POLOKWANE – The proud owner of MaGole Decor and Sewing in Polokwane’s Market Street specialises in wedding gowns, traditional and formal wear, as well as modern suits.
Gole says to date, she has employed three people and business is going strong.
She shared her humble beginnings with Review Bonus.
Where it all started
In 2004, she registered at one of the tailoring schools in Polokwane, but she never received her qualification.
“One day I arrived at my school only to find that the gates were locked and the institution has moved its business,” she explains.
She tells Bonus she felt cheated as she had paid a lot of money for the course, and the experience almost shattered her dreams of becoming a designer. She says she later met Sara Ramonyoni who took her under her wing and became her mentor.
“Ramonyoni was the owner of a very successful fashion business, and I was eager to seize the opportunity with both hands. I was inspired by her success and under her experienced tutelage I learned how to design bridal and formal wear.”
She says her big break as a designer came after local schools requested her to tailor their school uniforms. Gole says things were going so well that in 2011, she had to move her workshop from home to the city to better accommodate all her clients.
I had to put my dream on hold again after a break-in at my shop where all my equipment was stolen. It was frustrating because I was out of business and could not afford to care for my family.
The mother of four says she had to borrow money from family after the break-in to replace the equipment. She says before long, the dream was reinstated.
“I am passionate about designing and can’t imagine myself doing anything else, that is why I never gave up and why I am still going strong today,” she says.
Gole says the trials and tribulations she went through helped her develop a thick skin when it comes to being a successful businesswoman.
What the future holds
She tells Bonus that one of her goals is to own a boutique which employs upwards of 50 people.
“I want to help curb poverty in my community and I want to develop my people the way I was empowered by the likes of Ramonyoni.”
She is confident that unemployment is a challenge that can be overcome if people make use of their skills and become entrepreneurs who take charge of their own lives.
However, Gole says being an entrepreneur and owning your own business takes a lot of hard work and dedication. She says it is not easy, but well worth it in the end.
She further tells us that like any other business, she faces challenges.
One of these is having to buy African print material from neighbouring countries, which is very expensive.
Gole says she frequently designs and makes outfits for influential people from the city, one of these is Housing MEC, Makoma Makhurupetje.
