by Brigette Mashile
I have mentioned in past blogs that hiring is one of the biggest challenges of running your own business. Well, it does not get better. The obstacles just change in nature. It has been a year and a bit of me being at home and attempting to hire someone to help me. I got shocked every week by the failures of not finding 1 person who can help me. I mean, my brain had said there are many people at home I could possibly hire; a lot of people available to train…my brain was incorrect. Here is what I have discovered as barriers:
Not many are trained to sew clothes
In high school in 1999-2003 we had home economics as a subject. Home economics is where I fell in love with the sewing machine, it is what told me that all the dress drawings I had been doing for years had an opportunity to come to life. It is why I knew how to stitch on a machine by age 17.
There are just no young people who know how to stitch. This is a shock because in Johannesburg you have young people who can, but they are mostly not South African; and there are sewing schools in Johannesburg. The interest is here but there seems to not be anyone closing the gap between high school and being job ready for stitching.
People need money
Once I put out a job post for a sewing position, with the position clearly specified, but I received responses from a lot of people with different experiences from what I asked for. It became clear people needed to make money, they need a way to fend for themselves. This leaves little space for passion careers and dreams. There is a huge need to have work that pays you well.
I am a passionate person running a dream career looking for people who are passionate about the same career. I need someone who at least likes stitching; if you love the fashion industry then it is a win for all of us. This has been difficult to achieve. My last trainee turned assistant turned independent fashion professional was passionate about fashion; she had an interest in it and is willing to learn about it still today. Will I ever find a person like this in my home town?
Location location
My new studio is in a village, separate from the main CBD of Bushbuckridge. It is approximately 4km from town. I know, because I walked it…LOL! Sounds close, well no. Many people prefer jobs that are in town because public transport ends there; to come to me they need another taxi. This would total 4 taxis in 1 day to get to and from work.
I have no idea why this is simpler in Johannesburg; to get from Turfforntein to Midrand you would need 2 taxis. And depending on where you are in Midrand, it might be 3. A lot of the potential people I have communicated with have expressed this as an issue. Two reasons are the cost and time. Attempting to get from point A to point B, with it being 30km in distance has proven to be a hindrance.
I am still looking though. I cannot give up. There is a dream which has become a goal which has become a plan I have to complete. I am in this place to add to the youth, to add to the economy, and hopefully create a way to assist with the gap between high school and employment. I take breaks in between from trying and go back into the eye of the storm to do more.
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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