She's also one of the mail and guardian stopped 200 for 2019.

I love having woman in the studio perpetrating.

I said this morning.

Thank you so much for Let's talk a little bit about the initiative.

I mean, you're an entrepreneur and one individual that has got a very diverse background as well.

Having been born in Russia, wants appearance when exile.

Let's talk a little bit about the journey for you.

So far, well done.

Congratulations for the male on guard in recognition, by the way, Thank you so much.

So my husband and I run P N H critique, and it's the fastest growing African print retail brand in South Africa.

So we started from the spare bedroom off our home, and we were able to grow our business organically. 00:00:57.520 --> 00:01:5.430 We now have six retail stores as well as an online store that facilitates nationwide delivery as well six retail stores. 00:01:5.440 --> 00:01:13.730 Let's talk a little bit about the economic climb into South Africa split before entrepreneurs, right and usually statistics appointing very bleak in terms of harmony.

Businesses actually failed within the very 1st 5 years.

So what would you say?

That's your secret, for consistency has been, I mean, to actually have retail stores more than five.

That is a big fate.

Yeah, absolutely.

So it Indeed the statistics do show that, and it is very rim grim statistics for the very beginning, off on Entrepreneurs Journey and for us, I think the secret has always been to grow organically, to kind of pace yourself and to grow as organically as possible.

I think a lot of times we dream very big and we dive straight into the deep end.

But there's a lot off things within the entrepreneurial journey that one needs to learn.

And as you go along, it's much easier than to pace yourself.

Is it easy?

And I'm speaking.

That's simply because today we're looking at equality under the theme of our International Woman's Day as a woman, Would you say it is twice as hard to be able to break the barriers, break the stereotypes, gain equality even a sense of respect, especially within the industry itself.

I think within entrepreneurship in general, entrepreneurship really is almost like a microcosm off society as a whole.

It's a reflection off society.

So when we look at entrepreneurship, particularly among women, we definitely do still face a lot of challenges.

And that's why it's imperative that for those of us that are female entrepreneurs, we actually bring other women along with us.

We've been preaching this know for how long the city that we need to stop bringing women more, collect a collaboration, more collectivity amongst women? 00:02:46.930 --> 00:03:3.750 Are we seeing it, Though manifest in certain industries, I actually think that we almost have to enforce it upon people to really make solid pledges in terms of what am I going to do in my own individual capacity in order to give back. 00:03:3.750 --> 00:03:15.450 So as you speak about International Women's Day, the hashtag for that is each for equal meaning that each individual has their own individual responsibility to bring another woman up.

So when we look at the context of PN H boutique, for example, we've got Al beside the Women Empowerment Project.

As I mentioned, we started our business in the spare bedroom of our home, and our biggest challenge was access to market.

We had a great product.

Nobody knew about it.

So now that we are in the position that we're in, we're bringing other women along other creators to showcase their products within our store, to generate a turn over for themselves and to also access market.

That is how each for equal, is practical in an every day since in our own individual capacity, what can we as individuals do to make a greater change so that it has a ripple effect? 00:03:57.440 --> 00:04:1.030 Yeah, I mean, look, we're talking quite significantly about International woman stand. 00:04:1.030 --> 00:04:5.020 It's just said that what's with celebrating International Woman's Day? 00:04:5.020 --> 00:04:15.110 We have to deal with the realities, especially the sole African context around gender parity around the access to markets with women, particularly in business, are concerned for you.

How do you think that practically now woman are able to break those barriers to entry, especially as a female entrepreneurs?

Because I could imagine that maybe let's after two years a woman would look at it and saying maybe business is not the way that I should be going because things are not necessarily turning out the way that I had planned.

So how then do we start encouraging those women who are feeling like I got hit?

I hear you, I hear you.

That is really hard, you know, I think with entrepreneurship as a whole, it's not easy.

It's not easy for both men and for women because when we look at the economic climate in which we are operating in South Africa is now officially in a recession, people are cash strapped.

They also have less access to disposable income. 00:04:54.120 --> 00:05:2.490 So we're operating within a very tough economic environment and I think that it's even more tough of for the minority groups such as women. 00:05:2.740 --> 00:05:15.880 I really believe that in order for us to make any kind of progress whatsoever, we actually need to rope the men into these conversations and get them on board as activists on behalf of women as well.

We talk about International Women's Day and they lots of events and conferences, etcetera.

But I often feel as though we're already preaching to the converted letters bring in the other half off the gendered world in order for us to have these conversations because when we look at the economic framework.

Ah, lot off the decision making is still in the hands of men.

So we need to bring in men and women to have these conversations to make active pledges so that we can actually see decisive change.

Mackenzie Happy International Women's Day and Thats Morning.