Damane speaks on fragrance business
’MAPALO NKHELOANE
MASERU – Popular passion-filled entertainer and entrepreneur, Mosa Damane, has introduced a female fragrance named Esther – the second under her cosmetic brand ‘That Gal’.
Damane says she founded That Gal cosmetics in 2015 while in second year at the Limkokwing University of Creative Technology (LUCT) at a time she was inspired by Avon cosmetics.
Avon is a global beauty company that celebrates innovation, honesty, inclusion and beauty.
“It has always been a dream of mine to venture in the cosmetic business. I should mention that the drive to actually start came from the fact that I have always earned income since the age of 16 and enrolling full-time at varsity at the age of 27 with sponsorship funding from the National Manpower bursary as my sole income was a major challenge,” she says.
She then decided the right time to actually put her plans and dreams into action was when this challenge surfaced she decided to use her bursary lumpsum in her second year of study as capital for That Gal cosmetics and that is how the business was born.
Damane says the Esther idea came late last year but the launch only materialised in January.
She indicates that she works closely with a manufacturing company based in Johannesburg, where they spend a day coming up with the scent she wants. It is the same company that produces That Gal and That Guy fragrances.
“I should mention that I do have interest in working with an international manufacturing company in future as the business grows. All I can say about That Gal Cosmetics is we are just getting started so there is whole lot more that will be coming. Both That Guy and That Gal fragrances will be making a comeback this year,” Damane maintains. Damane explains that the thinking behind Esther is the story of Esther in the Bible and the creativity then expanded to (Est-Established for Her) so it is Est-Her.
She further reveals that Esther is made out of orange, grapefruit, gardenia, honey, patchouli and white floral and these are the same ingredients in That Gal Fragrance but they have now added vanilla, tonka bean, Damascena rose and May rose for a more distinctive, powerful scent.
She says That Gal Fragrance is sweet while Esther is bitter-sweet and more mature. Damane will launch Esther on April 19 in Maseru. According to Damane, That Gal Cosmetics’ mandate is to change the lives of Basotho men and women across the globe by helping them generate income by selling their products.
“I mentioned earlier that Avon cosmetics is the biggest inspiration. Avon is not in stores but has sales representatives across Africa which is the same route we aspire for as That Gal Cosmetics; to give women an opportunity to grow and sustain a living by selling our products.
“Not only is That Gal cosmetics very passionate about the girl child but there are also campaigns that my team and I will launch next year, if not this year, where we want to empower young girls and young women such as The She Empowerment Seminar and our charity campaign “Love That Girl”,” Damane explains emphasising that she is not in a position to reveal all details yet.
Damane, who wears many entertainment hats, is also a DJ, radio/TV presenter, model and artiste manager. She joined the entertainment space in radio from the age of 16. She also reveals that South Africa’s Dineo Ranaka, a woman Damane says she highly respects and still learns a lot from, introduced her to television.
This is after Ranaka featured her in her reality TV show in Season 2 of Dineo’s Diary in 2013. Music-passionate Damane says she has managed artistes such as Thembi Seete, Khuli Chana, TKZee and many others under a company called Dream Team SA. She has also co-hosted a music show on Lesotho TV called Urban Jamz from 2015 till 2018 and has worked at multiple radio stations in Lesotho till 2018.
Damane says the journey has not been easy adding it takes courage, persistence and determination for one to rise, adding consistency is also a key factor. “Knowing that if you don’t get it right the first time you can try again is great. It’s four years in the business now and it hasn’t been easy.
“The first two years were not as difficult as I managed very well to juggle school and business but in the 3rd year the business suffered a lot as my main priority became completing my studies and I had to take a break from the business fully last year to ensure I complete my Honours degree,” she says.
Damane assures people that there is a lot in the pipeline, including a book she is writing, there is also radio and a whole lot more that she is working on. She further states that she works as a bookings manager for a company that manages the famous South African TV personality, Boity Thulo.
“I always say I am a “Mogul in the making” meaning I can’t rest before I become a mogul, the plan is to create generational wealth in order to be remembered for something,” she firmly says.
To aspiring entrepreneurs, her message is that the journey is what they come across on Instagram. She emphasises that it is not easy and that entrepreneurship requires hard work, dedication, focus, determination and patience.
She maintains success does not happen overnight and it may take months and sometimes years before cash starts rolling in, adding giving up should not be a quick option regardless of how hard it gets.
