Entrepreneurs tell us how

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MOSSEL BAY NEWS AND VIDEO - If you take a drive down Mossel Street the D'Almeida Beehives are a hive of economic activity in the true sense of the word and definitely worth a visit.

Here, many of the "worker bees" are women. The Beehives are an economic development initiative by the Mossel Bay Municipality.

Roméy Duthie used to be a merchandiser in the clothing trade, bit didn't like her job. Being a single parent with three children, not working was not an option. It took her a long time to decide to do her own thing and become an entrepreneur. "One day, I just decided, it's now or never," she says.

What makes her decision quite remarkable, is that she had had no experience in running a take-away business. But, she learnt quickly.

"Because I took a leap of faith, I was blessed with the input of people with experience in the field."

Last year during the construction phase at the Beehives, Roméy had to work from home. This she says, was tough, but some good came from it, as it prepared her for the upheaval caused by Covid-19.

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'Stronger woman'
"Last year made me a stronger woman. I have strong faith that even though the economy is still slow, our businesses are on a road to recovery. I am not even considering retirement yet. I enjoy what I do even though it is hard work."

Deborah Dalgleish comes from a corporate background, but now runs a spice shop and sells Halaal food. "When my contract ended last year, I took a chance. The mosque is across the road and Halaal meat comes from Cape Town at a cost. So why not cut out the middle man?"

She didn't plan to become an entrepreneur, but believes that when life present a stumbling block, you have to pick yourself up.

Covid-19, a huge stumbling block, in fact presented a great opportunity. "We started preparing Halaal food in level 4."

She says working for yourself is not easy, but a learning curve. "This was not on my bucket list," she chuckles," but I believe women, in fact, work harder today than before. It is also important to teach our daughters the importance of hard work and financial independence."

Turning hobby into livelihood
Alima Harper turned her hobby into her livelihood. She used to do baking from home. By following tutorials on YouTube, she now is bakes extraordinary cakes. "Everyone comes to me with their own ideas. I hear them out and never turn down work. And I have never been sorry for trying."

Alima has three grown children. "My son commented recently: 'Mommy is not playing anymore, she means business now.' That's the way I like it."

Queenie Louw Mone runs a business selling fashion clothing. Not for women. For men. "Women can shop everywhere, but men are more limited when they look for nice things." She believes that she is catering for a niche market.

As a mother of three sons, she gets expert fashion advice. She has been part of the Beehive community for many years and is particularly proud of the new shops that were completed at the end of 2019.

"I am proud to be a woman engaged in business. There is nothing that a man can do in business, that a woman can't do too."

Spice lady Deborah Dalgleish.Photo: Cornelle Carstens