UWC Students Empower Aspiring Entrepreneur
Kuhle Nails and Beauty was growing fast. In fact, it was growing too fast for the entrepreneur to cope. But thanks to a team, which included the University of the Western Cape, she is on her feet again and thriving. Kudzai Mugwanda (middle) and the EESA 2023 Business Consultants
Kudzai Mugwanda, a 40-year-old wife and mother of two, is the founder and CEO of Kuhle Nails and Beauty.
Her company took off beautifully and expanded drastically — from one to eight branches in the blink of an eye. But without the proper operations and management structures, she found herself buckling.
Mugwanda shut down three branches because she couldn’t support the expansion and was losing profit. However, she could not identify the cause of her lack of profitability.
Since joining Entrepreneurship and Empowerment in South Africa (EESA) through the Silulo Foundation, Kuhle Nails and Beauty took a significant turn.
EESA is a life-changing programme where students empower historically disadvantaged entrepreneurs in Cape Town’s townships through a six-week engagement. American and South African students collaborate on consulting teams to support small businesses – ranging from catering and arts and crafts to community newspapers and small construction firms – to achieve sustainability.
The programme is a two-part course offered at the University of the Western Cape, employing a methodology developed as part of the EESA Programme over the past 23 years.
The course includes a Supporting Emerging Enterprises component and one on Entrepreneurship Field Experience. Students eager to enact positive change are from various academic backgrounds, such as sociology, engineering, information studies, architecture, economics, political science, government and social work.
Essential student attributes include a strong work ethic, emotional maturity, innovative problem-solving skills, and a commitment to making an impact.
After being grouped into consulting teams, students work with two small businesses over six weeks to help make the ventures sustainable. Student consulting teams identify and prioritise entrepreneurs’ key needs and make meaningful progress in addressing some of them.
Students develop marketing and financial plans, create bookkeeping systems, improve operations and renegotiate contracts, among other things.
EESA is a collaborative effort involving the University of Notre Dame, the University of Florida, the University of Colorado and the University of the Western Cape, which serves as the programme’s host institution. It is administered by the University of Notre Dame’s McKenna Center for Human Development and Global Business, a part of the Keough School of Global Affairs, in conjunction with the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the University of the Western Cape, EESA aims to foster entrepreneurship and empowerment within South Africa.
EESA took Kuhle Nails to the next level.
“Joining EESA through the Silulo Foundation seemed like a small step, but it turned out to be a game-changer,” said Mugwanda. “They helped me understand my business better and provided much-needed support.”
Mugwanda was one of 16 entrepreneurs that participated in the EESA 2023 cohort.
“I got interested in starting my own business because of my family background. My grandparents were entrepreneurs, and I also had various skills but wasn’t sure what career to pick. Eventually, I felt drawn to business – it just felt right,” she said. She started Kuhle Nails in 2008.
“I noticed a lack of beauty services for black customers, which motivated me to start Kuhle Nails in Khayelitsha. I aim to make beauty services more accessible and inclusive.”