The newly crowned Miss South Africa 2023, Natasha Joubert, has high hopes for her small business's growth.
In an interview with the Business Report, the model and entrepreneur said she hoped her reign could indirectly help her business grow bigger and help others with their small business journey.
“But so far I would say it is a profitable fashion design company,“ Joubert said.
Joubert, 26, is a BCom Marketing Management graduate and is the owner and fashion designer of Natalia Jefferys, a company she started when she was 19 years old.
Defining her entrepreneurship journey, which she began as a teenager, Joubert said from the get-go, she was not really informed about the logistical things that a business required.
“So reflecting back it was a learning curve throughout the seven years of the company’s existence. I had to learn marketing strategies and also the financial side of it. To this point it has been a significantly successful business.”
Commenting on the country’s entrepreneurship landscape, Joubert said there was still a lot of work that needed to be done as South Africa battled the many economic obstacles.
She said entrepreneurship could be promoted a lot more.
“Being an entrepreneur myself, that is why I want to speak more about it. It is challenging times especially after the Covid-19 pandemic. People are struggling a lot more. So bringing awareness about entrepreneurship and implementing impactful programmes would help.”
Joubert said she would love to see as Miss South Africa how she could get together with organisations to set up programmes for future entrepreneurs, teach them the skills of how to start up a business and what was important when one owned a business.
She said entrepreneurship was really significant in South Africa's economic development considering the fact that more than 30% of the country’s working age people were without jobs.
By promoting entrepreneurship and going into a direction in which one was passionate about what one does to make an income, was the only way the country could reverse unemployment. People needed to create opportunities for themselves.
“That is a big responsibility in giving people good education, informing them and investing in the youth of the country until they get to a point where they can do it for themselves and have the skill to do it for themselves,” Joubert said.
The model and entrepreneur said she thought that for South Africa to derive optimum benefit from the country’s entrepreneurship potential, people should speak more about the sustainability of oneself even by not necessarily having to get an academic qualification.
“I think we have been programmed in the past to go and study directly out of school even when you know in your heart that you might not use that qualification fully. If it is a programme that gives you skill and knowledge in the direction you intend to go in then by all means.
“But if you know that you want to do something that is not traditional, that you really want to enjoy and are good at, whether it is opening up a fashion design label, a dance school or really starting at a young age to start your own business,” she said.
She added that the country should promote the independence of individuals especially early on.
“I am an example of starting a business up very early on. Circumstances led me to do so, but I think promoting that a bit more will be the future for South Africa.”
Joubert said she thinks her reign could boost South Africa's entrepreneurship ideals if she would join together with businesses and corporate companies and organisations in the entrepreneurship and financial field on how the country could cultivate future leaders and set them up for starting off successful businesses.
She said it would all be about educating one another, sharing skills, thoughts and expertise which were needed from the experts.
“There is a lot of potential in helping the younger generation to become successful entrepreneurs. But we will need help from people who have really succeeded in certain industries. As Miss South Africa when I have certain events with big corporate companies I can have this conversation, ask if they have such programmes in place and how I could get involved so that we can get people on-board with such programmes,” Joubert said.
BUSINESS REPORT