With entrepreneurship becoming a buzzword of sorts, recent years and economic development in Botswana and globally have shown that an entrepreneurial mindset has no limits. The craft involves just having an idea and the conviction to execute it, which takes care of the socio-economic challenges that have risen.
Those who have been on the game for long share that entrepreneurship involves being out of the box – an opportunity that allows one to bring a solution to an emerging or old problem.
In the capital Gaborone, Ayanda Motshewa (28) is a proud owner of Amara Events – an enterprise that mainly focuses on events decor services and kiddies events.
Motshewa shares that she started her operations at Amara towards the end of 2020 and currently runs the business from home. The company’s humble beginnings, Motshewa says, are pinned to a once off decision to borrow kiddies’ equipment from a friend.
At the time, Motshewa had just completed her second university degree and could not get a job.
“So there I was, unemployed, with equipment at my disposal, and I started. Eventually I was able to buy my own equipment,” Motshewa recalls.
Motshewa also shares that she has always been a Do-it-Yourself (DIY) enthusiast. She says the fulfilment that comes with seeing something she created making someone else happy drove her to start this business.
Amara does not have any employees just yet as the founding Kidpreneur is starting out, but plans are in place to ultimately hire as the business grow.
While from close range it appears that the events industry in Botswana is congested, Ayanda is not shaken. She quickly points out that the word ‘Amara’ in the Igbo language means grace. She says there may be a thousand other people who do what she does, but grace, has always set her apart right from inception.
“Also, the amount of people doing what I do, cannot outnumber the amount of people who have something to celebrate, no matter how saturated the market may seem. There is always someone to celebrate,” she notes.
Motshewa says because she ventured into this business during the pandemic, one of the challenges she came across is the limit in the number of people she hosts. She says parents were now forced to host events for a small number of children. This in turn meant profits were not maximized.
What she loves about her business is seeing children excited. “When I inflate a jumping castle, it’s seeing the birthday girl/boy sitting on a throne chair with a huge smile, it’s seeing parents and guardians receiving hugs from their children for throwing them a party,” she adds.
This year she says she will be adding baking to her service offering. She openly shares that she doesn’t know anything about baking but the idea sets her soul on fire, and she says she will relentlessly pursue it.
Motshewa wishes for more support in order to grow her business. She notes that she has been receiving a lot of support from existing clients who always refer her to other people. She also adds that she has received a lot of support from private companies as well.
To book her services contact her @Amara Events across all social media platforms, the number to call is +26771565907.
