South Africa - Startup under 3 years old

Describe your project or startup in a few words

PSD Scent Perfumes is a manufacturer of personal body and home care products Our project is focused at empowering the youth, particularly African women from previous disadvantaged backgrounds. We offer them skills that can be used to become entrepreneurs.

01.01 Describe your startup in more detail

The name of my start up is PSD Scent Perfumes. It focuses on empowering young, African women with the skills needed to become independent entrepreneurs. After we train them, we offer them an opportunity to resell our products that we manufacture in-house, in order for them to make a profit and build their own sustainable businesses through reselling our products. We take the beneficiaries through an intensive skills training programme where they are taught critical skills needed to run a business, After completion of the training, they receive stock from PSD Scent Perfumes, which they resell to their clients at a profit. The first stock is sponsored and no beneficiary is expected to buy it, thereafter they are expected to utilize the skills learnt to be able to derive a profit and continue stocking and growing their business. All beneficiaries are given the stock at discounted prices after completion of our skills training programme.

01.02 What is the main problem you are trying to solve?

We are solving the problem of the high unemployment rate in South Africa, particularly amongst young, women. We are also helping to reduce the poverty rate by ensuring that these women are equipped with the necessary skills to be able to provide for themselves and their families. Our project also aims to reduce the gender inequality gap, by ensuring that our beneficiaries of our project are not dependent on their male counterparts to provide for them. We are providing beneficiaries with the skills needed to successfully run and grow their businesses.

01.03 Tell us the major benefits and/or advantages of using the product/service that your startup provides (at least 3).

All our products are manufactured in-house, the major benefit is that this enables us to sell them to our beneficiaries that undergo our skills training programme at a very affordable price. We are also able to respond to the needs of our customers vey quickly, since we manufacture all the products that they re-sell in-house. Our raw materials are all sourced locally which means we are supporting other South African businesses to grow.

01.04 Please describe who exactly your startup’s product/service is aimed at serving. Who are the targeted beneficiaries?

Young, women who are unemployed, unskilled and poorly educated, who come from disadvantaged backgrounds. We specifically offer our training programme to such incumbents that meet this criteria. Thereafter, we offer them the business opportunity to start reselling our products to make a profit, and build their own sustainable businesses through selling our products.

01.05 When was your company established?

2022-01-17

01.06 Are you already selling your product/service?

Yes

01.07 How many other owners are there within your startup?

1

01.08 Among the other owners, how many are female?

1

01.09 Please describe the profile of the other owners within your startup (skills, experience, etc.)

A founder of PSD Scent Perfumes, a perfume manufacturing company based in South Africa, which now has a national footprint and operates across the South African borders, particularly in Swaziland and Mozambique. She holds qualifications from the University of Johannesburg in the following fields: •BA (Political Science) •BA Hons (Public Management and Governance) •MA (Public Management and Governance) She is currently persuing various entrepreneurship programmes to assist her grow her business. . Ms Mkhonza is a Monitoring and Evaluation Practitioner by profession and is a registered member of the South African Monitoring and Evaluation Association. She has worked as a Project Coordinator for the Graca Machel Trust and was the Acting Managing Director at Grow Makhosikati Holdings, a telecommunications company. Her current focus is upskilling herself in the fragrance industry to manufacture products that are competitive in the market . She is passionate about empowering young women.

01.10 If you have a website, a social media page (Facebook, Instagram, Linkedin…), or app, please provide the link(s) here:

https://www.psdscent.co.za/

01.11 Which industry best describes your project?

d) Primary commodities (food, drink, household and personal products)

02.01.01 My startup contributes to the No poverty goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.01.02 No poverty - Justification for my startup

My start up does this by offering the beneficiaries an opportunity to build sustainable businesses by reselling our products. We train, educate and assist our beneficiaries to excel in network marketing which helps them grow their businesses faster. Reselling our products at a profit ensures that our beneficiaries get a source of income to provide for their needs and the needs of their families.

02.02.01 My startup contributes to the Zero hunger goal

2

02.02.02 Zero hunger - Justification for my startup

02.03.01 My startup contributes to the Good health and well-being goal

3

02.03.02 Good health and well-being - Justification for my startup

02.04.01 My startup contributes to the Quality education goal

5

02.04.02 Quality education - Justification for my startup

We take our beneficiaries who are unskilled with a minimal education through an intensive 6 month training training programme where they are equipped with the skills of building sustainable businesses. This training enhances their literacy levels.

02.05.01 My startup contributes to the Gender equality goal

7 - Strongly Agree

02.05.02 Gender equality - Justification for my startup

Our project particularly targets young women to help reduce the gender inequality gap so that they are not overly dependent on their male counterparts for any of their financial needs.

02.06.01 My startup contributes to the Clean water and sanitation goal

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.06.02 Clean water and sanitation - Justification for my startup

02.07.01 My startup contributes to the Affordable and clean energy goal

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.07.02 Affordable and clean energy - Justification for my startup

02.08.01 My startup contributes to the Decent work and economic growth

6

02.08.02 Decent work and economic growth - Justification for my startup

My start up contributes to decent work and economic growth as we provide our beneficiaries with the business opportunity of reselling our products at a profit. We help them grow their businesses by ensuring that they recruit more people to resell the products, thereby growing their network and revenue that they make. This also has an effect on the economic growth as these individuals who attend our training programmes were previously unemployed but after the successful completion of our programme that are able to actively contribute to the economy by being able to afford products and services that they previously could not.

02.09.01 My startup contributes to the Industry innovation and infrastructure

2

02.09.02 Industry innovation and infrastructure - Justification for my startup

02.10.01 My startup contributes to the Reduced inequalities goal

6

02.10.02 Reduced inequalities - Justification for my startup

In my start up, our employees are mostly young women which means we are reducing the gender inequality gap. We also pay our females employees the same salary that males are getting paid working in similar positions for other start ups to help reduce the inequality gap with regards to the pay scale.

02.11.01 My startup contributes to the Sustainable cities and communities goal

3

02.11.02 Sustainable cities and communities - Justification for my startup

02.12.01 My startup contributes to the Responsible consumption and production goal

2

02.12.02 Responsible consumption and production - Justification for my startup

02.13.01 My startup contributes to the Climate action goal

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.13.02 Climate action - Justification for my startup

02.14.01 My startup contributes to the Life below water goal

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.14.02 Life below water - Justification for my startup

02.15.01 My startup contributes to the Life on land goal

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.15.02 Life on land - Justification for my startup

02.16.01 My startup contributes to the Peace Justice and Strong Institutions goal

1 - Strongly Disagree

02.16.02 Peace Justice and Strong Institutions- Justification for my startup

02.17.01 My startup contributes to the Partnerships for the goal

2

02.17.02 Partnerships for the goal - Justification for my startup

06.01 There are a large number of customers who already use a product/service very similar to the product/service we envision creating.

7 - Strongly Agree

06.02 The product/service represents an entirely new type of product/service.

1 - Strongly Disagree

06.03 The product/service could be described as a new technology.

1 - Strongly Disagree

06.04 The product/service is an improvement on an existing product or service.

1 - Strongly Disagree

06.05 The product/service could be described as an extension of a range of products or services.

7 - Strongly Agree

06.06 The product/service responds to a demand or need that has not been satisfied by other products/services.

1 - Strongly Disagree

06.07 The product/service is a new version of an old product/service.

1 - Strongly Disagree

06.08 Justification for my startup

06.09 Competitive Analysis

My main competitors are Inuka, Villa Fragrances, Arthur Ford and Fine Fragrances. What makes me stand out form them is that we manufacture the products in-house. This enables us to respond quicker to consumer trends and respond to the needs of our clients.I also have a range of products form personal body care to home and car care products, as compared to my competitors.

11.05 Are you initiating actions within your community to promote the role of female entrepreneurs?

Yes. I host business networking events particularly aimed at sharing knowledge, business opportunities and networking amongst female entrepreneurs in my community. I also have an active whatsapp group where I share opportunities whether business or job job related, with females that are in my circle.