NAME OF ENTREPRENEUR : ILONA VERNES NAME OF BUSINESS : CHEMISTRY NATURAL SCIENCE ( PTY ) LTD LOCATION : CAPE TOWN PHONE NUMBER : 084 707 8014 EMAIL ADDRESS : ILONA @ CHEMISTRYNATURALSCIENCE . CO . ZA WEBSITE : WWW . CHEMISTRYNATURALSCIENCE . CO . ZA SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS : IG : CHEMISTRYNATURAL _ SCIENCE FB : CHEMISTRYNATURALSCIENCE
1 . WHAT TYPE OF BUSINESS DO YOU RUN ? WE FORMULATE , MANUFACTURE , DISTRIBUTE AND RETAIL HEALTH PRODUCTS , WITH A STRONG FOCUS ON GUT HEALTH . ( HEALTH AND WELLNESS )
2 . HOW LONG HAS YOUR BUSINESS BEEN RUNNING FOR ? 3 YEARS .
3 . WHAT MOTIVATED YOU TO START YOUR OWN BUSINESS ? MY 80-YEAR MOM WAS VERY ILL AND SUFFERED FROM DEMENTIA AS WELL AS OTHER CHRONIC ILLNESSES . THERE ARE SO MANY FANTASTIC ALL NATURAL INGREDIENTS ON THE MARKET TO IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH , BUT HAVING DEMENTIA IT MADE IT VERY HARD TO GIVE HER HANDFULS OF PILLS TO SWALLOW . SO , I SAW A GAP IN THE MARKET TO FORMULATE HEALTH PRODUCTS THAT CONTAIN ALL YOU NEED TO SUPPORT YOUR BODY IN HEALING AND BUILDING A STRONG IMMUNE SYSTEM . INSTEAD OF TAKING VARIOUS PRODUCTS , WE MANUFACTURE CONVENIENT AND TASTY DRINKS THAT WILL SIMPLY YOUR LIFE .
. WHAT STEPS DID YOU TAKE TO GET YOU GOING ? I SPENT MONTHS RESEARCHING THE MARKET CONDUCTING COMPETITOR ANALYSIS , FINDING SUPPLIERS AND SOURCING INGREDIENTS THAT COULD BE TRUSTED . AND THEN A TOTAL OF 8 MONTHS IN LAB , FORMULATING OUR FIRST PRODUCT PLUMP ( OUR ALL-IN-ONE GUT + SKIN + IMMUNITY BLEND ). RUNNING A STOCK INTENSIVE BUSINESS , MEANS ENSURING YOU HAVE YOUR BUDGET AND CASHFLOWS CALCULATED CORRECTLY , SO I AM INCREDIBLY FOR MY BANKING BACKGROUND THAT HELPED ME STRUCTURE THIS SIDE OF MY BUSINESS . NEXT WAS THE FUN CREATIVE STUFF , LIKE CREATING A BRAND , WEBSITE AND PACKAGING . AND VOILA ! WE WERE READY TO LAUNCH !
5 . WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IS THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAY TO RAISE AWARENESS OF YOUR BUSINESS AND BRING IN NEW CLIENTS ? HAVING A STRONG BRAND THAT SPEAKS TO YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE . THEN EDUCATE YOUR FOLLOWERS AND CLIENTS BY BEING CLEAR AND CONCISE IN YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS , BUILDING TRUST AS A MARKET LEADER . ENSURE YOUR PACKAGING REFLECTS YOUR BRAND . THEN SURROUND YOURSELF WITH THE RIGHT TEAM OF LIKEMINDED PEOPLE AND GO BIG ON ADVERTISING !
6 . WHAT CHALLENGES DID YOU FACE IN YOUR BUSINESS AND HOW DID YOU OVERCOME THEM ? WHERE DO I START ! LOL ! STARTING A NEW BUSINESS IS LIKE HAVING A BABY . THERE ARE ALWAYS GOING TO BE PROBLEMS THAT YOU NEVER THOUGHT OF , AND SCHOOL FEES TO PAY . 2 WEEKS BEFORE WE LAUNCHED , I HAD PACKAGING AND WEBSITE ISSUES . BUT THE BEST ADVICE I CAN OFFER IS TO SURROUND YOURSELF WITH A EXPERIENCED AND LIKE MINDED PEOPLE , THAT ARE ABLE TO SHARE THEIR INVALUABLE NUGGETS OF WISDOM WITH YOU . SECONDLY HAVE STRONG FAITH AND NEVER GIVE UP .