OMARURU – When your dreams don’t align with what you had envisioned, you sometimes seek an alternative.    

This is the story of Betty Usoreruaije Tjongarero from Windhoek, who aspired to become a veterinarian when she was young.

Her schooling years took her between the capital and southern Namibia before she returned to Windhoek to complete her education.

However, her academic journey did not go as she had planned.

After failing Grade 10, Tjongarero enrolleddream butmibia College of Open Learning, hoping to achieve the marks she needed to pursue her dream, but received the same results the following year. She registered then for Grade 12 but left after a month, choosing to follow a career she was introduced to by her mother.

In 2016, her mother attended a conference where she met Marianne Akwenye, founder of the Nomad African Spa. According to Tjongarero, Akwenye spoke about empowering young people through holistic therapy training,

“My mother told me about the holistic therapy training and I enrolled the following day at the Nomad African Spa.  It felt like I had finally found my path,” she said.

Today, Tjongarero runs her own beauty and wellness parlour in Omaruru, where she has been operating for six years. She said she identified a gap in the market for a space in the town and saw a need to create a space where both residents and visitors could access quality grooming and wellness services without travelling to coastal towns or the capital.

Her parlour offers a range of services, including deep-tissue, Swedish, and aromatherapy massages, as well as manicures, pedicures and waxing.

She said the most rewarding part of running her business is the connection she has built with her clients.

“In a town like Omaruru, clients become like family. Seeing someone walk in stressed and leave feeling renewed is fulfilling,” she said.

Tjongarero added that being independent allows her to provide personalised care.

“I am able to take my time with each client and tailor the treatment to their specific needs. It is about creating a space where people feel heard and recharged,” she said.

Despite the progress, she said operating in a small town comes with challenges. These include inconsistent water and electricity supply, as well as the difficulty of sourcing specialised products, which often requires travel and planning.

She further explained that quieter tourism seasons require innovative marketing strategies to maintain a steady flow of clients.

She now advises aspiring entrepreneurs to focus on consistency and patience.

“If it means moving to a small town to proper, take the chance. In a small town, word-of-mouth is your strongest marketing tool. If you provide a reliable service, the community will support you,” she said.

-edeklerk@nepc.com.na