Seipati Masango, popularly known as Miss Gates, needs no introduction.
She is a brand ambassador of some of the
leading brands, including the following: Street Chic; My Glam Hair; and Pretty Lashes.
She is a body-positivity advocate and always proudly highlights the plus size
community in its absolute beauty at any given chance.
Hailing from Katlehong in Gauteng, Miss Gates always uplifts local brands through her beauty plug with her “Miss Gates Sessions”, which hosts pop-up stores in partnership with women-owned businesses.
CALF MAGAZINE sat down and had an
illuminating discussion with Miss Gates recently.
THE BEGINNING OF MISS GATES' ENTREPRENEURSHIP JOURNEY
'I have always wanted to do something special and unique, something that would fulfil my soul, but never knew precisely what I should do', reveals Miss Gates as she reflects on how she ended up in this journey. Today she has her own cosmetic product, a skin care range – Organic Touch by Miss Gates. She states that for the longest time she has been treating her hair and skin using her home remedies. She then took the advice of her friends, who always complimented her, to start and develop the skin care range and then build a business out of it.
She then started working on the packaging of her product and advertised it on her social media platforms. Soon she started getting orders from places as far as Cape Town. It was then that she started realising that her product had a positive impact on the market. She then invested more in her product. She had to ensure that the product was safe and up to the required standard by having it tested for use on all skin types. The hype in sales inspired her to open a separate social media account specifically for her product, aside from her personal account.
One lesson to be learned here is that, at some point in one’s life, one just needs to take the plunge and dive in! When the time for success has come, all other things work together to ensure that success – but you must put the time and effort to make it happen. And that is the testimony of Miss Gates' skin care range.
MARKETING STRATEGY AND NICHE
Social media has given people the power to direct marketing and sales. It has eliminated the gate-keepers and ensured that everyone has an opportunity to an audience. This was the advantage Miss Gates used when marketing her skin care product and in her role as a brand ambassador. “I really loved and enjoyed the direct interaction with my clients, as well as potential clients, and optimised on that”, she adds. She wanted her product to have a personal touch, so that when people purchased it, or got in touch with the brands that she is aligned with, they would know that they are authentic.
Miss Gates notes that often people get attracted to the person’s image and personality and then get drawn into the product or brand. Image and personality are thus both crucial in the business. She makes the point that when she had her baby, she decided to undergo body sculpturing. She walked through that journey with her followers until the end. She clarifies that she underwent the procedure in order to reveal her beautiful body with all the curves in the right places, something that was well received by her fans. A fervent advocate of self-love, she encourages and inspires people to be the best version of themselves.
Miss Gates is by no means a small player in the influencers’ streets. She has managed to use her platform to bag endorsement and brand ambassador deals. She recalls how it all started, when she won a plus-size model search. During – and after – the search, she had to do a lot of campaigning and lobbying to get her community to rally behind her. With this exercise, she was able to secure a substantial amount of following that she has managed to turn into a business and sustain.
Calf Magazine asked Miss Gates if she wants to go the mainstream retail route with her product. To this she states that as much as mainstream retail is a likely route, for entrepreneurs who are pushing their hustle from their own pocket, the journey is not an easy one. For one, the turnaround payment of sales is 90 days and that has a financial impact when you are a self-funded entrepreneur. Thus, for now the social media platform is more financially viable for her, but certainly not the limit. "My journey has just started, and there are no limits at all", she emphasises.
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Picture by: Tshidiso SkiGraphy Lamola
