SINCE he was young, he was uncomfortable when his house was dirty, he always went up and down making sure that his furniture was clean so that it did not smell and that flies did not stay because of the dirt.
This is how Miss Ayanda Zuma’s love for furniture began and grew, and helped her to build on it by establishing Elo Interiors, a company that makes different furniture products, and then sells them to people for a living.
Telling about this business, which started to flourish this year – Ms. Zuma, who is originally from Mtshezi, but has settled in Kwa Ndengezi, near Pinetown, said that seeing that she has a passion for furniture, she decided to go for training at My Space Academy to gain knowledge.
“For a long time, I have been trying to make different types of furniture, until I have been trained in it for the past few years, which has helped me a lot to grow my business, which started to grow at the beginning of this year,” said Ms. Zuma.
Continuing, he said that putting his customers first and being careful to do the best every time is what helps him not to let down his customers who are full of Durban and surrounding areas and in different areas across KwaZulu-Natal.
“At the moment, I import a lot of sofas and beds because that is what my customers like and buy the most. This motivates me a lot to continue my work until I get to the stage where I hire more people,” he said.
This lady, who holds a BSC in Chemistry degree from the University of Cape Town, emphasized that budding entrepreneurs like her should be diligent in attending business workshops and exhibitions to promote their different businesses.
He recently won the Best Stand award at the Durban Business Fair in Durban two months ago. There he won R50 000 to support his business, and various other things that will help him to develop, including membership of Proudly South African and the Durban Chamber of Commerce.
“Furthermore, shows like this help you build relationships with people, organizations and different bodies that can help you grow your business, and also make your business known in the right places,” said Ms. Zuma.