I have always dreamt of having a side hussle; a creative platform to express myself, a source of inspiration and a reason to invest in my own development, and an avenue through which I can empower local ladies - unlocking their skills and enabling them to contribute financially to their families.
When Lia was 7 months old I visited some small brand factories in Durban (where we lived at the time) in search of inspiration on what this dream could look like in reality, and where and how to start. The next 11 years were a blur! We relocated to Wartburg KZN and Ruben joined our family. I juggled being a fulltime, hands-on mom and supporting Martin in his journey of following his purpose. I realized my passion for early childhood development - creating a safe and stimulating environment where children can grow and feel loved.
This led me to open a playschool from our home - it was a platform for me to express my creativity through children's art and sensory play, with the added benefit of having lots of friends around for Lia and Ruben to play with. A few years later, Lia and Ruben started their formal schooling career, and I got caught up in the “mom tasks” of being a taxi driver, cheerleader on the side of the sports fields, homework tutor and chef, and generally focussed on trying to keep everyone else happy.
I would often find myself brainstorming new ideas as a mental escape from the mundane and rushed daily life. The thoughts of prospective business opportunities would excite me and drive Martin insane at the same time. Deep down I felt frustrated. I was losing grip of myself and a huge sense to CREATE again.
Amidst the 2020 global pandemic and accompanying uncertainty and negativity, I came to stand still. It was early morning, I had a cup of tea in hand, and I prayed. I asked God for inspiration, direction, a new project, really just something that could feed my longing desire to CREATE again.
In an unforgettable moment, that morning, on the couch, I found a picture of a handmade doll.
Excitement gripped me and I knew I had to make one too. I found a piece of old fabric, unpacked my sewing machine and just started. I sewed..and sewed..and tried again, eventually ripping open one of my scatter cushions to stuff and finish this little animal. I was happy with the outcome, Lia and Ruben absolutely adored my first bunny, flaws and all, and they immediately jumped onboard with lots of ideas. I remember December 2020 being the longest month ever. All I wanted to do was get home from holiday and start this journey.
January 2021 kicked off with great excitement and lots of enthusiasm. I had my second meeting with the branding company for ‘Bere in Klere’ and the pieces were all starting to fall into place. My patterns were figured out and I bought my first doll fabric. I managed to find a wonderful lady from our community to do all the knitting. As life is, there were seemingly never ending curve balls, and I had to pause a few times to reshuffle and refocus.
Before I knew it, 6 months passed and somehow I managed to fill up a whole cupboard with dolls. I have since employed my first seamstress and we are operating from my “home studio” (our rearranged store room).
I personally feel it is far more important today than ever before to teach our children entrepreneurial skills, encourage them to be creative, show them how to use their creativity, how to be passionate and to work hard at something that they love doing.
This journey has been wonderful, I have learned so much, empowered myself, created jobs and I am finally living my creative dream!
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