#WIB – Q&A With Miranda Lusiba Founding Director Of Strangé Consulting
1. Can you please tell us more about your business?
A. Strangé Consulting is a 100% Black and Women-Owned (BWO) consultancy that offers a bouquet of specialist services that include: PR, Media Relations, Corporate Communication, Media Training, Freelance Writing: Storytelling and Content Development/Creation, Reputation Management, Brand & Marketing, Media Monitoring, Analysis/Reporting with a focus on corporate, sponsorship & community development projects.
2. When, how and why did you start your business?
A. Founded in 2012, my main goal was to run “my own show” and service ”my own clients” in a SOHO – Small Office, Home Office type of business. When I started my business – I decided to keep my overhead low so, I did not get a fancy office to rent, I worked from my home – on my sofa or bed with a laptop on my thighs.
I realised that the only thing I really needed to service my clients was a laptop, a 3G Card/WIFI Router, airtime/data and a bit of stationery. So not having an office meant that if a client called me wanting something urgently while I am driving; I would stop on the side of the road, open my laptop, connect and send the document to the client. What was important for me was that work was moving – it did not matter if I worked from a boot of a car. This at the end meant that I could get paid and make some money.
3. What is your role in the business?
A. I am the founder & Managing Director of Strangé Consulting – as a ‘one man show’ I am responsible for all parts of the business on my own. I am responsible for various functions such as HR, Finance, or Legal issues. To service clients effectively and cater to big projects that require additional resources, I partner with some business associates that specialise in PR, Communication, Media Relations, Reputation Management, Media Training, Brand and Marketing as well as Freelance Writing services.
4. Where did you study and what did you study?
A. I have a B-Tech Degree in Public Relations Management from the University of Jhb (UJ) & a National Diploma in PR Management from Durban University of Technology (DUT).
5. How did you finance your business?
A. I made sure that I didn’t go into a business that needed a lot of money for me to be able to start, I relied on the skill that I had acquired for 13 years and need a few tools to start. As mentioned before – I realised that what I needed to service my clients was a laptop, a 3G Card/WIFI Router, airtime/data, and a bit of stationery so I used some of the money that I got from my package at my previous employer.
6. Describe your average workday, if such a thing exists.
A. I take my daughter to school every morning and on Mondays, I make sure that I have a to-do-list for the week – that determines what I prioritise for the whole week. This list also includes my weekly columns I write as well as any pressing deliverables for the clients. I plan my day according to the meetings that I need to have with potential or existing clients and or business associates/suppliers. I also make sure that I have time to do some work in between the meetings.
7. How do you balance your home life and your work life?
A. I have an alarm that reminds me 15 – 30 before I need to fetch my daughter from school every day; so, I plan my meetings so that they don’t clash with this time. My meetings are either before this time or after I’ve fetched my daughter. I also try by all means to switch off during weekends so that I can spend time with family/friends – I only make exceptions when I have pressing deadlines that I can’t avoid.
8. What drives you and inspires you?
A. It is my love for what I do. I love PR as a profession and am very passionate about it, to the extent that I take offense when anyone does what I refer to as “Microwave PR”. This kind of PR, unfortunately, takes the prestige and passion away from our beloved profession, it lacks attention to detail and compromises on the quality of work that is delivered to our clients.
9. Where and when do you have your best ideas?
A. I’m nocturnal so I work very well when everyone is sleeping when there are no interruptions like cell phones ringing and emails or messages coming through. I am able to come up with the best ideas during the day as well when I am forced to due to time constraints or tight deadlines, but I’d have to say early hours of the mornings are my best times.
10. Where and how do you market/advertise your business for sales leads?
A. After 20 years of working in Jhb, I decided to go back home to Queenstown, Eastern Cape to run my business from here. I also wanted to give back to my community by using the knowledge that I’ve gone over the last two decades to empower mainly the youth, women as well as aspirant entrepreneurs, and young PR professionals.
I’ve done this by starting an initiative called Empowerment Zone with Miranda Lusiba which is in the form of weekly educational columns that focus on basic information around the following topics: #Basicfinancialliteracy, #PRissues #EntrepreneurshipIssues, and #Socioeconomicissues. This I have started because of the plight that I saw in my community with youth that is unemployed, the poverty levels, and other socio-economic issues that affect ordinary SAs on a daily basis.
I now write regular columns for Bizcommunity on PR and Entrepreneurship issues and this for some reason has become the unintended marketing tool for my business as well. I’ve seen so many spin-offs from these columns that have led to prospective business for my company.
11. What is next for your business?
A. To keep on growing the CSI part of the business because besides PR – this is my other passion that is very close to my heart. For more information on the CSI initiative, please see the Youtube video link that summarises this.
12. What advice would you give to female entrepreneurs hoping to start their own business?
A. My advice to those who still want to start their own business – is to try to go into a business that does not need a lot of money for anyone to be able to start because the start-up capital is usually money that most of us do not have. Also, try and gather some experience from corporates or agencies before you start your own business – build your credentials. Most importantly, be patient with the process of learning because this will take anyone far.
Short Bio
Miranda is the founder & MD of Strangé Consulting – a wholly black and women-owned (BWO) company that provides a bouquet of specialised services that include PR, Media Relations, Corporate Communications, Media Training, Freelance Writing: Storytelling and Content Development as well as Reputation Management with a focus on both corporate and community development projects as well.
A seasoned PR professional with over 20-years’ experience in PR, Media & Communication fields. Miranda has held various management positions in corporates that include most notable: a recent position as MD of The Grind PR with a mandate of creating and implementing a turn-around business strategy for a sponsorship & corporate PR agency to ensure stability, consistent delivery of quality services to clients and profitability.
Before then, she was the Head of Comms at Business Connexion, PR Manager for MTN SAs Sponsorship properties that included: Football, Cycling, Cricket, Music & Lifestyle. She has also worked in the financial sector for the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA) and Absa.
Contact Information
C: +27 (0) 68 029 8760 (Voice-Calls); C: +27 (0) 78 675 1297 (WhatsApp); E: miranda@strangeconsulting.co.za AND Ora4117@gmail.com
Social Media Links
Facebook (FB), Twitter, LinkedIn & Instagram (IG) handles are all the same: @MirandaLusiba. Company FB Page: @StrangeConsulting