Dalene Kooper
In Okakarara, south-east of the Waterberg Mountain in Otjozondjupa, Maita Kalenga believed she would only work for others in a salon to make a living.
However, the lack of hair salons in Okakarara pushed her to enter the market and establish her business, ‘Maita Authentic Beauty Palace’.
“I thought I would just go work in someone’s salon in Outjo,” Kalenga said. Believing she could only be an employee, Kalenga attended the Okakarara Vocational Training Centre to further enhance her skills in hairdressing.
Despite COVID-19 halting her studies for a year, the hairdresser graduated from the vocational training centre in 2022, something she describes as a ‘proud’ moment.
“I call myself a proud product of OVTC,” she said.
She tried applying for jobs at salons in other towns but could not find an opportunity.
“I found that people couldn’t accept me in their businesses. I would get a chair to rent, but it was too expensive for me,” Kalenga said. Clients she knew from her training days called her to continue providing her services in Okakarara.
This is when she decided to return to Okakarara, and with the help of her endearing clients, she started providing her services.
“The fact that my clients in Okakarara were calling me every day, asking me to come back and provide services to them, inspired me,” Kalenga said.She shared that she had an idea of how to begin her entrepreneurial journey as her course had already equipped her to do so.
“I had confidence as we had already learned about self-employment and entrepreneurship at the centre,” she said.
Her customer base slowly grew as word of mouth spread that her talent in hairdressing was undeniable.
“I felt so proud of my business when it started growing because of the services that I provided. The number of clients per day increased,” said Kalenga.
When she realised the importance of clients as a foundation of any business, she pampered them with vouchers, gifts and birthday discounts.
“They started referring others using word of mouth and also marketing on their social media platforms,” Kalenga said.
She is currently renting a house, where she uses only the sitting room for her services. The dream of becoming a successful businesswoman keeps Kalenga persevering through challenges.
Multi-tasking in her business is a daily challenge, as she handles both hairdressing and administration herself. “Sometimes I work until late because my salary is determined by the number of clients I do in a day,” Kalenga said.
She challenges the belief that doing hair is not a good choice of work, stating that it is like running any other business.
“My parents didn’t agree with me doing hair, and they wanted me to follow their career choice because they believed that doing hair was a waste of time,” Kalenga said.
She encouraged aspiring hairdressers not to allow naysayers and challenges to stop them from making millions from a business idea they believe in.
“Start at home with what you have,” Kalenga encouraged.