08 Jul 2013

Ms Sarah Kazmi, 34, is a passionate nail artist who owns a successful beauty parlour that operates from Barclays Plazza located in the heart of Francistown.

Ms Kazmi, who hails from Mathangwane, specialises in nail therapy, and she says in an interview that her self-funded business is doing so well and it has become her sole means of living.

“I can’t complain because I am able to adequately feed and educate my family,” the single parent says about her saloon known simply as Sarah’s Beauty Parlour, adding that she is the sole bread winner in her famil

On average, she receives 10 customers daily and she cannot hide the feeling that the business is good. It’s so good that she is now dreaming of opening a second parlor in one of the outlying villages, Maun perhaps, she quips. 

Established not long ago in 2010, Sarah’s Beauty Parlour focuses on treating and polishing nails and if someone wonders how such an unusual talent can spin enough money to sustain one’s life, Ms Kazmi says patience and love for beauty therapy have made it possible for it to withstand all odds.

The beautician says she studied beauty therapy for one year at Gaborone Technical College (GTC) and, to know how a business is run she studied Business Management with National Institute of Information and Technology (NIIT), which also rans for one year.

That her business is growing is in no doubt; she already drives a Golf 4 car and says she initially operated from a small space in Barclays Plaza before quickly moving out of it because it was not suitable for a growing business.

“The space was so small that people could not recognise my business but as soon as I got a space of my own within the same complex though, things changed,” she says with a smile as she points to a spacious white painted building which has accommodated all the three employees, including her, together with equipment and her beauty products.

Ms Kazmi also does facials and pedicure, which involves the treatment of toes, although the two do not contribute much to the growth of her business as people do not usually take interest in them. Revlon products, supplied from various shops such as Edgars, Gaborone Ultimate Spa and South African shops, dominate the salon.

“I trust their products because they last for long and I have never encountered any problem while working with them,” she says confidently. Not that there are no challenges for the mother of one; asked how she markets herself she says she goes all out of her way to do that including giving out business cards and posters.

“Customers are also good agents as they tell others about it,” she says enthusiastically. “You know, besides formal salons, a lot of people operate informally from the streets, and this practice affects my business substantially, hence I ended up reducing my prices to attract more customers,” she explains.

Worse still, the beautician says the rental is so high that when the business is not doing well, especially during winter, she is forced to pay from her own pocket. However, she counters by confidently saying: “It is not an every month challenge.”

Ms Kazmi also talks of the dull moments as everyday she deals with different characters of people where she needs to exercise a lot of patience and restraint. “People have different attitudes, but you have to be calm and keep your smile at all times to avoid conflicts,” she says, giving an example of a customer who chooses a certain colour for their nails only to change their mind while she is already working on their nails.

Asked if treating nails for P100 is really worth it, she says that her nail polishes last for 10 or more days while artificial nails take up to three weeks depending on how you handle them but she emphasises that one has to maintain them by wearing gloves during household chores. They should also avoid lifting heavy material; otherwise her products are satisfactory as some of her customers motivate her to grow her business even bigger. ENDS