While many consider Selebi Phikwe as a ghost town with no business opportunities, Natasha Leonard Marumo has taken the bull by the horn to start her own pastry business and is winning at it.
Marumo, a 23-year-old Motswana lady, is the founder of Meals Over Feels which is commonly known as @meals_over_feels.
“I am well known for my baked goods being doughnuts, tacos, quesadillas and just pastry in its different forms; sweet pastry treats and cakes for the home baked pastry lovers,” Marumo said.
The founder of the on-order business explained how she has always been keen about baking dating as far as 2007 when she was at primary school.
“I started an informal business back in high school where I sold home baked cakes and cupcakes to my teachers and other students. I cannot recall the last time I took to school a cake bought from the store on my birthday. I have always baked my own to share with classmates.”
The Selebi Phikwe based business lady explained how she had to pause baking because of university as she was an on campus student. However, she resumed business and took it seriously in 2018 while she was pregnant.
Her business bloomed in 2019 when she started a doughnut business commonly known as “DoughNats” which trended on social media and neighborhoods. She has since earned the nickname “MmaMagwinya” because of her love for pastry products.
Just as any business has its ups and downs, Meals Over Feels has had its fair share. Marumo says that business in Selebi Phikwe is a slow one but she is making it. Sometimes she gets orders from far towns and she needs to deliver for her customers, though at a fee. She intends to move and settle in Palapye which is fairly the center for her market.
She also explained that one of her biggest challenges was the fear of people and failure. She had to harden her heart and learn the different ways of communication and different approaches to situations. This fear, she says, cost her big opportunities.
Amidst the competition in business, Marumo remains cheerful. “I often say that I will never be shaken by another person starting the same business like I currently own because I trust myself, my gifted hands and my products, and this is what everyone else should do,” she said.
She says confidence in one’s self and company are epicenter in the business world.
“There is enough space for all of us to do something that puts food on the table. Another thing is that not every business needs a loan or a grant or a large sum of capital to start. Sometimes you need to start with the little you already have. Save, invest and grow which is what I did,” she says.
