by Brigitte Mashile, founder and ceo of Roka Roko
I have been to so many events where people feel the need to ‘pop bottles’, and to be specific, ‘Moet’ bottles. Moet is not cheap, and it is attached to an affluent life; the life of the better than; the life of those who have arrived. I personally have had Moet like 3 times in my life, and no, I did not purchase it in any of those events. I fell in love with the Nectar Imperial. I also knew, very well, that I was not about to buy a bottle of this brand - it is not cheap.
So, I spent some time looking, literally researching champagne. I would walk into a store and ask the store staff about champagne, take note of what they suggested, and compare to each. I then bought a bottle each month to try it out so I could find something related to that Moet nectar imperial; but more affordable whilst still being of great quality. My palette and I finally agreed on Simonsig. It is beautiful, R150 a bottle, doesn’t impair me as much as others, and it’s just bliss.
This is not an article about champagne though…sorry 😊 I am telling you this story to introduce the act of finding options. In anything. Literally anything. I find that men insist on breaking their bank accounts to purchase Moet, just to have the look and then proceed to drink it with care. Have you ever tried to drink champagne with care…drink but don’t finish it? How? The bottle is literally 4 glasses and that’s it.
We need to stop being fed - and never hunting for ourselves. The information available to us is part of a system that wants us to think in a specific way and needs us to behave in a specific way for a specific plan to work and remain working. Imagine believing Moet is the only champagne available - never looking for others and giving them a chance. That would be terrible. So, I go looking.
I go out to look for better cellphone contracts, better data agreements, better rental spaces, better medical aid, better insurance policies. Ones that aren’t as big as the big ones; ones not marketed as much but delivering a service worth my money. I have saved a lot of money by doing this; finding better offers and asking if they can be customized to my needs and pocket. I went from paying R800 to paying R350 for my phone, by simply asking ‘what else is available?” - from the same provider.
If you think of it, as an entrepreneur, you are one of these ‘other’ options available.
You are competing with big names with deep pockets for marketing; and other functions that assist to keep them that big. But, there is something you can offer that they cannot offer. Like the fact that a mouse can squeeze in smaller spaces than an elephant can, but has less than 1% of the elephant’s strength.
It is so essential for us to use the information available to us; not the obvious info. There is information that needs us to dig a bit more; to go in a bit more. Ask simple questions; and try to see what you can get. We cannot all afford Moet, and we shouldn’t have to - not in a world with so much. Sometimes 3 bottles of Krone is better than 1 bottle of Moet; sounds more fun as well. This is a good strategy while you are building to afford 3 bottles of Moet.
Brigette Mashile is the founder and creative force behind Roka Roko, a custom fashion design business based in Johannesburg, South Africa. The company passionately delivers quality tailored and trendy fashion to make their customers happy, and specializes in styling women by creating unusual combinations with fabric, culture and style. Brigette has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Witwatersrand and a Fashion Diploma from Studio5 School of Fashion. She’s a former fashion buyer for a major retailer in South Africa, and an international direct selling company. She’s been passionate about fashion since the age of 10 and gained invaluable experience in the fashion world running informal fashion creation businesses until the day her own Roka Roko brand was born. Find out more by visiting the Roka Roko website www.rokaroko.co.za
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