‘Connie Transforms’ was started by an industrious South African woman who saw a gap in the market for a local makeup industry, so she created a booming brand.
Makeup is one of the biggest industries in the world. South Africa hosts hundreds of coveted international brands but very few that are locally created. At just 27, Connie Bhebhe decided to make a change and produce local products for local women.
Let us throw some stats at you just to help show how big the local market actually is… These stats are about 7 years out of date so can you imagine what they are like now in the beauty obsessed society?
“The total size of the South African cosmetics and personal care products market for 2010 was estimated at R25.3 billion at retail level and contributes 1,0% to the gross domestic product (GDP).” – The Department of Trade and Industry
Connie went to Canada and bought some high end products and when she returned she realised she could do so much more for herself as a business woman and for the country. She created Connie Transform and started small, creating six stunning shades of lipstick that are high quality and long lasting.
Currently she has 14 shades since starting in December 2016. She is based in Johannesburg and has some really great advise for other entrepreneurs who are wanting to start their own companies.
“If you’re a young entrepreneur or a first-time entrepreneur, my advice is to go into new and growing industries instead of trying to invest something that has never been done. The latter is a much longer and discouraging process. If a market already exists then you’re more likely to have success from the get go. Make sure to do it better than your competitors, don’t go into a market just to be like others, go in to take over.”
Her goal is to empower local women to become distributors and to build an empire akin to the Kardashians.
“The plan is to grow and produce more cosmetic products and to grow our list of distributors to at least 100 women then go into other SADC (Southern African Development Communities) countries. We are launching lashes this year too,”
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