At 14, Rabia Ghoor launched her makeup and skincare online beauty store. She made her first sale one year later, and left school to pursue the business full time at 16. Today, this 18-year-old teenpreneur is well on her way to building an empire.
VIRGIN GROUP founder Richard Branson. Tumblr originator David Karp. Multiple Grammy Award winner Aretha Franklin. Oscar-winning director Quentin Tarantino. These incredibly successful leaders in their fields all dropped out of high school at the age of 15. Swiitch Beauty founder and ‘teenpreneur’ Rabia Ghoor is in good company.
“I am a freshly-minted millionaire who ended up skipping over the typical life struggles that most young men and women go through that serve to build their character. If I’m not careful, the result will be success without respect, wealth without restraint and power without responsibility — and just like that, things can spiral out of control,” says Rabia, quoting Jordan Belfort’s book Way of the Wolf.
While her peers prepare for their Matric dance this year, Rabia has just celebrated Swiitch Beauty’s third birthday with a pop-up store in Milpark, Johannesburg. Although she says she wishes she could participate in this rite of passage, thanks to her company pushing out between 2 500 and 3 000 orders a month, “when they’re writing exams, I’ll be holidaying in Mauritius,” she beams.
“The money has been great, but at present turnover is not my core focus. My main purpose is to provide my customers with the best product at the best price and build a sustainable business that will bear fruit in the future.”
FROM SMALL BEGINNINGS TO A BIG IDEA
When the break bell sounded and all the other kids stormed the playground, a ten-year-old Rabia would set up her stand and sell stickers. By the following year she’d graduated to selling mini buckets as rubbish bins her classmates would use instead of multiple trips to the class dustbin. “I bought them for about R5 each and sold them for R7,” she explains.
Bu hikaye Entrepreneur Magazine South Africa dergisinin May 2018 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Giriş Yap
Bu hikaye Entrepreneur Magazine South Africa dergisinin May 2018 sayısından alınmıştır.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Giriş Yap
Prepare For The Worst
The stronger your business is, the more you stand to lose. Here’s how to spot hidden weaknesses within your operation and steel yourself for unexpected battles.
Start Planning Today For Future Wealth
Q&A Budgeting is by far the biggest threat to wealth planning, says wealth coach Nelisiwe Masango. If you’re part of the majority of people who don’t have a monthly budget or who have one, but don’t adjust it regularly, you could be hindering your financial progress.
Beyond Banal Business Travel
Twenty-five-year-old South African automotive drivetrain repair company Rex Diff and Gearbox found a perfect match for its business travel needs when it joined kulula work’s client base, and never looked back. Dennis McLachlan of RDG’s Consumer Affairs and Marketing division explains why.
The Next Level Beckons
Rudolf Goosen is an ex-professional rugby player, entrepreneur, author, TV presenter and motivational speaker. Entrepreneur recently spoke to him about his new book, Taking Your Life to the Next Level.
Diversity Drives Board Performance
The composition of your board of directors can help you drive your company value and increase shareholder and other stakeholder returns.
Invest And Save 100% Of Your Tax Payable To SARS
Section 12J funds were created in response to the South African Government offering tax incentives for private investors to support funds that support SME growth in South Africa. Three experts unpack the benefits of investing in 12J funds — particularly for high net worth individuals.
Following Your Dreams? Nailed It!
Sorbet franchisee Kate Holahan went from corporate employee in 2015 to owning two franchise locations in just over two years. By September 2017, she had launched a new location, acquired new clients and was learning something new every day. It took a few learning curves and partnering with the right bank to lead her to successfully running her Sorbet and Sorbet Man stores at Benmore Shopping Centre in Sandton.
How To Build A Community Around Your Brand
There’s a way to build your market without spending a fortune on advertising and marketing — and it’s called community building. Here’s why this should be the cornerstone of your growth strategy.
Sealing The Deal
If you want to close more sales, you need to understand the three phases of the customer buying cycle.
No Limits
When Offlimit Communications faced its first downturn after ten profitable years in business, its leadership team didn’t even question that they would turn things around and make them better. With resilience and determination, they analysed the business, made some tough choices and took action. Within six months they took the business from massive losses back to profitability, and a year later doubled their pre-losses turnover — all in the middle of a recession.Here’s how Lisa Cohen, Jerome Cohen and Garon Bloom took lemons and made lemonade, building a R130-million sustainable business in the process.
