Single Mom Stuck in China During Covid-19 Turns Her Frustration Into Passion, Starts Washing Powder Business
- Nandi Hlungwani found herself stranded in China during the Covid-19 outbreak shortly after receiving a fantastic scholarship opportunity
- The single mother shared how her frustrations of being stuck in a foreign country inspired her to start a washing powder manufacturing business, Nad Wash
- The entrepreneur's desire to give back to her community and leave a legacy has given her the grit to realise her dream despite the odds
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The story of Nandi Hlungwani, a 26-year-old woman who went to China for a scholarship opportunity only to be left stranded during Covid-19, who then took on the bold decision to start her own business, is enough to ignite a fire of inspiration in anyone.
Source: Facebook
Nandi balances her job with her side hustle as a graphic designer, running the washing powder business after hours and on weekends.
The Limpopo-born single mother and entrepreneur shared her journey with Briefly TV in its first-ever YouTube video.
Nandi gets her big break in China
Nandi hails from a small village in rural Giyani, and after graduating with a diploma in digital marketing, Nandi got a scholarship to study in China. She was supposed to study for a certificate in E-Commerce at Chongqing College of Architecture and Technology, which she describes as an amazing opportunity.
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The opportunity came just as the Covid-19 outbreak had hit the country and Nandi soon found herself stuck in China, as she had also lost her passport at the time.
Nandi is left stranded in China
Frustrated at the reality that she couldn't immediately leave the foreign country, Nandi needed R25 000 to get an exit certificate and a temporary passport. Thankfully her supportive loved ones back at home helped raise the much-needed funds.
After realising just how great a support system she had, Nandi felt compelled to do something significant to give back to her community.
The single mother is inspired to start her business
Nandi soon realised a great need in her community to give birth to her brainchild, Nad Wash.
"I grew up in village where we use borehole water. So it's tough too and you need a strong washing powder. So that is where Nad Wash came about.
"I had to come up with something where even my son would understand why i left him at six months. I had to establish something that would live on even when I'm dead," the businesswoman shared.
Nandi shared that her idea to develop a strong washing powder was confirmed when she found herself shopping around for a good washing powder at some shops in China and noticed that there was a wide variety of brands to shop from, unlike in South Africa.
Although the marketing graduate did not know how to work with chemicals to produce washing powder, she did her research with the help of her brother who worked at a washing powder manufacturing company and learned all she could about the product and trade.
Nandi also did a short course where she learned how to combine and mix substances to make washing powder.
Source: Facebook
Nandi returns to South Africa
Nandi returned to South Africa, where she got several internship opportunities and soon realised around May 2022 that she needed to bring Nad Wash to life.
The determined young woman got her sisters to help start up her washing powder manufacturing business.
She found a company that would supply the necessary chemicals, worked on packaging, trained her sisters on how to make the product and worked with her chemical engineer brother to test it out before it could be sold to the public.
Nad Wash came with its fair share of challenges
Although many people in her community were excited about the venture, Nandi admits that starting up the business came with its challenges, such as getting the perfect chemical combination for Nad Wash, working in a small space, being able to accommodate her son and naysayers who didn't believe she could succeed. But Nandi's burning desire to make her dream a reality came out tops.
After saving enough capital, Nandi and her team got the ball rolling and began manufacturing Nad Wash in June 2022, "by the grace of God" - as she puts it.
It wasn't long before she also found an ideal place to manufacture and run her business.
A passionate Nandi has big hopes for the future
"When God gives you something to do, he doesn't work with lazy people, you need to work. You need to believe in the vision," said Nandi speaking on how much she believed in her brand and business despite the odds.
She hopes to soon have an industrial machine to help with manufacturing and see Nad Wash being sold at major retail outlets by the end of the year
Nandi encourages anyone with a burning desire to start something to do their research, ask God for direction and go for it.
Check out more of her powerful story below:
Limpopo lady starts own floor polish-making business using NSFAS money, inspires Mzansi with her hustle
In a related story by Briefly News, a young woman who hails from Limpopo inspired netizens with her business.
Randima Orifha is a self-taught floor polish maker who started her own business selling her homemade product.
She used her NSFAS money to fund her business and uses a wheelbarrow to deliver around her village.
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Source: Briefly News
