Takondwa Maosa is the co-owner of clothing brand Divided London with Daniel Fairhead.
Fans of the brand include footballers Caleb Chukwuemeka and Saikou Janneh, as well as actor Cole Anderson from the Netflix series After Life and EastEnders actor Zack Morris.
Takondwa has been nominated for the Multicultural Business and Community Champion Awards ‘entrepreneur of the year’ award, to vote visit www.mbccawards.com. See www.dividedlondon.com.
When I was at school I was very quiet and inquisitive. I had goals and dreams but no clue how to put it them into action, I went to Shoeburyness High School and from year 7 to 11, I didn’t even study business.
What sparked my ambition was seeing what other people were investing their money and time in. I had light bulb moment that if I don’t at least try to put my plan in action I might not get the chance.
I think it’s a popular belief that being an entrepreneur automatically means you have to take these huge risks in order to be successful. To an extent I agree, although I think it’s very important to remember these risks, in my opinion, need to be carefully calculated to increase the odds of a successful outcome.
There are a lot of amazing young people in Southend setting up businesses and making the connections. I admire the work of a guy called Ramis, he does podcasts and mental health as well as being writer and published books and e-books.
Someone I look up to is Steven Bartlett – he’s an efficient problem solver and great thinker. I often listen and watch his podcasts for tips he famously known for his role as ‘dragon’ on the BBC show Dragons’ Den, and his skills with social media especially Instagram.
When it comes to relaxing, my favourite places to visit in Southend are the beach, especially when it’s hot. I think of lots of ideas while strolling down Southend Pier.
Looking ahead, I have lots of plans for the future. If I had unlimited resources for our business I would put it in marketing and the brand with posters and banners and street art with our slogan ‘normalise being different’. It is an important message everyone needs to take in. Being unique and yourself is okay. Getting actors and athletes with hundreds of thousands of social media followers has been helpful, they wear and promote our clothing and the brand message.
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