Black Excellence! 10 Interesting Facts About Portia Mngomezulu #10YearsofPortiaM

Black Excellence! 10 Interesting Facts About Portia Mngomezulu. If her story doesn’t motivate you, we don’t know what will. Portia Mngomezulu has shown us that originality and starting small is the ultimate way to build an empire. Having started from her kitchen back in 2011, Portia owns one of the leading beauty and skin care companies in the country and beyond. Today, the remarkable businesswoman is celebrating 10 years of Portia M.

1. When Portia gave birth to her son in 2010, she found a niche in the market. After developing stretch markets during her pregnancy, her mother-in-law suggested Marula oil to treat the scarring. The results were so impressive that Portia wanted to share it with those closest to her.

2. Investing R200 initially, Portia bought Marula oil directly from rural women in Limpopo, bottled it herself and began selling it as a side-business. The profit she made on each bottle was reinvested into her business.

3. With a two-plate stove and a couple of pots, Portia manufactured her first batches of product; her ‘secret oil’, which she sold for R100 per bottle at church, and to friends who were pregnant. Talk about starting small.

4. She approached the Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA) and asked for help to have her products and formulas tested. Getting the legal paperwork right was a key step in the growth of the business, and one that would pay off later.

5. Confident she was ready to supply the retail market, Portia quit her full-time job as an IT engineer at the end of 2013. This goes on to show that, if you believe you can do it, then do away with anything that can distract you.

6. In 2015, Portia was named the overall winner of the Tshwane Exporters Awards, thanks to the fact that she registered as an exporter with South African Revenue Services.

7. In 2017, she was named a National Gazelle by the Department of Small Business Development and SEDA. She won a grant of R1 million, enabling her to buy additional manufacturing equipment and a truck.

8. Portia M’s production and distribution premises occupy a 500 square metre factory space in Lynnwood, Pretoria, where she has created full-time jobs for many people, ranging from cleaners, to biochemists, packers and drivers.

9. Taking advantage of social media, Portia markets her products o various platforms. Testimonies are her strongest marketing tool. She has over 538,100 followers on Facebook, 24.6K Followers on Twitter as well as 164k followers Instagram users.

10. Her products are available in Swaziland, Namibia, and Botswana and she is exploring new markets.