Jacqueline Ntuyabaliwe is one of Africa’s young and vibrant entrepreneurs raising the bar for innovation and ensuring that Africa remains a driver of commerce and economic growth. The former Tanzanian beauty queen is the Founder and creative mind behind Amorette, an interior design company that provides a comprehensive range of design services for commercial and residential projects.
By infusing her love for interior and furniture design, fine art and fashion, she launched ‘Molocaho by Amorette’, the design and manufacturing arm that produces high end quality made-to-order furniture, furnishings, designer fabrics, lighting, decor, outdoor and garden furniture and rugs. Besides these unique products, they offer a personalized touch to their clients needs through customized services that allow them to choose from a wide range of fabrics, as she delivers on her promise for excellence and attractive finishing to match the brands standards.
Driven by her desire to live a life that inspires the next generation, she continues to strive to build a company that she expects will be a successful globally recognized luxury furniture brand in the next five to ten years.
I had the opportunity to chat with Jacqueline, as she highlights her entrepreneurial journey so far, challenges, future plans of her company and some key lessons.
Tell us about your personal and professional background.
I was born in Dar es salaam,Tanzania. I'm the last born in a family of three,I have two sisters.My father was a doctor and my mother a nurse so I grew up in a very science oriented environment.My dad loved music,he bought me my first ever cassette which I was very excited about!I remember spending hours listening to the music after coming back home from school.
As a child I loved music and art.
I dreamt of being a singer someday so when I got the opportunity to join a famous Tanzanian band I was very excited. That's how my musical career begun,I went on to record two albums during the period of around 8 years.
Then something else happened, totally unplanned!I was convinced by some friends to enter a beauty competition and I won the title.Becoming a beauty queen was a great experience,as a young girl it was such an honor to be crowned and represent my country to the Miss World competition.
During my reign as Miss Tanzania I learnt a lot about my country,made some friends and had the opportunity to do some community work which I enjoyed.
As a child I used to love to draw, I would draw people and nature and I really enjoyed it. As I grew older I became very interested in Interior design, driven by the dream of becoming an interior designer I decided to take a three year course at Rhodec International. It was the best thing I ever did and that's when I discovered my true passion.
I launched Amorette, my interior design company in 2013.
Making furniture came after I had launched my interior design company.
Furniture designing begun partly because I saw an opportunity and also because I found designing furniture very challenging but also very rewarding.
What was the original inspiration/thought process behind Amorette?
I wanted to create unique and beautiful pieces,more like art incorporated into furniture.
The inspiration for the first Molocaho by Amorette edition was Mother Nature.For example I designed a Molocaho settee inspired by the ocean waves.
You introduced ‘MOLOCAHO’, the design and manufacturing arm of Amorette. Beyond the creativity, what does the business of furniture manufacturing entail? What do entrepreneurs in this business need to know about the process beyond being able to design or having a formal degree?
Starting a furniture business requires some capital,eye for detail,a lot of patience,good craftsmanship,a lot of hard work and perseverance.Each stage from the concept to production requires close supervision if one wants to produce something great.There will be a lot of mistakes along the way but if one is passionate and willing to invest time and effort in it it is a very rewarding business.
How is the Molocaho collection performing; what are the sales revenues for the line? What are the demographics of your target audience?
I think since we only launched Molocaho recently it's too early to discuss revenues.On the other hand,we are currently working on a very special project which will be our most luxurious item yet and we can't wait to introduce it to the world.
What are the major challenges you have encountered while building a business in Tanzania and how have you overcome them?
One of the major challenges was to get the right craftsmen, those who could understand my obsession with getting the perfect finish for all our products. Most people I hired had worked as carpenters before and had their own ideas on how things should be done so it took a while to get them to where I needed them to be in order to get the furniture we have managed to produce.
From conception to retail purchase, please give us an insight into the production, design and general planning process of your products
First I come up with ideas which I usually sketch, sometimes an idea comes to me in the middle of the night so I wake up and I write or sketch it immediately in fear of forgetting it.
The next stage is when I sit down with our design team and look through all the ideas. The next step is the drawings which our design team works on together with the carpenters to see how the design can be implemented.
Afterwards I sit down with my design team again and work out the possible materials and finishes.When all that is done then the design goes for production.
I always make sure that each and every piece is carefully examined for quality control before it goes out and I try to participate in the check myself most if the time.We have set very high standards for ourselves and we always strive to do the best we can to ensure that we only offer the best.
If we are working on a special order for a customer who wants customized design then we have a chat to discuss the options which are usually in terms of sizes and fabric options before we proceed to production.
Given that you’re an African brand already showing potential for a global audience; what measures do you use to track the success of your brand? What cities have shown the highest demand for your products?
The highest demand so far has been our home market, people are very excited to have a furniture brand that produces high quality furniture and what they love the most is the fact that they can customize their order. Because we print our own fabrics we offer a very extensive range of options to choose from. For the global market we have embarked on the launch of promoting the Molocaho brand and we are making good progress.
How do you source materials for your furniture products and how is your company helping to empower local artisans you work with?
We get almost all of our materials from local suppliers, we ensure that we only source the highest quality materials and someone goes to inspect each and everything before purchasing.
We have a mentoring program that we have been offering to young Tanzanians, we take trainees for interior design and carpentry who might or might not have any design or carpentry background but are keen to learn.
We recently trained two young men who didn't have any prior training and they performed so well that we hired them on permanent basis and they are inspiring others to join in the program.
What sets Amorette apart from other furniture companies in Tanzania and what should we expect from your company in 5-10 years’ time?
Apart from making unique designed furniture pieces we offer customization options, clients can choose the size of the item they've picked and also choose fabric from our extensive range of fabrics and that sets us apart from the rest.
We expect Amorette to be a successful globally recognized luxury furniture brand in the next 5-10 years time.
You took a bold step from beauty queen to full time entrepreneurship. What advice do you have for young women looking to start in the industries you’ve ventured into?
My advice would be first find your passion, I believe that if you are doing something you love it's easy to persevere even when faced with challenges. But most importantly believing in yourself and what you do is of great importance because it will keep you focused on your dream.
As a wife, mother, entrepreneur and advocate for good causes, how do you find balance and unwind?
I always make sure that I set time to spend with my family and do fun things with our twins. Its very important to me that I also get some time just for myself maybe to go to the spa or just lay in bed with a good book. It is often during these quiet moments that I'm able to come up with new concepts and ideas.
What drives you in life to keep pushing boundaries ?
My dream is to be the greatest, so that motivates me to push through boundaries. I want to set a good example to our kids and the many young Tanzanian girls who need role models to show them that whatever the mind can conceive you can achieve.