MABINTY N’KAMA SANKOH: BUSINESS SUCCESS FOR ME IS CUSTOMER SATISFACTION.

This week is all about global entrepreneurship and we are looking at an entrepreneur, who is bridging the gap between continents. She utilizes fashion and technology by running an online fashion boutique.

Mabinty N’Kama Sankoh’s good eye for fashion inspires the pieces she sells. She has always loved styling herself and found a greater pleasure in helping others do the same. This hobby has now turned into her side-hustle.

Her passion for fashion has led her into finding a solution for the everyday woman, who wants to look classy, stylish and unique without breaking the bank. Her online shop borders between urban chic to glamour girl look, with dresses and accessories that can be used for any occasion. She believes that Divine Elegance is a brand that taps into universal cultures to provide quality goods, ensuring that the customers return for more!

We are always interested to know about how we can monetize our hustles , we caught up with Mabinty to see how she has made entrepreneurship work for her.

ARIANA DIARIES: Describe your company using 4 words only?

MABINTY SANKOH:

Peerless (my pieces)

Dedicated (me)

Fulfilling (my customers)

Boundless (my business)

ARIANA DIARIES: What innovative solution(s) are you bringing to your industry?

MABINTY SANKOH: I pay keen attention to fashion trends. In the past years, I noticed that there was a growing trend for African accessories. Many times I heard ladies asking their friends about their jewelry, bags and shoes but could not obtain them because they were not readily available with next day delivery. With this in mind, I decided that it would be great if women had access to high quality fashion accessories from different cultures around the world, in one place, just a day away. With Divine Elegance your fashion needs are just a click away.

ARIANA DIARIES: Describe how you felt when you had your first paying customer?

MABINTY SANKOH: I’m not even sure which first customer I should write about! The first one on Divine Elegance Fashion or the very first customer I ever had as a business woman. I must say the younger me must have thought “Yes, that’s one step closer to becoming a millionaire, “while the older me would say “I’m glad I could be of help!” Either way, I felt fulfilled and accomplished to be able to be of service to someone.

ARIANA DIARIES: What do you think is the biggest challenge for entrepreneurs in Africa and why?

MABINTY SANKOH: Multinational payments. Many businesses in Africa have to import their products. This means that in order to run a successful and profitable business, their prices are often inflated to cover those transit costs. This puts a strain on the business owner as well as their customers. These challenges can be minimized by investing in infrastructure settings. Developing a training workforce in various skills, and most importantly governmental assistance in the form of funding.

ARIANA DIARIES: How do you define business success?

MABINTY SANKOH: Business success for me is customer satisfaction. We all want to make profit but it’s not as important as catering to my customers’ needs. Being a nurse and caring for vulnerable people made me realize that money isn’t success. It is gratifying for me to see my patient happy and content. This is why I would rather have 100 returning customers than a million dollars in the bank and unsatisfied customers.

ARIANA DIARIES: If you were to start all over again, what will be your first priority in terms of set up?

MABINTY SANKOH: Time! I would love to be able to do it full time. Give it 100% of my time and devotion. Not that I don’t at the moment, but being a nurse and working full time means I cannot travel at leisure to explore and experience the crafting of the accessories. If I had more time I would go to the ends of the earth to bring unique pieces to my customers.

ARIANA DIARIES: What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?

MABINTY SANKOH: To take Divine Elegance Fashion to Sierra Leone and to have a handful of stores in different countries so that, my customers will be able, to simply walk in and buy what they desire.