13 May 2014

Not every one comes top at school, but God has bestowed each of person with a talent. That is why people should not seat down and fold their hands in despair and feel that they are doomed once they have failed to make it at school.

That is what Ms Haranah Maemo, a 33 years old woman did after not performing well in her form 5 examinations in 1999. Instead of losing hope, she turned to her talent. Plaiting hair was her starting point.

A mother of two, who owns two saloons in Francistown and Serowe, Magic Touch Hair Saloon and Beauty Parlor, said she started plaiting while she was at primary school as she used to plait her mother and colleagues at school during tea break time.

Ms Maemo said she worked in many saloons from 2000 to 2008 in Letlhakane, Serowe, Palapye and Francistown and during that period, she did not only focus on her daily tasks. She took it upon her stride to learn about the hair industry.

“I realised that Batswana believed that foreigners know hairdressing more than them.

That alone was sufficient motivation. I worked hard at learning whenever I saw people doing styles that I did not know. I asked questions when I did not understand’’, she said.

She said her dream of owning a hair saloon came while she was still working for Ms Nthagopeng Phampa, who was then the owner of Magic Touch Hair Saloon.

Maemo said that one day when she came from her weekly off days, she heard colleagues saying that the saloon was going to be sold for P35 000. She only had P10 000 at the time.
“I didn’t sleep that night, but I heard a voice saying, ‘do not fear’, then I prayed to God. In the morning the boss greeted me with a huge smile instead of me greeting her, and that was when I realized that God had answered my prayers” she said.

Ms Maemo said Ms Phampa reduced the price to P25 000, whereupon she immediately paid a deposit of P14 000 and she had to pay the balance within three months.

She however, cleared the balance within two months through the help of profit from sweets which she was selling.

In 2010, she found space in Serowe where she opened another saloon after obtaining a loan facility of P80 00 from Barclay’s bank.

She said in 2012, the saloon was robbed and everything was taken except for mirrors and chairs. That did not discourage her. She continued operating despite such challenges even as some people advised to close shop since she was in debts. ‘I remained resolute until my friend told me about the youth grant’.

]In 2013, she managed to approach the youth office in Serowe , told them about the situation of her business and she was assisted with the sum of P46 000 which she used to buy some equipment and the remaining balance was used to purchase beauty products for a beauty parlor that she started operating this year.

You have to love your business and be patience if it has to flourish. She said she is planning to expand her empire by adding another saloon which she plans to open in Letlhakane next year because many people travel a long way from Letlhakane to Serowe to plait at her saloon.

In February this year, she attended a Business Management course through the Department of Youth and plans to continue to empower herself through education.

Finding workers in Serowe is a challenge as compared to Francistown where there are many people who are seeking employment. She said sometimes when it is busy, customers end up going to other saloons to avoid queuing for long periods of time. Another challenge is the high cost of renting.

The 33 year-old said she wants to see herself one day handing a house built by her company (Magic Touch to one of the less privileged families in Botswana.

She encouraged other youths not to enter into business because they have money or because their friends are doing them, but to do it for love, have patience and research about businesses that they wish to pursue. ENDS