By Agreement Mabunda
NKOWANKOWA – Matimba Makaringe (31) is a founder and owner of Courageous Cosmetics. She was born and bred in Nkowankowa, raised by her mother and grandmother being the last born of two daughters.
The young entrepreneur went to Laerskool Tzaneen and matriculated at St George College. She furthered her studies at the University of Free State where she obtained a BA degree in Corporate Communications. She then worked as a Communications Officer and a Business Development Manager.
Makaringe suffered mental health due to a heavy workload in the year 2018. Therefore, she resigned from her position and left the corporate world to work on her mental health and healing.
Meanwhile, she was a seller of perfumes. This is the business which she started in September 2017. According to the young woman, she started making and selling perfumes in order to get extra income to compliment her salary.
“I was in a desperate need to get out of debt which I had incurred to assist my ex-boyfriend in his business,” says Makaringe.
Makaringe explained that after her resignation she was done with the corporate world. Thus, she focused on building and growing her business.
Courageous Cosmetic is a business she started with the aim of settling her debts. She named it Courageous Cosmetic because the word courage resonates with her because everything she do, is done with courage.
“I initially started off as Miss Courage, a name which was inspired by a miscarriage I had suffered in September 2016,” she said.
Courageous Cosmetics is a perfume manufacturing company which is based at Khanimambo street next to Nkowankowa Cinema behind Pondo Motors. It manufactures generic and bespoke eu de parfums, diffusers, car fragrances, hair growing oil, candles, hand and body lotions.
Courageous Cosmetics also supply hampers for any occasion inclusive of products from the courageous cosmetic range.
As outlined, Makaringe started her company with the mission to clear her debts but after receiving positive and encouraging feedback from customers, she couldn’t stop producing and selling.
“When I started, my only mission was to pay off the loans and close that chapter, but my passion for my business grew as they were sales and community feedback. I fell in love with the idea of being my own boss and owning my time, and creating employment in these tough economic times,” she mentioned.
The owner of Courageous Cosmetic draws the influence of becoming a businesswoman from lot of people, but mostly from DJ Sbu and Lekau Sehoana.
“I learnt from DJ Sbu that passion knows no pride and from Lekau that we don’t sell the product but the story,” she added.
A business that is driven by passion has goals too. Her goal is to give women an opportunity to start their own businesses and brands through her business as a manufacturer.
“I want to supply the finished products as well as raw material to my clients.
MADE IN NKOWANKOWA: The Courageous product is available at her shop
My greatest desire for my business is to see women advocating for the brand Courageous Cosmetics and making money from it, not a pyramid situation. I see the business as a top manufacturer of fine fragrances and supplier of the essentials oils in the Limpopo Province,” Makaringe states.
Opening the Courageous Cosmetic shop weeks ago is the most thing that the young business woman is proud of accomplishing. It has been her greatest joy. “I am very proud of myself for not giving up, for paddling even when I was drowning,” exclaimed Makaringe.
“No one is coming to save us; we have to work hard and smart. We are the generation that has the power to make our dreams come true, so we need to keep on keeping on. There is a greater power in collaborations, there is no need to want to eat the whole cake yourself.
Don’t give up and most importantly just start where you are, with whatever you have, five years from now you will be glad that you started where you started”. She concluded.
Courageous Cosmetics is available from Monday to Friday 09:00am – 06:00pm in Nkonwankowa next door the Nkowankowa Cinema, WhatsApp 076 3338 338, Facebook Matimba Makaringe and Instagram courageous cosmetics_.
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