What started out as a side hustle to ensure she had food on the table has now turned into a full-time job for this mother of two from Atlantis in the Western Cape.
Jorgina Heugh, 32, from Protea Park started her small business Adore Her by G, hoping to bring in income after losing her job due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
In 2020, Heugh was living in Langebaan on the West Coast in the hospitality industry managing a guest house where she also resided at the time.
However, with restrictions and closures implemented, she had no choice but to move back home to her mother in Atlantis — all this two years post-divorce.
After being home for six months, she also lost her mother to Covid-19.
“Once I got home to Atlantis, I had odd jobs here and there. After losing my mother, I also had no one to look after my children (now 13 and nine years old). I also had to home-school my children as I could not get them into a school in Atlantis at the time,” Heugh said.
She told IOL, she needed to devise a plan that got her an income but also did not take all her time as she had to home-school.
“I then started researching about the eyelash industry. I wore [eye] lashes but it was so expensive. I visited a friend and we spoke about it, she also complimented me on my lashes saying I was improving on its application. I told her at the time, if there was anything I wanted to do, it is to start my own lash brand and that’s where it began,” she explained.
@iolnews Jorgina Heugh does a full on lash and nail application to IOL journalist, Robin-Lee Francke at her home in Atlantis. VIDEO: Robin-Lee Francke/IOL #SurvivingMinimumWage #southafrica #fyp ♬ original sound - IOL NEWS
Heugh said she conducted thorough research on the eyelashes and said a local influencer, Majestic Mey - who also established a beauty brand - stated it doesn't matter how many people or brands there were, there was enough bread for everyone. Those words, Heugh said, resonated with her.
“In South Africa, there wasn’t really any exposure regarding lashes. I rather started watching YouTube videos of people abroad. On September 4, 2021, I told myself I am ready. I used the last money for rates and taxes my brother gave me and registered my business on September 9, 2021. At the time, I had no idea what I would do, I had about R4,000,” she said.
Heugh said she spoke to many people, including family, offering shares in her business but no one was interested. She met someone who believed in her concept and he offered her another R4,000 and said he wanted to see if she could bring in a turnover, from there he would invest further.
“That to me was my motivation. I took the R8,000, I asked my brother to make a loan and I got an extra R10,000. With the R18,000, a month later, I launched my brand on October 23, 2021, with a photoshoot and all,” she said excitedly.
@iolnews Owner of Adore Her by G, Jorgina Heugh gives a word of encouragement to aspiring entrepreneurs. Video: Robin-Lee Francke #SurvivingMinimumWage #southafrica #fyp ♬ original sound - IOL NEWS
Her motivation was not only from her angel investor but being a single mother gave her the drive to be as determined as ever as she had no other choice.
While many people were not too forthcoming with assistance, Heugh believes in assisting others with the knowledge she has gained and stated her motto is: ‘if I win, we all win’.
“I had to make it work for the sake of my children to ensure I had food on the table for them. But, the support I got along the way was amazing. Adore by G’s clientele believes in the brand. They motivate me daily. I cannot say we ever went to sleep hungry because every month clients came back,” Heugh said.
She not only does supplies eyelashes, but press-on nails, nail glue, lash glue at affordable prices. All products are imported.
The brand has made waves in the industry with orders being shipped nationwide and celebrities like songbirds Elwira Standili and Salome being regular clients.
“Adore by G is an affordable brand. It’s a brand that educates and walks the path with you. You as a client will eventually be able to do your own lashes in the comfort of your own home. I also feel I am what is special to the brand. I don’t think there’s anyone with the patience that I have,” Heugh explained.
When she started this business, her aim was to become a brand for others, not really do lashes herself, and her hard work has resulted in quite a few accolades.
“Six months into my business, I realised there were not many sales and changes had to be made. The changes brought a different set of clientele. I thought someone knew how to apply lashes. I started working on that. My clientele ranges from 18 - 66.” she said.
She also made use of the resources available to her. Heugh reached out to the Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA) - a type of government small business funding that helps small businesses start up and grow more effectively - and the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA).
While SEDA did not really come through for her during that period, she did manage to get assistance at a later stage, however, she got about R14,000 of stock, a printer, and packaging aside from courses she did within the NYDA.
“I did an Entrepreneurship Development course with the Raymond Ackerman Academy. The course was a year long. It was online classes, from 9am to 3pm. My business suffered a bit during this time but I knew it would pay off eventually. I graduated, and within the course I was one of three who won a pitch competition through Raymond Ackerman Academy and the Johannesburg Business School. This gave me a boost and made me realise I can do more than one thing,” she said.
She was also the ambassador at the NYDA’s GEC Africa event.
HollywoodBets also hosted a business pitch where you could exhibit the business, while she did not win that competition, Heugh said she won the online competition after she was nominated by the public. She won R10,000 worth of marketing material.
She was also finalist in the Good Hope FM Warrior Women Awards. Late last year she found out she won an award from the Insider Education Foundation for Top 100 Shining Stars in SA.
Later this week, Heugh will be accepting her award in Johannesburg.
“My mother always wanted me to be an entrepreneur. A month after her passing I realised I needed to listen to my mother. Because I went through so many things, I am not going to give up. There are too many people who depend on me and it gives me motivation to push through,” she said.
Speaking to her younger self, Heugh said: “believe in yourself. I don’t think I believe at that time I did and going through so much trauma and disappointment I don’t think I saw the value in myself. I think back then, those are the only words I would have wanted from other people.”
Her message to aspiring entrepreneurs: “do your research, it’s the most important. Start with what you’ve got. Sometimes we have a tendency to look at what other people are doing and that scares you. I had nothing when I started, not even a laptop. So, if you just start and persevere, you will see all the small things you need will come in time”.
IOL