Startup Story

Every entrepreneur appreciates the importance of getting their businesses and brands noticed in the marketplace, but it can be hard work for many. In South Africa, serial entrepreneur Alison Kirk, founder of Fliggy, is coming to the rescue, with her extensive brand marketing expertise.

LoA chatted to founder Alison Kirk this month to learn more about this specialist business.

What does your company do?

We help businesses get brand awareness, credibility and leads to increase their sales. We are the franchisor for the brand Wedding & Function, who specializes in marketing wedding and event businesses through a bi monthly magazine, the Wedding & Function website, app, and social media. We have a Wedding Industry networking event once a month to help grow business in the wedding industry. And we have an adverting agency specializing in branding, websites and helping business have a marketing plan.

“We help businesses get brand awareness, credibility and leads to increase their sales.”

What inspired you to start your company?

I am very passionate about South Africa and truly believe there is lots of opportunity here. I want to make a difference to make South Africa be a better place and I believe that if I can market business to help them grow then they can employ more people making South Africa a better place. I believe that marketing it the heart of every business. You could offer the best product or service but if nobody knows what you are doing how will your sales increase?

Why should anyone use your service or product?

We are the biggest wedding magazine in South Africa in terms of print run and distribution. We offer the best value for money in marketing for the Wedding Industry.

I am a business owner, I know how hard it is to be a business owner that is why we don't just market your business, we also educate you on marketing so that you can get the best out of it.

“I believe that if I can market business to help them grow then they can employ more people making South Africa a better place.”

Tell us a little about your team

Alison Kirk (owner & sales) is wife to Star Trek’s Captain Kirk – AKA David Kirk - and has been married for 14 years. She is super Mom to Matthew who is 8 years old and Samuel who is 4 years old. She is a business owner and a leader who believes in empowering her staff and inspiring people around her.

Her favourite sayings:

Great things never come from comfort zones!
When it rains look for rainbows. When it’s dark look for stars.

Heidi Botha
Admin & Accounts

From making sure the day to day of Wedding & Function runs smoothly, keeping in contact with our clients, keeping them up to date with the current or upcoming changes in the media industry, arranging speakers and finalizing details for our monthly Wedding Industry Networking Event as well as the occasional personal assistance such as feeding the fish while Alison is overseas, there’s nothing Heidi isn’t happy to help with. Heidi has been with Wedding & Function KZN for 5 years, she loves her job and loves that she and Alison have many of the same values and morals in life, not to forget their sometimes crazy and funny shenanigans in the office.

Anica van der Meer
Art Director

Growing up on a dairy farm, makes Anica a farm-chick with a bit of a creative side. She’s got middle-child syndrome having 2 other sisters which she loves and will do anything for. After matriculating, she completed a B-Tech degree in Graphic Design at PE Technikon after which she took a few gap years and lived in London. Her favourite memory was avoiding London Police in her unlicensed & unregistered UNO named Jackson. She went out and explored England, Wales, Scotland, Amsterdam, Brussels, Italy and LOVED the ski holiday in France. She also completed a PGCE Foundation Phase from Unisa.

Anica enjoys being creative for Fliggy’s clients and especially enjoys challenging logo designs. She has been with Fliggy since 2019 and prior to this spent time with Ricochet Publishing. She loves her job, her boss and fun-crazy work colleagues.

Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And, do you come from an entrepreneurial background?

I have always been driven and I believe that we are given one life and it is up to me and only me to make my life count and to enjoy my life. I am dyslexic and things have not come easy to me, but I have not let it be an excuse. Been an entrepreneur was my choice, and I have worked hard to get to where I am today.

“I believe that marketing it the heart of every business. You could offer the best product or service but if nobody knows what you are doing how will your sales increase?”

What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?

I plan to grow Wedding & Function franchises all over South Africa. Leading the Wedding Industry in marketing.

What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?

Seeing my client business grow, helping them to understand marketing better. Watch my team grow and better themselves.

What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?

Being a business owner, you have to wear a lot of hats, you have to know about accounts, marketing, selling, planning, networking, etc. Don't be afraid to talk and ask the experts. Don't stop researching and learning. Look at it as a journey, and don't just work work work, have fun and enjoy your family. Life is too short to miss out on you children growing up. One of the biggest decisions you make is choosing your life partner - take that very seriously and don't stop working on that relationship, because with things get hard, that is the person who is going to be cheering you on to keep going when you think it is over when it is not.

Contact or follow Fliggy

Why LoA loves it….

Many women entrepreneurs know how to juggle multiple businesses, brands and their own lives successfully, and Alison Kirk is definitely one of those people. Not only that, she helps other business owners to get their brands and products noticed in the marketplace. Her other entrepreneurial passion for the wedding industry means that she is a great example of a business owner who manages to get a balance between all the important aspects of her life and businesses. — Melanie Hawken, founder & ceo of Lionesses of Africa