Jessica Lairs, a Mozambican event planner creating memorable customer occasions  — Lionesses of Africa

Why should anyone use your service or product?

We bet on the differential of the details of the final presentation of the services provided to our customers who are mostly women. In addition to being sweet and delicate, strong, and slender, we have always taken into account that women have a very high level of demand when they are faced with the selection and choice of a service provider. It is always necessary to listen carefully to all their wishes so that the delivery of the service provided is the best. We always do our best to ensure that this step is successfully completed so that the rest of the process runs smoothly.

Tell us a little about your team

In the beginning it was very difficult to find a functional team as I did not know the area in which I worked very well. Today there are six of us in the team – a 57-year-old driver, a lady responsible for all the laundry, a lady responsible for the flowers and balloons, two boys responsible for loading material and assembly, a boy responsible for acquiring material for the event if necessary, and me, who if necessary supports everyone. I do the conception of the event and also the contact with the customers.

Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And do you come from an entrepreneurial background?

In my family I am the first woman to choose entrepreneurship as a single source of income. Like most woman I was also educated to be a good woman, study and have a good job to support myself. Since high school I started making jewelry and selling it in order to have an extra income. I graduated in financial management and when I was in college, I created my first clothing and accessories brand made in Capulana, which is the traditional cloth of Mozambique. Due to the demands of life, I worked in conventional companies but I never really adapted to the way of work. I’ve always liked art, creating beauty, organizing events. So, I decided to turn this passion into a business, combined with the need that existed in the market for services like this at an affordable price. This provided an opportunity to create my own event organization and decoration company.