An overseas job offer gave Nonkululeko Sibisi an opportunity to spread her wings, but after the Covid-19 pandemic grounded her in South Africa, she turned to an old love of hers, and started selling handmade furniture and décor door-to-door in Pietermaritzburg. Her dream now is to use her skills to create a place where high school pupils can do their homework.
Sibisi told Vutivi News that she started Afterskool household furniture and craft shop with money that she had saved up during her career in aviation. “Soon as the lockdown struck and I could not do aviation anymore, I got a job as a social worker, and at the same time I opened my business,” she said. “I did not go to carpentry or designing school, but as a child, I was always the go-to person whenever something needed to be fixed. “I decided to depend on my skills to supplement my income.”
When Sibisi started her business, she handcrafted a few items, loaded them into the boot of her car and drove around rural Pietermaritzburg convincing people daily to buy her products. “It was very difficult for various reasons. Firstly, whenever they saw me, they thought I was in high school or that I was too young to be operating a business that is dominated by men,” she said.
“Secondly, it was during Covid-19, so I had to respect the rules, which meant that I would be standing outside of the yard and shouting into the person’s yard. “Another reason was that even when I went to hardware stores to stock my materials, the owners would assume that I was working for someone and never for myself.” However, she was not deterred and was able to grow her customer base fairly quickly by tapping into the real estate market.
“I started targeting people who were building new homes, as I knew how important it was for them to mix their old furniture with new furniture,” Sibisi said. “This approach worked, and after some time my work was noticed in other parts of the province.” Sibisi now makes furniture for people all over the country.
She is also expanding her business premises to include a study cafe where teenagers from the surrounding areas can do their homework from the comfort of her furniture. It will be open this month. And this is the first of many developments, as Sibisi plans on eventually growing her business to include supplying day-to-day cosmetic products to rural residents.
