Startup Story
Every great event needs great floral decorations to create memorable occasions, and it is the same with creating the right impression in a home or office. In Maputo, Mozambique, entrepreneur Josefa Amélia Massinga, founder and CEO of Florista Flor Khyathu e Servicos, has just the floral decorations and expertise to turn any event or space into something truly special.
LoA chatted to founder Josefa Amélia Massinga to find out more…
Tell us about yourself
My name is Josefa Amélia Massinga, and I was born on 1 May in 1976 in Maputo, Mozaqmbique. Today, I am the founder and CEO of Florista Flor Khyathu e Servicos, a floral decor company. My main objective through the business is to make people gain a taste for flowers, not only natural ones but also to make people realize that artificial ones also have their beauty and quality. I founded the business 5 years ago, and today the majority of the company's workers are my children, nephews, domestic servants and friends of the children. Working with the High Master Academy, I have also undertaken a number of speaking engagements at various events globally. This year, I participated as a speaker in a lecture with the theme ‘Awaken your Power’, based on how to take your ideas from paper to action; I also participated in a lecture in São Paulo in Brazil on the NBA Business Development programme having won a prize to participate in another lecture in the following year.
“The inspiration for starting the company came from my godmother who made me love flowers.”
What does your company do?
My business is based on creating floral arrangements with natural and artificial flowers. These arrangements are used for the decoration of private houses, company offices and other such places, but also for the ornamentation of wedding cars and beautiful bouquets for brides. We also sell decorative frames, items for the decoration of children's parties, toys, interior decoration items, etc.
What inspired you to start your company?
The inspiration for starting the company came from my godmother who made me love flowers. So I decided to take my first step in the area of entrepreneurship in the world of floral decoration.
Why should anyone use your service or product?
Our services are special for the simplicity and cordiality with which we serve our customers, as they are the essential element for our growth and success.
“Our services are special for the simplicity and cordiality with which we serve our customers, as they are the essential element for our growth and success.”
Tell us a little about your team
My team of workers in the company consists of 5 elements, among them I have my two oldest daughters who have been with me since the beginning and at the opening of the store - they have given me a lot of support. And I also have the Advisory team that is composed of 13 people. Both teams are dynamic, have shown a lot of work, are very helpful and always willing to work, and we have always had good feedback from our customers after the work done by my team. It is a team of young people willing to work whenever the job calls them.
Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And, do you come from an entrepreneurial background?
It was a great challenge to open the florist in a suburban area and believe me it was not easy to maintain myself during the first months. I am in an area where there was no florist, but thank God, and with a lot of persistence and the support and praise of the customers who entering the store made me not give up, and I delivered what customers were asking for. I always bet on looking for customers and that was a big challenge for me. It made me grow because my challenge was always the satisfaction of finding and delivering to my customers and never disappointing them, because they would always bring me more customers. It helped me to win a lot of business and I like my work more as a result. I look for new challenges at the end of each year and this has made me try to change the image of the florist a little bit, which means our target audience sees the continuing growth of the company at each reopening of the collective holidays. They gete to see at first hand that we continue to work hard.
With the passage of time and seeing the demand of customers for other services, I felt the need to create complementary services to those that already existed, hence the birth of Khyathu Assessoria. Khyathu Assessoria is located in the same building, on the first floor where we have several types of service offerings, and where the service is more personalized. For example, the ornamentation and floral decoration of churches, protocol and advisory services of all kinds of events, rental of dishes and decoration materials and the manufacture of invitations. This has led to the employment of 12 more workers who collaborate according to the level of work. Khyathu Assessoria has also been a great source of income because its profits are higher. In this business, our work is more complete because it is not only the flowers, but also the general advice being offered for the events at which we are required to provide services. In the same store, we also offer the sale of accessories for brides and bridesmaids and the hire of wedding clothes, commonly called Brechó.
What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?
My future plans for the company is to make it grow more and more, always seeking to innovate. By doing so, we can be recognized at a national level so that we can be at the top of the most successful companies in floral arrangements that Mozambique has ever had.
What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?
What gives me the most satisfaction in being an entrepreneur is to see our work being recognized, being recommended to new clients, We strive to ensure that after the company's services are provided, they have been recommended by our clients. This shows that we have done a good job and motivates us to continue and innovate so that with the passage of time the work becomes even better compared to the past years.
What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?
The great advice I can offer to other women who want to start their small business is dream and take the first step, because the first step is very important for what comes next. Do not give up on your dreams and put everything in hands of God, that the rest he will provide.
Identifying your business is the first step towards achieving it.
Pray to God, trust and wait on Him. Submit to God's will and time. He wants to help you. Seek to hear the word of the Lord, read, meditate and apply it in your life. Obey! Do what he says and you will see him act on your behalf.
Find out more
Email Address: jmassinga5@gmail.com
Why LoA loves it….
What is wonderful about Josefa Amélia Massinga and her entrepreneurial journey is that she saw a space in the market where she could start up her business, but importantly, the opportunity to really grow into complementary services. Today, she is a serial entrepreneur, leveraging her considerable industry knowledge and expertise to grow businesses that complement each and create much needed job opportunities for local people. Her passion for what she does, and her leadership skills in nurturing others to follow in her footsteps, mean that she is growing a business that makes an impact in so many ways. — Melanie Hawken, founder & ceo of Lionesses of Africa