Business Profile: Jabu Bags

Jabu Bags founder Megan Yarema talks about why she began her company, the challenges she faced, and her advice for other entrepreneurs.

How the Company Got Started:

My friend had bought a cloth purse while traveling through Thailand and it was something I thought would look great with an African print. I started to get a few made for friends back home who loved the look and realized this could be a great project for local women. It could be something that is not just about shipping bags, but could also contribute to social awareness.

Since that time, I have found a group of rural women who sew the bags, stores in both South Africa and Swaziland to sell the bags, and am in the process of a developing a business plan to create a fully functioning socially responsible business that sells locally and overseas.

The Reason Behind the Company:

At the time I was in between internships and thought this could be a great project to get involved with. As the idea started to take shape, I knew this could be something that contributed to people’s lives in a positive way and have a larger impact on women’s empowerment in Swaziland. I decided to follow my intuition and see how far this idea could go. Once that happened, people kept coming into my life that really supported the idea and I knew I was onto something that could be successful in terms of both business and human security.

The Biggest Obstacles to Overcome:

The most difficult part of this process has been lacking a business background. Having studied political science at university it is easy to relate the concept to sustainable livelihoods, but knowing what steps to take first or what should be in place in order to run a successful business is not as easy to figure out.

The other issue I face right now is trying to put a framework for a business in place in order to attract funding. Many people have ideas and I need to prove that this one can work and can have a positive affect on the country and the women I employ.

Advice for Others:

Trust your intuition. Good ideas come and go, but sometimes there is something that pulls you towards it. I would say trust that even though it may seem impossible at the time. People are very supportive of business that is meant to help others, and are more than willing to share insight and contacts. Once you start meeting people that support your project more things will fall into place. Take things one day at a time and try not to get too worked up about the amount you have to invest in the project for it to take off.

What North America Can Do:

We need North American NGO’s or businesses that have loans or donations for grassroots business overseas. Costs here are much less so the amount would be minimal compared to what a business would need back home to get established, but the funding is essential for these projects to continue.

Obvious and open distribution channels are also important. Right now I only have a few stores to contact, so knowing where to look for distributors and having them be open to handmade products would greatly help business move faster.

What’s Next:

Looking ahead to the next few months Jabu Bags will be more established with a solid business plan, more groups of women joining the project and increasing production, and solidifying funding. In the next year I see marketing & sales becoming a major focus as more women become involved and production increases.

To learn more about this author, visit Jabu Bags 's Website.

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