• Name of entrepreneur : Claire Blanckenberg
• Name of business : Reel Gardening
•
Location : 411 Long Ave , Ferngate Studios Unit 8 , Randburg , 2194
• Phone Number : 011 782 0661
• Email Address : info @ reelgardening . co . za
• Website : www . reelgardening . co . za
• Social Media Platforms :
o Instagram
� https :// www . instagram . com / reel _ gardening /? hl = en
� https :// www . instagram . com / clairecreid /
o LinkedIn
� https :// za . linkedin . com / in / claire-reid-blanckenberg- 03a1732a
� https :// www . linkedin . com / company / reel-gardening /
� https :// www . linkedin . com / company / reel-life-npc /
1 . WHAT TYPE OF BUSINESS DO YOU RUN ? REEL GARDENING IS A SOCIAL ENTERPRISE DEDICATED TO HELPING PEOPLE GROW THEIR OWN FOOD EFFICIENTLY USING LESS TIME , WATER , AND SPACE . WE MANUFACTURE PATENTED SEED TAPES AND SACHETS THAT ENSURE SEEDS ARE PLANTED AT THE CORRECT SOIL DEPTH AND ENABLES LOCALISED WATERING . OUR SEED TAPES ARE MADE FROM ORGANICALLY FERTILISED BIODEGRADABLE PAPER THAT DECOMPOSES WHILE PROVIDING NUTRIENTS AND ENRICHING THE SOIL ONCE PLANTED . WE PRE-PACK THESE INTO COMPLETE HOUSEHOLD GARDEN KITS — CALLED “ GARDEN IN A BOX ” — TAILORED TO THE PLANTING AREA AND SEASON , SIMPLIFYING AND OPTIMISING THE HOME GARDENING PROCESS .
2 . HOW LONG HAS YOUR BUSINESS BEEN RUNNING FOR ? THE BUSINESS WAS ESTABLISHED IN 2009 AND HAS BEEN ACTIVELY RUNNING EVER SINCE .
3 . WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO START YOUR OWN BUSINESS ? I ’ VE ALWAYS HAD AN ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT . I STARTED MY FIRST ‘ BUSINESS ’ MAKING GREETING CARDS AT AGE 7 . AT 16 , MY PARENTS ENCOURAGED ME TO GROW VEGETABLES AT HOME BY OFFERING TO BUY THEM FROM ME . HOWEVER , I FOUND THE PLANTING PROCESS CONFUSING AND ENDED UP UNKNOWINGLY NURTURING WEEDS INSTEAD OF VEGETABLES , WHICH INSPIRED ME TO INVENT THE SEED TAPE TO AID MY PLANTING JOURNEY . WHILE STUDYING ARCHITECTURE AT UNIVERSITY , I PITCHED THE “ GARDEN IN A BOX ” CONCEPT DURING AN INTERNSHIP AS A SOLUTION FOR A SOCIAL HOUSING PROJECT . THE CLIENT TOOK A CHANCE AND PURCHASED THE PRODUCT BEFORE IT WAS EVEN FULLY DEVELOPED , AND THAT MARKED THE BEGINNING OF MY BUSINESS JOURNEY . THE REST IS HISTORY !
4 .. WHAT STEPS DID YOU TAKE TO GET YOU GOING ? WHILE STILL STUDYING , I SECURED THE INITIAL CAPITAL TO START MY BUSINESS . BALANCING MY MASTER ' S IN ARCHITECTURE AND DEVELOPING THE SEED TAPE ' S COMMERCIAL VIABILITY WAS CHALLENGING . IT WAS AN EXTREMELY DIFFICULT TIME FOR ME . WITH CLASSES FROM 8 TO 5 , I STRUGGLED TO FIND TIME TO ESTABLISH REEL GARDENING ' S FOUNDATION . PROGRESS WAS SLOW UNTIL MY THEN-BOYFRIEND , NOW HUSBAND , WHO WORKED AS A CHANGE MANAGEMENT CONSULTANT , QUIT HIS JOB TO HELP . HE SET UP THE NECESSARY SYSTEMS AND PROCESSES , ALLOWING REEL GARDENING TO OPEN ITS DOORS WITHIN A YEAR .