Ludo Beauty – a local hair products manufacturing company is reported to be amongst the first in the African continent to export its products to South Africa via a platform known as Takealot. Ludo Beauty, owned by Wada Busani is a hair care manufacturing and cosmetics brand in Botswana which prides itself as the first local business to secure a spot on Takealot. Takealot.com is presumed to be South Africa’s leading online store.
Wada says they applied and Takealot was happy with their product offering and that is how they got approved on their platform.
She notes that they have always had goals to export, and this was confirmed by South Africans who were always enquiring about how to get the company products.
Ludo Beauty started selling on Takealot in October 2021 with the first month being quite slow but sales picking up quickly in the following month of November. Looking at the sales and the way their products are moving on the platform, the company says Takealot route was a great move business wise because it made her realise the kind of potential their business has in South Africa.Wada says amongst her company’s biggest challenge is access to market with South African retailers in Botswana.
Busani says business growth has been steady despite challenges especially with the Covid-19 pandemic and lockdowns.
“The response has been fantastic, all our reviews have received five stars on the platform which is very difficult to achieve. So we are excited to grow further within the South African market,” she says.
Covid-19 has been a nightmare to most businesses and Wada says their experience with the pandemic is that it was difficult, however, specialising in cosmetic products came to their advantage as they wanted to contribute in fighting the pandemic. They then decided to manufacture BOBS Certified hand sanitizers for corporates and individuals.
She says the cosmetic sector is still relatively small in Botswana and definitely has a lot of potential, however, she has realised that everyone wants to do the same thing which is making products.
She states that though this is a welcome development, there are also great opportunities in bottle manufacturing/supplying, raw material supply, distribution, logistics and many others which are key areas that support the full cosmetic sector ecosystem.
For young women aspiring to be in this industry, her advice to them is to commit and go for it.
“It’s a challenging journey but you will get to discover traits about yourself that you never thought you had. Resilience, patience, building good relationships and much more,” she notes.
She has a team that she is working with to create her products in Botswana and is starting to build one in South Africa as well.
Wada also shares that there are a few exciting projects they are working on in 2022. Their goals include increasing their product offering, their visibility in South Africa and exploring further exporting opportunities.
She has been fortunate enough in her entrepreneurship journey to receive private and public funding from government.
Looking at the business landscape in Botswana, Wada says government could assist SMMEs with the ease of doing business by creating policies that encourage more retailers to stock local products.
“How is it possible for some cosmetic retailers to come to Botswana and import everything from South Africa? That would worry me if I was the Government,” she adds.
You can find Ludo beauty products in retail stores such as Dynamic, Square Mart, Choppies Hyper and Hair Mart. You can also contact them directly for home deliveries and bulk orders on 75215491 or on their Facebook or Instagram pages at Ludo Beauty.
