ZHOOZSH
Nevileen Steyn – An entrepreneur at heart!
What was the motivation behind Zhoozsh as a business?
I am an entrepreneur at heart. When we struggled financially it was almost an instinctive move to plan to self-employ. I have been drawn to all things creative since childhood. I now needed to open my mind to a creative enterprise that would put food on the table. My husband Willem and his father had extensive experience in restoring old furniture and I loved exploring paint techniques so Zhoozsh was born, the perfect merge of all our passions!
Even if your money dries
My father in law always said
up, your ability to make a
plan should not!
Did you find it difficult in Hartbeespoort to gain customer support?
It was much easier than we thought. We focused on one piece of amazing furniture at a time. We advertised on Facebook, Gumtree and OLX until we sold it. Then we bought the next piece to renovate. Most of our larger projects came through word of mouth recommendations.
How did it come about that you developed your own chalk paint?
We were not completely satisfied with the colours that were available, and the chalk paint we were buying was so expensive. It made perfect sense to develop something more affordable without compromising on the quality of the product.
What makes Zhoozsh chalk paint different to other brands on the market?
The major difference is that we do not have to wax the entire project afterwards. When doing large projects, I realized that waxing doubled the time of labour which equalled double the cost to client.
Where do you see Zhoozsh going forward?
Zhoozsh turns 3 this month. We have grown from 1 to 6 distributers since opening day. Our aim is to fill all the South African chalk paint distributors’ shelves with Zhoozsh.
Where in Hartbeespoort can we buy your product?
Butterfly Blu at French Toast and Hartmark if you prefer to purchase from a shelf. When it comes to large volumes or personal projects you can contact me on 083 314 3061. When you visit our Facebook page which you will find at ‘Zhoozsh chalk paint’ you will find information on workshops, promotions and competitions.