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‘You have to find the opportunities as an entrepreneur. You have to motivate yourself. It’s a 24/7 thing,” says Rozanne Immerman, owner and designer of Rozanne & Pushkin, which is located in The Zone @ Rosebank.
Immerman found herself faced with a great opportunity when, at the age of 21 and in her fourth year of fashion design studies, she won the Durban Fashion Experience, hosted by the Gateway Shopping Centre in October 2005.
The first prize was a rent-free, fully fitted shop for a year. Taking this chance and running with it, Rozanne andamp; Pushkin came into being.
On running her own business
“Relocating to Johannesburg and designing everything in the store, I didn’t know anything besides the creative side of my business. When you’re an entrepreneur, you have to know everything. I’ve had to learn that lesson.
“If you don’t know something, you can’t rely on hiring someone and be switched on about everything. You have to take responsibility for your business. I am still learning every day to have an undiluted and creative brand.”
Expanding the brand
“My heart and soul is in this shop [in Rosebank]. We try to provide a personal, friendly experience for the customer and the thinner you spread the vibe, the more the brand loses what it is all about. It’s easy to love our customers and attract the people we want to be around. I have the right team, who love it. It is important to have good people. If we want to be here, then our customers want to be here too. My own line at the moment is #emilyisabitch, a T-shirt slogan collection about self-empowerment and self-worth, standing up for yourself and being a little cheeky while you do it. I am also active on social media.
“I’m in the right place at the moment. This is where I want to be.”
The good and the bad
“There are so many favourite parts about every day. We are always stimulated, there is always stuff going on. The people I work with are also amazing.
“We have also just done our Face of R&P Model Search. We got a great response and our social-media reach was 60 000 people.
“The stresses involved come from me – having to learn to rely on others when I am so independent.
“I know that sometimes there is nothing I can do about it when something goes wrong. It’s going to happen and an entrepreneur needs to overcome obstacles.
“It’s not necessarily fun all the time. You have to find the fun in it. I am so much happier and the shop is so much better because of this.
“Success is what you want it to be. It’s not what a textbook says or what someone else who doesn’t have a business says. Your formula for success is your formula. It’s not somebody else’s opinion of it.
“R&P offers mentorship and internship programmes. It is not a requirement to have a fashion background; it’s more about a personality type that can work here.”
How to be an entrepreneur
. Learn about the industry
. Be resilient
. Be focused
. Put in the hard work
. Develop a thick skin to handle criticism
Job opportunities
. Costume design for theatre, film or TV
. Fashion buyer, merchandiser or manager
. Visual merchandising – displaying fashion and accessories in store
. Owning a market stall
. Designing for brands
If you are interested in fashion and design, there are many institutions and universities that offer these courses. A quick search on the web will give you all the details you need.
