Woman On Top – Morongwe and Michelle Mokone

Morongwe and Michelle Mokone, founders of the home decor design venture Mo’s Crib, believe that a coincidence is a cluster of events that ultimately lead one to their purpose – as was the case with their entrepreneurial journey.

It’s December 2015 and Michelle Mokone, 31, has been invited to a Pretoria arts and crafts market by a friend. When another friend who was supposed to tag along disappoints her at the 11th hour, she drags her sister Morongwe Mokone, 34, along. While there, Morongwe spots a stall laden with newspaper flowers. Upon seeing these, she is inspired to pursue origami art seriously – a skill she’d learnt from an old roommate while studying in London more than 12 years before. Origami is an ancient Japanese craft of creating papermade art using repurposed paper. “Until that point, I’d only been making origami pieces to gift people. I vowed that I would return to the same market a year later to sell my origami creations,” Morongwe recalls. In September 2016, the Mokone sisters indeed returned to the same market to sell the origami crafts that Morongwe had been creating in her spare time, for a full year. They sold out all their merchandise and won best product at the market. “Customers loved our offering, and we loved that we were bringing something innovative and vibrant to the table,” Morongwe explains. Following this success, Morongwe started attending more trade market shows to showcase her unique artistry, which soon gained momentum in the art world.

WE MEAN BUSINESS

“There is no such thing as a coincidence in life,” Michelle chirps in, while unpacking the series of events that led to the establishment of their business The Alice Group, that trades under the name Mo’s Crib. Mo’s Crib specialises in manufacturing sustainable handmade decor items using recycled material sourced from construction sites and landfills in some cases. “We went into market at a time when the conversation around environmental awareness was starting to become a priority locally, and this instantly set us apart from other decor companies. Through our environmental sustainability model and handmade products, we are able to tell background stories about each of our products, which often leads to an emotional purchase,” Michelle explains. She adds that it took them just over three years to turn this hobby into a fully fledged business. “Our sisterly business partnership was seamless. From the onset, I started taking care of the operations and logistics of the business while Morongwe nurtures the creative side,” Michelle adds.

In November 2019, Mo’s Crib signed its first-ever retail deal with Builders Warehouse, and has been supplying it with its PVC Waterpipe Recycle Range since March this year. Now, this over-a-year-old venture has reached another milestone – a collaboration with local retail giant Woolworths on a new range of uniquely handmade and grass-woven baskets and planters. Said to be inspired by nature and ethnicity, the range will be available at Woolworths stores from 1 September 2020. In a move that felt like a nudge and nod of approval from the universe, the Pretoria-based sisters reached out to Woolworths about a possible partnership. Describing the entire process – from start to finish – as seamless, the Mokone sisters enthuse: “Woolworths prides itself in collaborating with local talent. We had a unique and compelling product that we felt represented its brand and ethos – and saw this as an opportunity to partner with them. We are beyond proud to be associated with a brand of this calibre.”

KINSHIP

Going into business with friends and family is a complex art, one that many are yet to master. The Mokone sisters explain that their secret to a viable working relationship is sharing a common goal of achieving business success. “We did not necessarily put boundaries in place. What we did was identify each other’s strengths, and capitalised on those,” Michelle says, adding that when one sister is feeling down, the other does the hyping up – and vice versa. Morongwe is the creative director of Mo’s Crib. Her responsibilities include overseeing product development and design as well as overall innovation. Michelle boasts an e-commerce background that helps her handle financial responsibilities, operations and contractual operations with ease. Prior to going full steam into Mo’s Crib, Michelle was completing a Master’s Degree in International Trade Law at the University of Bern in Switzerland. Morongwe had also relocated to Switzerland prior to going into business full time.

The sisters admit that entrepreneurship is a journey peppered with many challenges. Equally so, they declare that the journey has been nothing short of exhilarating. Big advocates of authenticity, the Mokone sisters have come to learn that a huge, and necessary, facet of entrepreneurship is problem-solving and overcoming challenges daily. As such, both concede that a positive attitude and perseverance help propel them forward on days when their business challenges seem insurmountable. “A lot of the South African entrepreneurs that we look up to are not vulnerable enough to inform others of how difficult entrepreneurship is. We want to invite budding entrepreneurs along our journey, and reassure them that there is more to entrepreneurship than the common narrative of people pretending to have made it early,” Morongwe adds.

PIVOTING IS THE WAY

Some of Mo’s Crib’s biggest hurdles include financial management – as the business is completely self-funded – and a lack of capacity to train staff members and increase production rate. However, choosing to focus their energy on the positive has led to many open doors and opportunities. A perfect case in point was the advent of the COVID -19 pandemic; the Level 5 lockdown presented the company with dire production challenges, that in turn affected client orders.

“As a business selling a non-essential item, we were hard hit. However, in keeping a positive outlook, we pivoted towards manufacturing protective masks under our textile division. We recorded a revenue of over R300 000 within five weeks of production. As this global pandemic unfolds, we suddenly understand why the word ‘crisis’ means both danger and opportunity in the Chinese language,” Morongwe shares. The COVID -19 pandemic taught the sisters to be resilient in the face of change. In honour of their late mother, they donated 10% of those proceeds to the Oncology Unit at Charlotte Maxeke Hospital which was in need of PPE garments for its patients and staff. “This was the hospital where our mom underwent her breast cancer treatment before she passed on in 2017,” Michelle shares.

Mo’s Crib currently has 13 permanent staff members and nine part-time workers that they rope when there are big projects. To expand the company’s manufacturing profile and compete internationally – while remaining authentic to their brand values – the Mokone sisters plan to utilise the entrepreneurial lessons they are grasping along the way. “There is no book or formula that teaches entrepreneurship – just be open to getting on the road and following the sign posts,” Michelle concludes.