Face of the Future
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“People want to get value for their money, so the goodie bags were a nice touch and I’m certain they’ll help lure more people to our next expo later this year.”
Wedding Expo Side-Hustle
Many entrepreneurs start off working in the corporate and public sector for a few years before taking the plunge with their own ventures, which remain primarily weekend-only occupations until that time. That is also the case with the organisers of the Soweto Lenyalo Indaba. Minah Jiyana (31), Nonhlanhla Nhlapo (29) and Zandile Nkosi (38) are running their business part-time. Their bi-annual wedding expo brings black business vendors together under one roof.
“We saw many talented entrepreneurs and service providers in the townships struggling to grow because of lack of exposure. People are visual beings, so we created a platform for service providers to showcase their skills to the general public,” says Nhlapo.
The trio has faced their fair share of challenges, especially since they are all still fully employed. Jiyana says when they started, they had to dig deep into their pockets to finance the expo. “I can count the number of times we’ve had to ask friends for favours and help us get the word out there,” she reflects. They used the first two exhibitions, which were held in 2017, to establish a footprint and gain the trust of service providers.
Their third expo, however, hosted at the Soweto Theatre in February 2018, was a much bigger affair. They had more exhibitors and attendees were given goodie bags. “People want to get value for their money, so the goodie bags were a nice touch and I’m certain they’ll help lure more people to our next expo later this year,” says Nkosi.
The three partners aim to take the Lenyalo Indaba expo concept to other townships around Gauteng, eventually establishing a national footprint.
Minah Jiyana, Nonhlanhla Nhlapo and Zandile Nkosi
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