Selma Neshiko
Auguste Niita Uushona is a 23-year-old self-made entrepreneur with a mind set on business.
Born in Windhoek, Uushona attended her primary school at the Van Rhyn Primary School and went on to St Joseph High School for Grade Eight toTen and later completed Grade 11 to 12 at the Windhoek Technical School (HTS). After completing her Grade 12 she enrolled in the school of Humanities and Social Science at the University of Namibia (Unam).
Auguste’s business adventure started when she was in her first year at Unam whereby she started selling 100% Human Hair, which was quite affordable for most students. The profits from the her she invested in stocking up branded clothes, bags, watches and shoes such as Polo, Burberry, Michael Kors, Louis Vuitton and Gucci, which she still sells. During her years at varsity, Uushona joined so many business opportunities including working as an agent at Inuka fragrances, Avon, Amway, GPT and Mangos Teen. “I’m not engaged in any of them right now but it didn’t stop me from trying them out. Right now I’m running my own business but the moral of the story is that one should always try until you succeed,” she says.
What keeps Uushona going is her hunger for success and risk taking. “I believe that failure should never be used as an excuse to give up. You can go to the university for four years but you will never learn as much as you would learn from failure. Failure is the best teacher. Unless you try, you will never know what is out there for you, and failure is simply part of trying,” she says.
In her free time, Uushona enjoys reading entrepreneurial books, magazines, watching TV programmes such as Joel Osteen and attending entrepreneurial events and short courses. She hosted her first event last year with the focus on empowering the Youth under the theme Get Up, Get Connected, Become an Entrepreneur featuring motivational speakers such as Business Woman of the Year 2013, founder of Ericah Shafudah Financial Management Foundation (ESFMF) Ericah Shafudha, Founder of Beyond Beauty World, Kito Kandjibi, and Founder of Amushe Pry Ltd, Michael Amushelelo.
“I am grateful for all the opportunities and blessings which have brought me where I am today, and I state that my faith in God has always sustained me through difficult times. I will be hosting another event soon and I hope the youth will double up the amount that attended last year,” says Uushona.
She lives by three main drives, namely prayer, handwork and focus. “In the next five years I see myself as one of the top Namibian female millionaire and owning a service providing company that will employ over 100 people. My main focus is to empower and reduce the unemployment rate of our country,” she says.
Uushona believes that the most successful entrepreneurs don’t begin with brilliant ideas they discover them. “You need to work hard towards your objectives. You need to surround yourself with successful people. You need to plan and you need to invest. Nothing great or worth having comes over night. It’s never too late to start so start now, start today to ensure a financially independent future for you and your family. Also remember to start small as you will reap the rewards in due course,” she advises.
Uuhsona is the founder and Managing Director at Aviva Investment cc and Royal Boutique cc.