LIONESS WEEKENDER COVER STORY
Floural, a growing specialist floral design and gifting business in Mozambique
Gita Langa is the owner and founder of Floural, a specialist business in Mozambique offering beautiful flower arrangements and floral gifts to customers in the country. She has an education in Auditing, Compliance and Business Management and a full-time job as Global Compliance Manager in an International non-profit organization. Gita has two big passions, compliance and flowers, and believes that God is her light and strength in all she is and does. She developed a passion for flowers in her childhood, influenced by her mother's love for Chrysanthemums. When young, she used to buy flowers for the home. She never imagined at that age that she would eventually open a florist business, as her dream was to be a fashion designer. At the time, she loved to design clothes and used to do it for herself and her friends - just one of her hidden talents.
Lioness Weekender spoke to the multi-talented entrepreneur and floral design specialist about her unique business journey and her ambitions for the future.
What does your company do?
Floural offers flower arrangements, gifts, and aroma diffusers.
What inspired you to start your company?
I was inspired to start my business by a desperate friend who wanted to create a gift for his girlfriend, and also my passion for flowers. It was on a Sunday, there were not too many options in Nampula city, so I decided to go around with him picking some items to prepare a special gift, including flowers. On that occasion, I got the idea to open a flower business.
Why should anyone use your service or product?
As well as the passion for what we do, it’s the special attention we give to our clients. We are not perfect but make efforts to deliver quality, apologize and compensate our clients whenever we fail. More than making a profit, our main focus is to “do it right,” to maintain the quality of our services and products, ensure customer satisfaction, and care for our staff.
Tell us a little about your team:
My team is amazing. They are not working just for money; I really appreciate their dedication and the willingness to embrace the journey with me and my amazing business partner Leandra Manjatel, the owner of Mafastela.
Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And do you come from an entrepreneurial background?
I do come from an entrepreneurial background. I used to play and laugh at my father as he was always creating a new business. One day, I realized that I am just like him. My head never stops, always creating, imagining, dreaming, it’s just unbelievable.
I started the florist business when a friend of mine needed help to prepare a gift for his girlfriend on their 1st year anniversary, and there were not many options in Nampula at that time. My first flower bouquet was so perfect that I decided to start the business selling in Nampula where I was living in 2008, selling particularly for special occasions such as Women's Day, Valentines Day, and Christmas. I used to post my work on Facebook, my first online shopping platform.
In 2018, I decided to expand the business giving meaning to Floural slogan that is "More than Flowers”; introducing aroma diffusers to our range of products and other gift sets. This was always my vision, to add something else that could make a perfect match with our beautiful flowers. Today, I have a recently opened a store at Serena Polana Hotel, exterior building in Julius Nyerere Av. that is still under development. I have opened this store in partnership with Mafastela, a talented eyewear business.
What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?
My vision is to expose my business more, to dedicate more time to explore my creative potential, and give life to numerous ideas that are always flourishing in my mind. I would like to see Floural where it should be - one of the top 5 preferred florists in Mozambique. With a full-time job, it is not always easy to dedicate time for the business but with support of my team we will get there. In the near future, I would like to fully dedicate myself to what I really love - compliance and flowers. I am a dreamer, apart from flowers, I have a new baby coming in to support entrepreneurs and organizations to ethically succeed in this challenging business environment.
What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?
When we do something that we really love, we cannot measure how fulfilled we feel. And most important, the positive feedback we receive from our clients is a breath of relief and makes us proud.
What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?
Remove the elephant blocking your dream. Believe in yourself, be bold and try it, you will never know if you don't give it a try. Most importantly, be careful about negative opinions, you know your potential better than anyone else. Start slowly, don't rush, and don't compare yourself with others. There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity...a time to plant and a time to uproot (Bible verse at Ecc. 3). And, good luck!!
To find out more about Floural, send an email to floural.sa@outlook.com or visit the company’s website and social media platforms.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/flouralmoz
Instagram: http://instagram.com/_floural_?igshid=NGVhN2U2NjQ0Yg==
