Johannesburg – In all aspects of society there are phenomenal women who are making a difference in the lives of those around them while also striving to new heights. This Women’s Month, the “Saturday Star” will be profiling some of the nation’s leading ladies.
South African entrepreneur Tzvia Hermann has a passion for business.
At just 6 years old, she brought her father a purse full of change and when asked where she got the money from, she explained how she sold leftover balloons from one of her birthday parties.
The change-maker and founder of The Beautique Group, which includes The Laser Beautique (TLB), Beautique Brands and Beautique Academy, as well as BeauRaze, was inspired by her mother, Chana. She was a single mother of three girls and managed to put herself through beauty school education and start her own beauty salon from a bedroom in their family home, which she later moved to a shopping centre.
Hermann’s mother would serve as a great role model in business as her passion for beauty and her nurturing personality left loyal customers refusing treatment from any other therapist but her.
The Beautique Group founder began crafting her skills after school when she worked in her mother’s beauty salon, learning all the tricks of the trade. She was qualified from experience from the age of 15 in everything from manicures and pedicures to facials and skincare regimes, and would often even fill in for a therapist who ran late or called in sick.
After matriculating, Hermann moved to the UK, where she lived in London and travelled for nine years, gaining life experience and dabbling in many professions. She worked as a restaurant host, bartender, receptionist, personal assistant and legal secretary, all while studying law through Unisa, and then even tried graphic and web designing for a publishing company.
She even got experience as a recruiter for an employment agency and then spent a few years working as a fund-raiser for a children’s charity.
During her time abroad, Hermann used to give herself manicures and pedicures and waxed every inch of her body so that she could feel smooth and confident.
During the years spent in London and travelling, she investigated various technologies and undertook many laser treatments in the UK, the US and other European countries. Hermann searched for treatments that would deliver results, but at the time she couldn’t find the solution.
But when she returned to South Africa from the UK, Hermann brought along her passion for beauty, technology, charity, design and her entrepreneurial desires.
In 2008, she applied for a position as a fund-raiser for South African children’s charity Afrika Tikkun, and her first two years back in the country were spent in early childhood development centres in Alex, Diepsloot and Orange Farm.
The same year that Hermann started working for the youth development centre, she met her now husband, Neil, and as their relationship developed the couple soon realised their joint ambition for business.
This ultimately led to the creation of The Laser Beautique and was one of the first to bring pain-free laser hair removal technology to South Africa. The first TLB opened in Morningside Shopping Centre in December 2009 and in June 2010, a second clinic was opened in Bedfordview. More then proceeded to open in Rosebank, Northcliff, Irene and Gardens in Cape Town.
Acclaimed media personality Shashi Naidoo became a loyal client of The Laser Beautique in Morningside in 2011 and when she heard that franchise opportunities were available, Naidoo expressed her desire to own a Beautique of her own and soon after opened the successful Laser Beautique in Menlyn Maine.
Since then TLB has opened in Melrose Arch, Bryanston and Camaro View in the south of Johannesburg, and now has 12 branches in total. The Hermanns plan to open Beautiques nationwide, with some already in Cape Town and Durban.
Hermann has this year also created “African Family Queen”, a board game full of quirky South Africanisms. The game also has educational value as it seeks to develop memory, strategy, bonds and times tables, as well as a strong female stance.
“Although the game is light-hearted and fun, it sends a strong message of how valuable women are in our society as well as how men and women unite with a common goal of success,” said Hermann.
The proudly South African game sets the scene of a magical place in South Africa where there are characters like a supernatural queen with a pet lemur, “a King of all braais”, and a tokoloshe you can set on an opponent, or scaring a “tsotsi with your very own Sangoma”.
“When our foreign friends and colleagues visit from overseas, I try explaining our awesome South Africansims, and the game really captures many,” she said.