Housewife shows skills in cash flow
Aluisa Ralogaivau was a stayat-home wife searching for a way to act on her untapped business idea until she saw an advertisement in a newspaper about the Governments Small and Micro Business Grant (MSBG) and decided to apply for it.
Today she runs a Decoration and Catering business from her home in Caubati earning an income from decorating and catering for birthdays, weddings and other events.
“It was just a small idea but with the grant, and all the time that I had, I decided to start a small business,” Ralogaivau said.
“I think a lot of women are skilled enough to become business people, but they just don’t know how to start and that’s how the grant helped me.
A woman in business believes men should not be the only ones providing for the family,” she said.
Her son is in his final year at flight school.
The Savusavu native proudly talks about how her business helped fund his education.
The grant of $1000 had been given to successful applicants in support of business ventures or planned start-ups.
Monitoring teams will be sent out to note the progress of the applicants in the coming few months.
While Ms Ralogaivau believes the grant has the potential to enable its recipients, to run a business, she says, it must be used correctly. “Some people tend to use their grants without a long-term plan and use it all at once,” she said.
“I think it’s very important to plan, structure and think about how to use the money.”