She told the story of how when she was growing up, she would always steal her mother’s make up, read magazines. This developed her love for fashion and beauty which she has turned into a successful business.
She is a firm believer in giving her clients world class service, the correct products and customized experiences. Her understanding of this fundamental element of running a business has been the major reason behind her success. She says much more like choosing a foundation, a customer needs the correct shade for their skin tone. Her expertise and years of experience in this field come in in order to give her clients the best. She does not shy away from utilizing social media to get inspiration, understand what’s going on in the world around her and keep up with the latest trends.
Another important factor that has kept Mayaz top of her game in the industry is her choice of fashion, the style of her brand and how she presents it to the world. From the onset she had picked up the notion that people perceive you, your service or product and brand based on how you present yourself. This is a major concept of personal branding, with which she urges entrepreneurs to dress the part and look the part. This is evident in her style which includes tailored suits, classy slacks, well groomed her and minimal makeup. She notes that if you look good, people are more keen to work with you.
When it comes to young people who want to follow in her footsteps, she assured them that nothing can stop them. They should start where they are and keep on perfecting their skills. She emphasised on the fact that the perfecting of skills is the only way one can succeed in the above mentioned careers. Building a network with people in the same industry, and others is the key to developing lasting business relationships. Young people must master and perfect their skills in order to be markatable and produce value which they can then turn into successful businesses.
