Online marketing a solution for Covid-hit businesses
A32-year-old female pharmacist and the founder of Body Sculpture, Taimi Naambo Amukutuwa, has urged young entrepreneurs to explore more online marketing strategies for their businesses to survive amidst the Covid-19 pandemic.
During an exclusive interview with New Era, Amukutuwa said the effects of the pandemic on businesses is undeniable, advising the only solution to recover is to use online marketing to secure more clients.
“I was most affected by the first wave of Covid-19. I decided to invest more in online marketing – and this enabled me to pull through with all my employees,” said the young pharmacist.
Employing six people full-time, she narrated her body sculpting business came to standstill for some time, which prompted her to explore different strategies to keep the company going.
“Although the pandemic has affected small businesses, young people must not lose hope. Let us work hard and explore more marketing strategies as well as offer special packages. We will make it through,” she motivated.
She added this is a critical time where people are now avoiding unnecessary movement, such as going to the shops, due to the pandemic.
“People are spending more time online to read the news on Covid-19. After that, they can also just be on social media –and they can use that opportunity to read marketing notifications,” she emphasised.
Amukutuwa possesses a Bachelor’s of Pharmacy from the University of Nairobi in Kenya and is currently pursuing her Master’s in Clinical Pharmacy at the University of Namibia. She also studied medical aesthetics in Nigeria with an emphasis on body contouring aesthetics.
She told New Era that after she graduated as a health professional, she discovered there was a gap for body sculpting in the market, as many people were struggling to lose weight and wanted to opt for surgery but did not have the means or know-how to do so.
“I decided to assist fellow Namibians with body sculpting with non-surgical alternatives that mimic surgical weight-loss procedures such as tummy tuck or liposuction and nonsurgical cosmetic procedures for breast and butt lifts,” she said.
Although there is a gap in the market when it comes to the body sculpting, one needs to have a health background and a passion for this type of business, she added.
“Non-invasive weight-loss management and body contouring require expert knowledge and training, as you may cause harm to the body if you are not well-trained,” she explained.
She added that although body sculpting is a rare business in the country, she uses specialised machines and a special body contouring method called Maderoterapia or wood therapy that specifically uses wooden tools to contour the body, reduces cellulite and facilitates weight loss, as well as using vacuum therapy for breast and butt lifts.
She continued that for the treatment, they do a consultation and a body analysis to determine a client’s needs and to verify the number of sessions a client might need for ideal results.
“The procedures have eight different types of non-surgical treatments for weight-loss. We usually put clients on our weight-loss program to monitor their progress,” she explained.
Amukutuwa is adamant that Namibians should explore the body sculpting treatments, which she said are safe, fast and highly effective.
“Our machines and methods are Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved and the treatments are conducted by health experts. This is a black female-owned Namibian business, which has treated and managed over 400 clients,” she exuded.