Women’s Month is a time to celebrate the women who continue to break barriers, create opportunities and shape a better future for themselves and those around them. Across South Africa, women entrepreneurs are building businesses that create jobs, solve real problems and inspire the next generation to dream bigger. However, behind every business is a story of perseverance, sacrifice and the courage to overcome adversity.
Entrepreneurship is often shaped by setbacks, difficult decisions, fresh starts and the belief that a vision is worth pursuing. It demands resilience, but more importantly, it calls for the ability to adapt and persevere when the path ahead is uncertain.
This Women’s Month, we spoke to three women participating in the Black Umbrellas Programme whose businesses span beauty, agriculture and sustainable manufacturing. While they operate in different industries, their stories are connected by a common thread: turning challenges into opportunities and building businesses that create lasting impact.
For Siyasanga Hohana, founder of Hohana Style Up Studio SA, the dream began with a passion for the beauty industry. After gaining years of experience working in salons, she launched her own business in 2013 and began developing her own skincare products. However, when economic pressures forced her to close her doors in 2017, she stepped away from the industry and broadened her business knowledge through an administrative role. Rather than seeing this setback as the end of her entrepreneurial journey, she embraced it as an opportunity to learn and grow. In 2020, she returned to the Eastern Cape and rebuilt her business from her grandmother’s garage, transforming it into the luxury nail studio it is today.
A similar determination can be seen in the story of Nontokozo Mdletshe, founder of Sanvitalia Agricultural Enterprise. Inspired by the realities of food insecurity and unemployment, she made the bold decision to leave her job at the age of 25 to pursue agriculture full time. Rather than allowing limited access to land and funding to define her journey, she used these challenges as an opportunity to innovate and forge a new path. She expanded her business to include training, mentorship and agribusiness support, enabling others to grow while advancing her vision of a more sustainable and accessible agricultural sector.
For Lizl Naude, founder of Lilly Loompa Creative Upcycling, the path to entrepreneurship looked very different. After losing everything and facing homelessness, she made the courageous decision to start again. By transforming discarded materials into practical, high-quality products, she has grown her business into one that reduces waste, promotes sustainability and contributes to a cleaner South Africa. Her journey is a powerful reminder that some of the strongest businesses are built not from perfect circumstances, but from the determination to keep moving forward.
Although their stories are unique, the lessons they have learned are similar. They speak about resilience as a daily decision. It is the willingness to start again after setbacks, to adapt when circumstances change and to continue believing in a vision. As Hohana reflects, every challenge teaches you something. The key is to keep going.
Their stories also highlight the value of having the right support. Through mentorship, practical business guidance and opportunities to connect with other entrepreneurs, the Black Umbrellas Programme has helped each of them strengthen their businesses and prepare for sustainable growth.
When asked what advice they would give to other women looking to start a business, their message was: believe in your vision, start with what you have and never stop learning. Perfect conditions rarely exist, but taking the first step is often what makes the difference.
These entrepreneurs remind us that women are building far more than businesses; they are creating opportunities, strengthening communities and shaping a more inclusive future.
