Beatrice Is Styling Her Way Into Prosperity

In Lira, Uganda, a small city with over 99,000 residents, Zola Beatrice, a salon owner, and creative entrepreneur is taking strides to set herself apart by diversifying her business and finding entrepreneurial ways to build her financial independence. Born with a physical impairment, she has never let barriers to accessibility define her. 

When COVID-19 hit Uganda in March 2020, the country faced its first nationwide lockdown, closing schools, markets, trading centers. Public and private transport was at a standstill posing a unique set of challenges for small business owners like Beatrice. She was forced to temporarily shut down her business and  to dig into her savings to buy basic needs at her home, but she refused to let this hinder her success

Beatrice changed her business strategy and moved all her equipment home, which became her workstation to navigate the changing economy.

“I had challenges keeping up with the rent at my salon because it had been increased from 70,000 shillings to 150,000 shillings, yet business had declined, and I could not look for another place since there was still a lockdown.” 

It was during this time that she was approached by her friend Conny Adoch, who works as a Disability Inclusion Facilitator with Light for the World. Conny encouraged her to participate in a training for liquid soap making that was planned for people with disabilities. Beatrice went through the training and realized that it could be an additional source of income for her, while she waited for the lockdown to ease.

After going through the training, Beatrice received start-up capital from Light for the World to help kickstart her liquid soap business. 

“My first customer for the liquid soap was King James School of Nursing, whose owner is my landlord. When I talked to her, she gave me the opportunity to supply the nursing section. I always supply at least 40 liters every week. When I go to any meetings, I always inform people to come and buy from me, that is how I market my business.”  

Beatrice has made profits from selling her soap.

The people that buy from Beatrice have also worked as a marketing tool through word of mouth, referring to her liquid soap wherever they go. Through these referrals, she is now the sole supplier of an office in Lira town. 

From the liquid soap sales, Beatrice was able to make enough profit to purchase a piece of land about 9kms from the city center, where she intends to construct her home and farm as well.  In the meantime, she has rented the land out to a local farmer to start receiving some return on her investment.  

Boosting income sources

The sudden lockdown was an eye-opener for Beatrice who realized that to ably ride through the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, she needed to have another source of income. After the partial lifting of the lockdown, she took on hairstyling trainees, some with and others without disabilities. Since completing their courses with her the majority of the trainees have gone on to work in other salons and now earn their own income.

“From December 2020 up to June 2021, I trained several people, including two girls with disabilities – one with a hearing impairment and the other with a physical impairment. I made sure that my trainee with hearing impairment had a sign language interpreter and after training, she started working on her own in a salon in town. She told me that her main challenge was communication with customers; however, the good thing is that her work sells her, and she continues to get customers.”

Beatrice and one of her trainees.

Between selling liquid soap and hairstyling, Beatrice plans to use her proceeds to buy a commercial property in a local trading center outside of Lira where she can re-establish her salon and stop renting for good. Until then, she plans to identify a place in town where she can accommodate the forthcoming hairdressing needs during the festive season. “Many women want to plait their hair during the Christmas season, so I need to get a place where I can put my salon for the meantime and earn money which I will use to buy my land and set up a permanent business.”

With funding from Light for the World, over sixty entrepreneurs with disabilities have been provided with start-up capital to boost their businesses that were affected by COVID-19. Some entrepreneurs like Beatrice have also been trained in making liquid soap as well as marketing their businesses. With these trainings, they have been empowered to be self-reliant and earn a living which they use to better their lives.