"Beauty from outside is not enough, it should be holistic” - Moipone Ndlovu, Entrepreneur and beauty specialist
By Hosea Ramphekwa
Entrepreneur and beauty specialist Moipone Thandeka Ndlovu is on a mission to make an indelible mark in the beauty industry.
Ndlovu, who runs a beauty company called Mooi’s Beauty in Fourways, Johannesburg, believes that beauty should run deep within.
The Tembisa-born businesswoman, at the helm of an established company making waves in the beauty industry, is of the view that beauty should go beyond the surface.
"Mooi’s Beauty has been in the industry for more than 15 years, specializing in all forms of beauty offerings – skin health, lashes, nails, brows, microblading, facial aesthetics, foot care, and more.
It has been amazing, the business has grown massively, boasting a strong clientele and as far as outside beauty is concerned, my company does put on an impressive show,” said Ndlovu.
"In my years of dealing with beauty, I have discovered that inside beauty shouldn’t be neglected as well hence at my company, we do more than just beautifying our customers externally.
Our salon is more like a well where customers refresh their souls, thus tending to beauty within," Ndlovu alluded.
Before starting her business operating from her flat, Ndlovu had worked as a car sales executive, the mother of two had ups and downs, which included working and studying, she had a torrid time trying to figure out what she exactly needed to do until she found the light to follow her calling – the pursuit of business in beauty.
“One day, while staying in Kempton Park, I woke up and decided to go after my dreams, I sold my refrigerator, which I spent R20,000 to purchase, at a measly R8,000.
That’s the price you pay, a sacrifice for your dream, I was desperate so I used the money to enroll for a two-day course to do brows.
The course was in Standerton, Mpumalanga and the R8,000 was enough to cover the course, transport, and accommodation.
For two days, I learnt essential skills under the tutelage of an internationally acclaimed lash technician, I was buzzing with confidence and couldn’t wait to work magic on people’s brows,” said the beauty therapist.
Empowered by new skills, Ndlovu was hell-bent on making it in the beauty sector, she rented space at salons in Kempton Park and Katlehong to do nails and brows and it took her years to finally break-through in the beauty industry.
The turning point in her business was in 2019 while she was running the business alone in Fourways.
There was a post that did rounds on social media where a woman was ridiculed for her brows, which were in bad shape.
She was a laughing stock, trending with thousands reposting and sharing and while many laughed, Ndlovu was moved by compassion and volunteered to help rectify the scorned woman’s brows.
Ndlovu worked her magic on the woman, and the results drew attention and positive feedback.
“Since the day I helped restore the dignity of the woman, the floodgates opened, my clientele grew sporadically and I was fully booked almost every day.
For the better part of that November, I had a lot of people coming to do their brows, my phone kept ringing off the hook and with more clients, there was more money.
Since moving to Fourways, the business just grew exponentially as growth was indeed inevitable."
It would be a spell of upward and forward growth for Ndlovu’s business, which continued to grow in leaps and bounds.
With the success of the company, Ndlovu hasn’t stopped working, she still gets to do people’s nails, though she’s the CEO of the company.
“I believe in hard work, when I get down to business, I spare no effort to achieve success and by the grace of God, I have built Mooi’s Beauty to greater levels.
The company has grown from a one-woman show to employing several people, who are able to put bread on their tables and I am not the kind of a CEO who sits behind a desk and plays solitaire, I roll up my sleeves and get dirty, I sharpen eyebrows and I lead from the front,” Ndlovu added.
Ndlovu has also incorporated coaching and motivational offerings into her beauty business, she gives talks and offers transformative sessions to her clients.
The life coach’s next challenge is to transform Mooi’s Beauty into a hub that caters to people’s beauty holistically.
There are signs that she is on the right track as a number of her clients have reported that her services have done more than just enhance external beauty.
“I get inundated with texts on my social media platforms almost every day and I also receive calls from people, known and mostly unknown to me, testifying about how my life has impacted them.
They profess that I have changed their lives, they get healed, but I am not always aware because I don’t get to encounter all of them.
It’s all the works of grace because I am just a vessel."
With her work ethic and burning desire to transform lives, Ndlovu might as well be on her way to making the grade.
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