This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. This is a Title 03 Anele Msweli < Back In 2017 Anele started the brand as passion project while she was living in China. The niche brand has developed into a full-time business with growing demand for its products. Anele and her three sisters were raised by their mother in Montclair, where she attended Mowat Park High. She then attended Rhodes University, where she completed a Bachelor of Earth Sciences degree. The name ‘Mare & Itis’ has its origins in Anele’s student days at Rhodes. She explains, ‘Mare’ is word students at Rhodes use to meaning a fun time. ‘Itis’ is used to describe that sleepy feeling one gets after eating a large meal; “magie vol, ogies toe”. I decided to put these two concepts together to create something that is quint essentially me. I love a good time and I love food.” After completing her degree, Anele volunteered for Greenpeace Africa. She says, ‘The most memorable part of this journey was on board the Rainbow Warrior: I learnt so much from sailing with an eclectic and multinational crew.” ALL NATURAL INGREDIENTS In 2016 Anele moved to Harbin, one of the most northerly cities in China, which as it is situated near Siberia has long and freezing winters. The temperature can reach a very low -40 degrees centigrade. During this time, Anele was using Chinese products for her skin and hair care until she developed allergic reactions to these including her hair starting to fall out. In addition, Anele found it difficult to find suitable cleaning products especially as she was unable to read the labels on the products she was using. This is when, Anele explained, she decided to make her own cleaning products using all natural ingredients. The first product was the prototype for the popular Zesty Kitchen cleaner, which she made from vinegar and lemon. The small business grew from there with requests from friends to make additional products. Countless hours of research led her to a love for essential oils and natural products. Anele then moved to Wuqing, a small district in Tianjin, where she worked long hours as a Montessori English teacher and training coordinator. However, the demand for her products grew and she started selling them in a local market as well as online. ALL OR NOTHING In 2020 Anele’s visit to South Africa for a wedding – with one suitcase – coincided with outbreak of Covid which meant that she was unable to return to China. This also mean that she needed to focus on her fledgling business in order to earn an income. “The year 2020 will always remain a significant year for me and for the brand. It was all or nothing, and I have learnt so much about entrepreneurship and resilience,” explained Anele. The online business has now grown into a range of 45 products including essential oils, linen, and room sprays without alcohol as well as candles and diffusers. Mare & Itis Shoppe is inspired by everything natural. “The products are non-toxic, eco-conscious as well as cruelty-free. I use plant-based ingredients which are biodegradable.” In order to be sustainable all products are supplied in glass bottles, which are reused when returned to her. As a ‘garage’ business Anele is responsible for all aspects of the day to day running. She formulates and tests all products, does the packaging, runs accounts as well as handles all logistics and social media marketing. Apart from her online store, Anele has a number of instore stockists around the country. JUST DO YOUR BEST In speaking of who inspires her Anele says that she loves listening to podcasts including those by Oprah and interior decorator Karin Bohn. She added that she is inspired by her partner who is also an entrepreneur. Anele commented, “However it’s the day-to-day people that are trying to just make things work, the people who just do their best who inspire me the most.” A major challenge in her entrepreneurial journey is that she has not had any funding and has had to rely on her own resources. Other challenges included, “Surviving through Covid which was a major challenge especially as being a non-essential business I experienced shortages in packaging. The rand price and the economy are a constant challenge!” However, she believes that her success has been based on her perseverance as well as being consistent. “It’s important to keep up the same pace no matter what ’waves’ you face,” said Anele. FOLLOW THE DREAM Looking to the future, Anele has set huge goals for herself. As she is really proud of her products and would like to showcase them in the UAE, Anele has obtained an export/ import licence. However, in order to follow her dream, she would have to increase the production of her products substantially. Her advice to young people considering an entrepreneurial journey would be to ‘just start’. “You can learn as you go and figure things out. But you need to set goals for yourself. I am constantly pushing myself to achieve and set new goals at the beginning of each year and again every three months.” In her free time, Anele makes sure to keep both her brain and her hands busy. She enjoys listening to podcasts and reading and loves to sew, knit as well as spends time at the gym and enjoys a regular 5km walk on the Durban promenade every Sunday. Previous Next

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As with any entrepreneur, your experiences build you and that’s the way to get to the top of your pyramid < Back Mariam Manack Founder and Director of ITRAIN Mariam Manack is the founder and director of ITRAIN, a movement that empowers women through physical fitness and strength. She has been a personal trainer since 2012 and in that time has educated and encouraged many hundreds of women to improve their health and fitness. Mariam’s success has been recognised on various platforms. In 2017, she was recognised by the Minara Chamber of Commerce as the youngest Muslim woman to receive a finalist award at the Business Recognition Awards and the Minara Entrepreneurship Competition. Mariam was listed as one of Forbes Africa 30 Under 30 in 2019. She is also a brand ambassador for Puma. Feeling empowered Mariam’s enthusiasm for fitness and sport was present from an early age and stemmed from her parents’ encouragement. She was inspired to participate in sports by her father who was disabled. Mariam explains, “He used fitness and sport to empower himself and to assist in disregarding his disability and to build strength. I was totally motivated by his example.” She added that she enjoyed the euphoria that she experienced after a sports activity and celebrated every step as a great accomplishment. However, Mariam explained that as a young person you don’t question your thoughts. Realising that health and fitness allowed her to feel empowered and that this strength gave her purpose, took some time. She then decided that health was not negotiable and that she would love to empower other people through fitness. Consequently, Mariam completed a Bachelor in Sports Science at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in 2010. She was one of only three Indian girls and one of only two Muslims in her year. Laying the foundations Mariam says that her career of choice was not something approved upon by her community. She commented, ‘I did not have a lot of encouragement or support when I started my business. I had no money and no fixed location. Other than leaving South Africa, my scope was very minimal.” However, Mariam was determined to get into the industry and started by training clients at home, without any equipment, just using her voice and her gift. She said, “I went on this journey through my 20s and I like to call it my journey of resilience, ambition and passion. I was at the bottom end of my pyramid, laying the foundations and digging deep into what I enjoy while climbing the ladder as every year went by. I had to stay in my own lane, carve my way and figure things out. As with any entrepreneur, your experiences build you and that’s the way to get to the top of your pyramid.” Soon her clientele grew, and she founded ITRAIN, a health and fitness studio for women, based in Westville, KwaZulu-Natal, which has become a hub for women’s empowerment and fitness. The studio is very private, and community based with a strong ethos of caring for others. The ITRAIN approach is holistic and tailored to each individual encompassing personal coaching, and a training and eating plan, that provide the support with which people resonate. ITRAIN fitness Signature workouts follow specific body types in relation to age. This accommodates for each member based on their age, fitness level and goals. “ITRAIN focuses on women who strive to feel valued as human beings. People often suffer from low esteem and lack confidence which we can help change. I always look forward to each day and the potential to transform people and their lives,” says Mariam. Developing a team Initially, Mariam micromanaged all aspects of the business but that meant being restricted to one location and a limited number of clients. In 2019, an unplanned pregnancy was the motivation that Mariam required to grow her business. She said that she realised that she was going to need support to manage her business and to meet the needs of a child and family. “I developed a team, which was very empowering for me as an individual to know that I was not just keeping my strengths to myself but that I had a responsibility to equip more individuals to grow in to the space that I had filled.” At that time Mariam scaled her team to ten individuals. The Covid pandemic initially caused much concern for Mariam as to how the business was going to survive. Fortunately, the pandemic also sparked more interest in people looking for hope and the need to experience empowerment. This interest in fitness has allowed Mariam to open a second gym, with a third gym to be opened soon in Umhlanga. A running club has also been launched as part of the fitness offering. In addition, the emergence of the digital space has allowed classes to be offered virtually. She says, “I believe that I have a purpose and a role to play in empowering those around me and intend to gain knowledge and enhance my systems so that I can share my knowledge further.” Currently, the online store includes vitamins, apparel, and branded diet plans. A one stop brand In the future Mariam’s goals are to strive to ensure that ITRAIN is recognised as a one stop brand for health and wellness in South Africa and in the world. In giving advice to others, Mariam says that you should, “Choose what you really love doing and that you are passionate about. As long as you love your career then it’s not called work. When you enjoy what you are doing, your joy becomes contagious and motivates other people. I intend to keep doing what I do but will innovate and evolve.” She concluded, “I have changed many women and their lives have changed for the better as a result. I have a goal to make a million women feel more confident and stronger through the ITRAIN platform.”

< Back Margaret Hirsch

< Back Sarah Whitaker

< Back Laiela Paruk Dorasamy

This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. < Back Brian Chung VP Product This is placeholder text. To change this content, double-click on the element and click Change Content. Want to view and manage all your collections? Click on the Content Manager button in the Add panel on the left. Here, you can make changes to your content, add new fields, create dynamic pages and more. Your collection is already set up for you with fields and content. Add your own content or import it from a CSV file. Add fields for any type of content you want to display, such as rich text, images, and videos. Be sure to click Sync after making changes in a collection, so visitors can see your newest content on your live site. info@mysite.com 123-456-7890