#WIB – Q&A With Dimakatso Lekekela CEO & Founder Of Zuri Nutrition
1. Can you please tell us more about your business?
I own Zuri Nutrition, which is a company that helps men and women to reach their beauty and wellness goals through nutritious, natural dietary supplements. We formulate solutions-driven health supplements that assist our customers recover from hair and skin care issues such as hair loss, acne, eczema, hyperpigmentation, oily and problematic skin as well as gut issues. Our products are vegan and veggie-friendly, locally manufactured and made from locally sourced ingredients. We currently sell our products through our online store as well as through Faithful to Nature stores in Cape Town (online too) as well as in Edenvinne which is in Menlyn Mall, Pretoria.
2. When, how and why did you start your business?
I started the business in the year 2020 after almost two years of research, development and product formulation for our very first product, Moriri Blend Healthy Hair Vitamins. I was unemployed at the time, with little to my name but very determined to start something new which aligned with my passions of nutrition, beauty and helping others.
My first product was the healthy hair formula and this came from my desire to grow my hair longer at the time and a curiosity of whether or not adjusting my nutritional intake could help me grow out my hair faster. It turns out I was right as I discovered when working on the product with my team of Dietitians and my manufacturing team. Today, Moriri Blend is still a favourite with our customers and has given some impressive results to customers who have struggled for years with hair loss, texture and volume.
3. What is your role in the business?
I’m the founder and CEO of the business, but as many small business owners would tell you, we are sort of “Everything Executives”. Sometimes I’m the graphic designer, web developer, social media strategist, human resources, fulfillment packer etc. I’m wherever I’m needed but my main responsibility is to ensure my team is well guided and prepped to do their work as per their responsibilities. To overlook different functions of the business to ensure the business and the brand is still intact, whether this is marketing (which I love), tracking sales, checking in on the books, inventory and production to name a few.
4. Where did you study and what did you study?
My educational background is quite colourful. I completed my undergrad at Wits University with a BA in Media Studies, Drama and Film. I soon did my postgrad at Vega School of Brand Leadership where I got my BA Honours Degree in Brand Communications and Leadership. While working in corporate as a brand manager, I then studied part-time at HFPA (Health and Fitness Professionals Academy) in Rivonia where I got my certification in Exercise Science and Group Fitness Training.
Before I started Zuri, I completed my Advanced Diploma in Nutrition, Therapeutics and Health from Alison online training. I also have about 10 different digital marketing certifications – if not more. The one thing I’ve realised is that though all my qualifications seem completely far apart, they somehow gel together wonderfully in my current business and I see it showing in different aspects of the business, from product formulation, marketing, brand development, PR and creative.
5. How did you finance your business?
The business started off absolutely as a survivalist business. The revenues from sales generated at the time would always be reinvested into the business. I also didn’t have much savings so I did a lot of freelance work for other small businesses in order to save up enough money to start operating. My family and friends also helped out as and when they could. After my first year of operating, a government funding agency, NYDA, assisted with grant funding that helped me product formulas I had been working on for some time, these products are now some of my best sellers.
6. Describe your average workday, if such a thing exists.
I don’t think an average workday exists for me at the moment. However, I usually start my day off early, I’m usually already in my office, working from 7AM. I start with my mails, to-do-list and prep for the day. I also usually check our daily sales and behaviour stats on Shopify to check trends and see how we can work around these in our marketing efforts. From that point onwards, it really just depends on what needs to be done.
I could be working on content strategies and email marketing campaigns on one day, on another day, I could be in meetings with our business development consultant, or working with our Dietitians to formulate new products, liaising with our new retailers to check on product performance and go through promotion ideas. It really can go any which way and sometimes, quite often actually, you’ll find me packing boxes for fulfillment should we have a lot of orders to send out.
7. How do you balance your home life and your work life?
It is quite challenging and honestly speaking, I probably don’t have much of a balance. Currently, I am incredibly focused on scaling up the business and this takes up quite a lot of my time. I try to make time for family, friends and my hobbies on the weekends and that’s if I’m not working on anything Zuri related.
8. What drives you and inspires you?
I love to help people, I really do. With what I’m doing now, I get to do it through nutrition, something I love. With nutritional science, I am able to assist people recover from cosmetic issues that have held them back and it’s touching to see. Additionally, we work with The Lunchbox Fund as our official CSI partner to help fund nutritional feeding schemes at schools in disadvantaged communities which gives young children across the country at least one nutritionally dense meal per day.
Thus fighting against malnutrition and stunting. I think there is a lot we can do through nutrition. I’m inspired every day. Apart from this, my mother inspires me. She is the most hard working, resilient and the strongest person I know. She always comes out of any situation standing tall. That let’s me know that there is literally nothing I can’t do because I’ve seen her push through life victoriously, in front of my eyes.
9. Where and when do you have your best ideas?
For me, the best ideas come from the most frustrating problems. I am a problem solver at heart. I don’t I would ever come up with great ideas if there was not a problem to solve, so I love a challenge. Usually the best ideas come after I’ve identified a problem. With Zuri Nutrition, we work as a team so we usually have brainstorming sessions, bounce around ideas until we hit gold. Other than that, I’ve found that I tend to get some great ideas while working out.
10. Where and how do you market/advertise your business for sales leads?
Because we are an online based business at the moment and our primary point of sale is our online store, we do a lot of social media marketing including working with our team of brand ambassadors and affiliates to drive sales. We also make use of SEM (Search Engine Marketing) to drive leads straight to the online store. Lastly, we participate in and sponsor events which helps us reach new customers in engaging spaces.
11. What is next for your business?
We are currently working on new products to add to our range and will be pushing to get into more stores and scale up. We have an access to market problem that we need to tackle, heavily, this year.
12. What advice would you give to female entrepreneurs hoping to start their own business?
Just start! I think one of the biggest hurdles female entrepreneurs face is self doubt. So I would advise a female entrepreneur to push the doubt and fear aside, put your head down and hit the ground running because the truth is self doubt will continuously creep in throughout your entire entrepreneurship journey so it should not be the thing that holds you back.
Short Bio – Dimakatso Lekekela
With over seven years experience as a Digital Marketing and Brand Specialist, Dimakatso knows how to develop brands that resonate with customers and build more on those relationships to help businesses. Combining her skills of communications with her passion for health, fitness and beauty, she founded Zuri Nutrition in 2020, after a two year journey of research and product development.
It was through her love for fitness and health supplements that she realised the relationship between a healthy lifestyle and beauty that she created this business. Her vision is fueled by a need to not only create top-quality products at affordable rates, but also a desire to educate women about a healthier way towards attaining and enhancing beauty. One that does not harm the body but enriches it. She is an innovator of note. This is evident in the approach toward product formulation and the marketing thereof. She believes that products should be uniquely developed for a unique solution that will, at the end of the day, put a customer one step closer towards achieving their goals.
Website: www.bezuri.co
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/zuri_nutrition/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ZuriNutritionZA
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/zuri-nutrition/