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Nandile Mjuleka, Mbizana-born attorney says growing up in a family that encouraged curiosity, continuous learning, keeping abreast of issues in the world around us and open communication sparked her interest in high school debating which ultimately pushed her to pursue and complete a Bachelor of Laws degree from Nelson Mandela University and a Post Graduate Diploma in Compliance Management from the University of Johannesburg.
Her family and upbringing have a significant impact on who she is, her career choices, passion, and hobbies.
Nandile recalls that as a young child she loved being in the kitchen with her mother and grandmother despite being an Attorney and working for an insurance company in her spare time she focuses on her emerging food business “MY KITCHEN”.
“Thinking this was synonymous with playing house with sand as we would do with childhood friends, I confidently poured sand into her dough. Needless to say, that story didn’t end well but it certainly made my grandmother cultivate my cooking skills. My cooking has a flare for traditional food which is influenced by my mother’s and grandmother’s cooking. My appreciation for diversity and curiosity inspired me to have a menu that caters to different food preferences including vegetarians and vegans,” she explains.
Her passion, fulfillment, and wanting to see the business through from conceptualization right up to the execution stage inspired her to venture into entrepreneurship. “My parents were entrepreneurial which included selling livestock and fresh crops to supplement their income so that they could educate my siblings and me. My grandmother makes and sells traditional décor, she says. She adds that various individuals pursue business for various reasons for her grandmother it was for survival, for her parents it was to better their children’s lives and for her, it is for passion. Her business offers various services which are corporate events, customized meals, dietary-specific meals, meal plans, private dining, and health-conscious food.
Her vision for her business is to build a reputable business that services the needs of individuals and businesses, bringing delicious food to the tables of hungry mouths whilst creating lifelong memories. With the high hope that soon she will get funding opportunities to grow her business and later give back in a meaningful way such as by providing delicious and nutritious meals for underprivileged children to help with their growth and development.
The challenge that I have faced is learning which marketing tools are effective to reach my target market. Getting the right people on board to assist grow my business, getting the word out and getting consistent supplies of quality ingredients at affordable prices, and growing my customer base.
“Be passionate about the field that you plan on venturing in. Be willing to try out different things until you see a positive market response. Outsource the areas in your business that are your weakness to skilled people in that field. When we come together it is amazing what we can achieve,” she concludes.
