Enhle Mbali: Actress, Empress and Empire Builder/Entrepreneur

Since appearing for the first time on South African TV screens fifteen years ago, actress, media personality and entrepreneur, Enhle Mbali Maphumulo has unarguably proved to be more than just a talented triple threat.

She has put her footprint on anything ranging from endorsements with South African top brands, advertising, and fashion, to beauty care, philanthropy, and even fitness. Recently, she was chosen by one of the world’s iconic leading whiskey brands, Johnnie Walker, to be part of their campaign, #KeepWalkingSA. Johnnie Walker is the true epitome of taking strides towards success and challenging new levels of potential. The campaign explores values such as perseverance, dedication, consistency and many hours spent perfecting a craft. These are the same core values that have attributed to Enhle’s success and growing empire.

Coming from humble beginnings, Enhle has had to work her way up to achieve her dreams and she is not stopping soon. She’s truly an ideal example of a quintessential girl next door and an inspiration to many.

Born and raised in Soweto, the 31 year –old grew up in a household with hard working and business-minded women who had a tremendous influence in shaping her to become the woman she is today. She credits this experience as one of the contributing factors that planted a seed and a desire for entrepreneurship at a young age. “My grandmother and great grandmother were business-minded and that is how I learnt that the exchange of ideas can always turn into something of monetary value. I remember when I was in school, I used to get my pocket money by selling a lot of small items like printed t-shirts, marshmallows, ‘ama kip kip’ which are a popular township maize snack,” she says. By the time she was 15, she started her own pageants to keep herself and the young girls in the neighbourhood busy and off the streets. “Having an entrepreneurial mindset started early in my life and the experiences gained have contributed immensely in polishing the art and I continue to learn every day,” she concludes.

What’s interesting to note is the fact that Enhle is one of South Africa’s most recognised celebrities and media personality for her film, television, and modelling career, however, many people don’t realise how much of a successful and astute businesswoman she is.

She is currently the founder and managing director of the fast-growing maternity wear range, SE Pregggoz, which she launched in 2015 while visiting in New York. The range is focused on continuing to look gorgeous and stylish while pregnant.

“I got married and became a mother at a young age (23) and being pregnant at that age, I still wanted to feel and look young, but I couldn’t find anything that made me feel or look that way. So, I decided to make samples for myself, wore them and people started asking questions on where I got my clothes. That was a clear sign for me and gave me the drive to pursue this new venture and start my own range, which led to the launch in 2015 while I was visiting New York,” explains Enhle.

Adding to her exciting business journey, Enhle partnered with luxury wig supplier La Bello Beauty to start her own range which features ready to wear, luxurious, synthetic wigs created for the everyday woman who likes to switch her up style, without having to spend a fortune. Both affordable and fashionable, La Bello Beauty Brand and allows women to feel empowered without compromising on style.

Entrepreneurship is not for the faint-hearted. There are many challenges that entrepreneurs must overcome before achieving success. This has been the case with Enhle, regardless of her celebrity status, she has had her own shares of hard knocks, challenges, failures and everything in between since venturing in the entrepreneurial space

“Being an entrepreneur in South Africa is a challenge as it is not an easy market to start a business in. It’s difficult to get start-up capital or funding. The money is there and while some may know where to access it, the reality is that it is tough to access it. This becomes discouraging and usually leads to a lot of people giving up on their dreams of becoming successful business owners,” says Enhle.

“In my opinion, we need many small working businesses, that will help our economy thrive. In the film industry, particularly in SA, we like to play it safe, we don’t take chances in investing in big budgets film projects, unlike in the USA, for example, where they are always keen on investing in projects, whether big or small. I think it’s important to start following this lead, particularly where investing in small businesses is concerned. We have so many stories to tell and many business ventures to tap into; the swimming pool is large for us and we shouldn’t remain in the shallow end,” adds Enhle.

Recognising and overcoming these common pitfalls associated with growth and running a business have not only helped Enhle grow into a business mogul but to also remain resilient, wise, more focused and in control.

It often takes long for one to get their business right and she reiterates that people need to stop having unrealistic expectations that once you start a business the next day you will be driving an expensive car or living a lavish life. Such things do happen, but not overnight. She has had to endure some hard knocks, bruises and so many challenges to get to where she is. It’s important that people venture into business for the right reasons and once they understand the reasons for starting, the monetary value of everything will fall into place.

“In addition, I also believe that as a business person, it’s important to note that when you reach a certain level of skill, where you don’t know or understand certain things, that you educate yourself or at least get someone in your team to take it to the next level. It is equally quite important that you have a team that is supportive and understands your vision. It is a painful experience to hire the wrong team as this not only wastes your time but money too. I have had to deal with such in the past and it was an expensive mistake. But I thank God for the team I currently have. They are very supportive of my dreams and ambitions and you will never hear them say that there’s something that we cannot do. You need such a team,” adds Enhle.

Other than her love for fashion, wigs, the camera and more, Enhle is very passionate about youth development and empowerment. She believes that entrepreneurship is a vital tool that could address many of the social ills that a lot of young South Africans currently face.

“I think it's important that we improve our education system. Teaching practical skills in schools that can be applied in daily lives is essential in ensuring that people are self-sufficient. Although I don’t think everyone is born an entrepreneur, I do, however, believe that there are certain skills apart from entrepreneurship that if learned at an early stage, could be helpful and useful at a later stage in one’s life. For example, the value of money. If we could learn saving money at a young age, it could be the first step in the right direction.”

“I didn’t know much about saving, I thought it was just a matter of putting money in an account but there’s more to it than that. It’s only now that I am really learning about saving and investments and I wish I’d learned about such sooner. There’s trust accounts and other methods one can use to save,” she adds.

The future is bright for Enhle as she has collaborated with popular designers Quiteria and George, who put together a stunning outfit for one of the world’s celebrated artists Beyonce Knowles. Adding to that, she has joined forces with House of Mandela, Africa Rising and Global Citizen to raise funds to empower the youth in education, social justice arts and culture. The Enhle Cares Foundation hosted an inaugural Forever Young Ball and Gala Dinner at the late Nelson Mandela’s home last November. Enhle's sense of ease, power and sheer determination are some of the qualities that make South Africans admire her and she is a force to reckon.

Featured entrepreneurs - Enhle Mbali

Age - 31

Year founded - 2005

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Enhle Mbali: Actress, Empress and Empire Builder/Entrepreneur