A YOUNG Durban entrepreneur is over the moon after securing a deal of providing her dishwashing liquid, Siqalosisha, to one of the biggest retail stores, SPAR Selgro Centre in Pietermaritzburg, recently.
Asanda Zondi, a Management Accounting student at Durban University of Technology (DUT), said she is grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with the store, and she cannot wait to supply the store with more products.
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She said: “I am grateful for this opportunity to access such a market which has been my biggest challenge since I started this journey. I am over the moon about this opportunity. It took hard work, never giving up, a lot of advertising and putting my business out there to make the right connections.”
The 21-year-old entrepreneur established her company, Siqalosisha, in August 2021. Her company manufactures a variety of cleaning products such as bleach, dishwashing liquid, washing powder and other cleaning detergents. She highlighted that her company produces over 100 units per month and is currently operating with four employees.
Zondi is currently incubated under the Innobiz DUT Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, where she is receiving business mentorship, business compliance support, technical skills training, industry-specific training, personal development and seed funding.
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She revealed that she has always been entrepreneurial at heart, and when she saw a gap in the local market for hygiene products, she decided it was time to make her dream of having her own business a reality.
“I have always had a passion for entrepreneurship and providing quality hygiene products that people can use in their daily lives for maximum hygiene, to protect themselves and their families. When the Covid-19 pandemic hit, I saw a gap in the sector and decided to turn my idea into a business,” explained Zondi.
In the next two years, Zondi aspires to acquire a warehouse where she can mass-produce her products and supply more stores nationwide. Moreover, one of her biggest aspirations is to create more employment opportunities for the youth.
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