Serumola thrives despite skepticism
In a world where traditional career paths often dominate, venturing into unfamiliar industries can be met with a lot of skepticism. But Lorato Serumola defied the odds by diving headfirst into the balloons and flowers industry establishing Glamlooms. Glamlooms specialises in balloons and flower decorations.
In an interview with Arts&Culture this week, Serumola, 52, stated that her passion kept her going when she conceptualised the plans to dive into the balloons and flowers industry.
“In life when you start these kinds of ventures, it is always a struggle and running a business of this kind was deemed to be hard. And I think the most important thing that worked for me was my passion because I enjoy doing what I love and this was the industry I chose for myself,” she said.
The quinquagenarian further disclosed that what was her beacon of hope was how the industry was deemed to be trivial with almost no one yearning to explore the industry. Serumola emphasised that she was motivated never to look back.
“Love language and expressing feelings vary for each individual and saying just words to someone is often not enough and through written messages on balloons, intricate flower arrangements and backdrop set ups. And this was the niche I saw and capitalised on,” she said. Since the establishment of the entity, she said she has experienced some hiccups here and there as any other business does. Serumola, however, stated the business has also seen better days. “Running this business venture specialising in flowers and balloons has been rewarding and challenging. It has been a thrilling experience one enjoys,” Serumola revealed.
Though the experience has been a thrilling one for her, she noted that lately, the industry has grown in limps and bounds, which is great to see but also expressed concern about high competition. Serumola said seeing the smiles and happy faces of her customers is one thing that will not deter her. “With the few struggles that I face from stiff competition, being able to satisfy the customers with services I have to provide in return, raises enough revenue for me to sustain my business too,” she happily said. With the month of love fast approaching and people waiting for Valentine’s Day, the founder of Glamlooms stated that they would be gunning to make a statement. “For the upcoming month of February, the Glamlooms team has something exciting lined up; we intend to deliver packages to the doorstep of their partners,” Serumola highlighted.
Meanwhile, Serumola advised young people to tap into the industry to equip themselves with new skills as the industry is concurrently changing.