Olivia Mbabazi started her business because she wanted to solve a problem.<\/p>\n
She wanted a moisturizer that was strong enough to protect her skin from the harsh Canadian winters but also used high-quality organic ingredients.<\/p>\n
After searching and failing to find what she needed, she decided to create her own products using ingredients from her native country, Uganda. Pretty soon, Sherabo Organics was born.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2018Sherabo\u2019 is a Ugandan word meaning \u2018Gift\u2019, says Olivia. \u201cSherabo seeks to share one of Uganda’s natural most precious unique gift: Nilotica Butter.\u201d<\/p>\n
Nilotica Butter is a unique type of Shea butter that is not available in Canada and not as commonly used in skincare products as other variants.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe entrepreneur I am, I saw a business opportunity for Ugandan Shea butter in Canada as well as our Shea-based skincare line,\u201d says Olivia.<\/p>\n
Additionally, as a single mom<\/a>, childcare costs can be a huge financial challenge. Self-employment gives Olivia the flexibility to work around her seven-year-old daughter\u2019s needs and time.<\/p>\n Today, Sherabo Organics<\/a> is a sole proprietorship that retails, wholesales and distributes fair trade certified organic unrefined Ugandan Nilotica Shea butter and Shea Oil. Products include face oils, body butters, hair moisturizers, hand creams and more.<\/p>\n Since starting her business a year ago, Olivia has already passed some major milestones. She has exhibited at three major Vancouver events \u2013 Make It Show, the Zoomer show and The Wellness show \u2013 and Sherabo Organics products will be in selected retail stores by the end of the year.<\/p>\n However, Olivia faced a number of challenges before getting to this point. Firstly, she needed to commit to self-employment full-time.<\/p>\n \u201cIt takes a lot of work and time to start and run a business. I needed to commit 100% to see the business take off,\u201d says Olivia.<\/p>\n Since she didn\u2019t have a lot of savings, jumping into full-time entrepreneurship also meant that she needed starting capital<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cEight months into the business, I was privileged to qualify for Futurpreneur funding that has helped the business grow,\u201d says Olivia.<\/p>\n Furthermore, Olivia needed to learn about the different aspects of running a business in Canada, as well as overcome some of the social challenges of starting a business as a newcomer.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are\u00a0a\u00a0number of challenges we face as immigrants [like] the fear of being accepted and assimilating in society,\u201d says Olivia. \u201cI am confident about the value and benefits of our products so I had to face my fears and doubts and put our products in front of customers through different community farmers markets and events.\u201d<\/p>\n