Accidental business owner is no dummy
Home-made pacifier is in demand
AS THE SAYING GOES, necessity is the mother of all invention – and that’s the way it’s been for Radhia Sattar – but she didn’t just create a solution for her own needs, she developed a thriving business in the process.
The unique product she has developed is a hand-made, braided leather pacifier clip that comes in a beautiful range of colours and raises the bar for any trendy baby ensemble.
It doesn’t get much more niched than this – but Sattar has discovered that the pacifier clip meets a need she did not know existed.
The pivotal moment came about when she was dressing her 3-month-old daughter for a wedding and she realised that her dummy clip clashed horribly with her child’s beautiful outfit.
The only clip she could find was made of unsightly plastic.
After that she spent a few days trying to find a suitable clip.
But then Sattar, who works as a chartered accountant in Pick n Pay’s finance depart- ment, said she “literally woke up one night and thought: ‘Why not make it myself ?’”
She started making bespoke braided dummy clips for a few friends, and as word spread, she began to receive orders.
It then became apparent that Sattar could turn this into a lucrative, small business.
She discovered that some buyers were using the devices to clip on to their own keys or access cards, while others were using them to keep toys close to hand for baby.
She turned to social media to broaden her exposure and started to use her blog as a platform to promote the pacifier clips alongside an expanded range of other home-made baby goods that she offered under the Treatmesweetlie brand.
Sattar entered Pick n Pay’s Boost your Biz competition in April to get the leg-up she would need to enter the retail market.
“For the last two years I have just been trying to grow my brand.
“I entered the completion to get more knowledge and guidance. I never expected to win,” she said.
As one of the 60 finalists who were selected to take part in Pick n Pay’s intensive Boost your Biz training programme, Sattar was shown how to market her product more effect- ively.
She admits to being surprised at how well it is doing.
“It felt (at first) as if other people believed more in my product than me,” she adds.
Her advice to other entrepreneurs is to have faith in your product and brand.
“The first two years is about growing the brand, and not about profit,” she notes.
The Boost your Biz journey, which started in March and included six weeks of intensive workshops and mentorship, allowed Sattar to learn from other business owners who are at different stages of their entrepreneurial journeys.
She was one of the 24 winners named in June, which means that her product will soon be in Pick n Pay stores nationwide.
The chain partnered with Absa bank, Times Media and the Seed Academy for the Boost your Biz competition to give small business owners the tools they need to take their business ideas to the next level.
Finalists took part in a 6-week intensive training programme that included expert advice on financial planning, strategy, mentorship and other important aspects of supplying Pick n Pay and the retail sector in general.
Suzanne Acker man-Berman, Pick n Pay transformation director, said she was thrilled with the high quality of the entrants.
“By giving these start-ups access to training, funding and opportunities to become part of our national supplier network, Pick n Pay is helping to develop a new generation of entrepreneurs,” Ackerman-Berman says.
“We want to ensure we create new jobs, teach new skills and share our knowledge and experience with more small business owners.”
Sattar says that since the boot camp she has already changed the way she runs her business, altering her website to make online purchases eas- ier and putting more effort into marketing and forward planning.
She values the ongoing benefit of contact with fellow winners who continuously share ideas and links to useful information that assist them in their business journey.
She is also happy that she acquired new skills that help her to meet new challenges.
Sattar hopes to eventually expand her business so that she can train others to make her products.
However, for now, she’s involved in every aspect of her company despite having a fulltime job.
Sattar says one of her unique selling points is that she makes sure that every one of her customers is happy. “You are your brand. “You can’t afford to say no to anyone.”