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YIVANI NaturalsMarch 31 2015 l ndbs

It is a misconception that men are better than womenwhen it comes to business because most women todayare heading their own businesses are in the driving seatof many countries’ economy. One of those women isNtshantsha Tafeni, she founded Yivani Naturals in 2011with a catchy pay off line: “Igniting the Herbal power”.We were so privileged to have a chance in her busyschedule for interview as she was preparing for Buy

Local Proudly SA Expo as one of the Exhibitors.

ND: Ntshantsha, thank you for your time and agreeing to this interview. I must confess thatI had to Google Yivani just to see how many company are called by that name and theresults showed that there is so far only one company and that is yours, besides it beingname of individuals. Why Yivani?

NT: Actually the company name is “Yivani Ezi Ndaba” in Xhosa meaning, “Listen to our newsflash”, stolenfrom a very popular Methodist him. Because we are encouraging communities to shift back to natural ways

of soothing and therapy, we are saying to all “come listen we have natural a solution for you.”

ND: Most organizations think of the common business and selling common products, whatprompted you to go natural and ignite the herbal power?

NT: I grew up using herbs, it always bothered me that when I was old enough to make my own decisionson what to use when sick, I chose the easy route of popping down a pill. I’ve always been very fascinatedand passionate about natural healing, hence my interest in the use of Pure Essential Oils. So it became veryeasy and obvious to me to offer a solution and educate other people on benefits of using herbs andessential oils on their daily healing and soothing of mind, body and soul.

ND: There must be a compelling reason for you to discover the power in herbs. Did yougrow in a family where there was a traditional healer?

NT: In black communities I don’t think there is one family that doesn’t have a traditional healer, yes therewere traditional healers around me but my influence doesn’t come from them, my grandmother was verypassionate about using herbs to heal any minor ailment, she injected this philosophy to all her childrenand grandchildren. When you had flu there was uMhlonyane in the garden to sort you out, when a babydidn’t sleep there was iMpepho in the garden to calm the baby, a cut or a bruise, Aloe was there,sunburn/sunblock/baby eczema there was Umthomboti/uMmemezi.

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ND: In one of your pictures you were featured with Sir Richard Branson. Do you mindsharing what led you to stand next to such a respected Entrepreneur?

NT: I was soo close to Sir Richard I could smell his billions, one day I’m sure they will come my way. I ampart of the Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship in Braamfontein, This is a mentorship programme hestarted in South Africa a few years ago, to develop and encourage growth of sustainable small businesses.He then comes to the centre every now and then to visit the entrepreneurs and see the work of the centre.This is a huge highlight for the entrepreneurs, as he makes time to chat with every entrepreneur present. Iwas very lucky that in my first year with the centre I was able to meet this powerful but very humble man.Got a chance to present Yivani to him, he was very impressed about my concept. I am very proud aboutthis association and learnings from him as he always gives himself time to mentor the entrepreneurs.Through his network I then got an export client in the UK. My favourate quotes from him regardingbusiness

“Do good, have fun and the money will come”

“A business has to be involving, it has to be fun, and it has to exercise your creative instincts”

ND: You see greater value in Mentorship right?

NT: Mentorship is very important for SMEs, we work in isolation and definitely need networkingplatforms to share challenges, gain best practice, and opportunities to form synergies and joint venture.My philosophy is that one must never work alone. Companies that have been very instrumental in myjourney are The Hope Factory, The Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship, Transnet GIBS SupplierDevelopment Program, SEDA, EGOLI BIO, SEOBI, City Of Johannesburg to mention a few.

ND: Do you own a farm where you grow your raw material?

NT: No we do not, when one starts a business as an SME one can’t do everything in the value chain,otherwise you will be spreading yourself too thin. For now we want to focus on building the brand,increasing local and exports footprint, come up with very good new products, and increase the productioncapacity to meet the demand.

ND: Any plan to have a farm in the future?

NT: Yes of course it is in the long-term plan for Yivani, once the strategy mentioned above has beenimplemented and bringing in money, we will be able to afford buying a farm, employing more people,bringing in the needed expertise. It is definitely the next big project, what is most likeable about this one isthe rural development aspect. I grew up in those areas and my heart bleeds when I see the unemploymentrate escalating each year, this will be our giving back and contribution to rural communities.

ND: Did you get assistance from funders to get started or you just used your savings overyears?

NT: I’ve been funding the business from my own pocket, in 2014 when my business was already up andrunning, I approached one bank and was declined. From then on, I decided to continue using my ownpennies and exercising patience with the slow growth pace. I was not discouraged though instead that justfuelled me to believe in my dream and to work harder.

This year in January I then got my early Christmas gift, thanks to SEDA who gave me a R600 000 grantfor buying machinery to increase production capacity, I am now busy looking for bigger space to put amanufacturing plant. DTI has also been very instrumental in sponsoring my participation in internationalfairs, their EMIA programme is very good in supporting the emerging exporters.

ND: Running a business can be strenuous, what kind support are you getting from familyexcept massaging you when you come home tired?

NT: My husband who is a seasoned business person himself has been very supportive from day one, heunderstands the challenges of being an SME, he’s always on the lookout for opportunities to introduce meto a potential client whenever he can in his network, he’s forever understanding and on standby when Ican’t pick up our son or have to go to a parents’ meetings, because business takes a longtime to set up andbe at a stage where it pops out a salary, my husband has been there for me on all those trying times, andam forever grateful. My son who is twelve sometimes doesn’t understand and gets very worried about whyhe would sleep and wake up and still find me working the following day, his older sisters are always thereto pitch when we are both tied up. My older sister has been my rock, she even had to go to someexhibitions when I have things overlapping, she has been awesome.

ND: Do you sometimes get comments from one of the kids at home saying that they wouldlike to take over from you when they grow up?

NT: Well because this work is still very labour intensive and they don’t really see money flooding in, Ithink they get very deterred by that and prefer their office jobs. But I know that once things start lookingrosy they will be interested, because they really love the products, it’s just the endless manual labour thatscares them.

ND: Do you find kids having interest in the business that parents do today or they want

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ND: Do you find kids having interest in the business that parents do today or they wantpursue their own careers without caring much what mom or dad is doing?

NT: Yes in my family that is what is happening, I think everybody wants to go and establish themselves ontheir own right. It is no longer automatic that a child has to inherit and run what the parents do. I alsoencourage it because it might not be what they really want to do with their lives, my passion can’tnecessarily be theirs, so I’m fine with it, as long as they are committed to their passion and dreams.

ND: Have you secured clients outside South Africa already?

NT: Yes yes yes, I have two clients that I’m already selling to in the UK, one in Nigeria, some in Lesotho,am busy negotiating with some in India and Ghana. Thanx to Sir Branson, and the DTI.

ND: Most companies would complain that their shipment was held at border gate or

harbor, did you face similar situation in the past?

NT: No, I have been very lucky in that my clients have been very wonderful, they understood that I am anemerging exporter with limited capacity, so we agreed on ex-works. They send their logistics companies tocollect at my door.

ND: What is the appropriate age according to that one can quit job or start pursuingbusiness interest?

NT: There is no appropriate age, it is all about identifying a gap in the market, about seeing a problem andproviding a solution, this can present itself when you are 18, 35, or even at 60. I say once that opportunitypresents itself you must grab it with both hands at any age, and run with it.

ND: Job creation is the desire of most entrepreneurs, how many jobs has this businesscreated so far?

NT: Currently we’ve created 6 permanent jobs, and once the plant starts running we will be adding 4interns. I want to offer an opportunity to the unemployed youth, give them a 12-month work experience sothat they can be employable. I am talking to one of the SETAs to help me set up this program.

ND: Did you come across a situation where one of your staff decided to go open somethingsimilar to what you do?

NT: Not yet, touch wood. I’ve been lucky that this hasn’t happen yet. Mainly because this type of businessneeds you to have a bit of capital to be able to start, not a lot of people are prepared to start, be patient togrow it and really work hard.

ND: Any plan of listing your company in the future?

NT: One day in future, yes.

ND: Business is tough, Do you agree?

NT: Totally and fully, it needs commitment, perseverance and the notion that there is no instantgratification. The hardest part for me is setting up, other people say it is growing the business when it hasreached the pick stage. Financial resources are always a challenge and thwarting growth.

ND: Thank you once again for the time

NT: The pleasure is mine, thank you for the opportunity.

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