Yvette Kaneza: a young Burundian entrepreneur who launched her business "all by herself" and is still going strong

During an assignment in Burundi to strengthen the skills of local partners involved in helping young Burundians find employment, I wanted to meet a woman entrepreneur who had "done it all by herself."
 
My aim was to highlight the fact that this type of situation exists and, above all, to try to understand the difference between her and other young entrepreneurs trying to launch their own businesses in Burundi and elsewhere in sub-Saharan Africa.

​Yvette Kaneza – owner of the ready-to-wear line "Le Reflet" – is remarkable for her taste in design and the audacity with which she mixes different styles of fabric; this is the foundation of her brand. She has long been gripped by a vision: to create a ready-to-wear line "made in Burundi" that is accessible to local women.

And indeed, although her passion for combining different styles was quick to attract women who wanted to wear less "conventional" clothes, the availability of a ready-to-wear line also met a specific need: Burundian women needed quick access to clothes, without having to purchase them from abroad or place an order with a dressmaker and cope with the accompanying inconveniences: having measurements taken, enduring long waiting times, not receiving the desired garment on the date negotiated, etc. In other words, Yvette's entrepreneurial project perfectly combined her strong interest in a field (design), her recognized talent in it, and a need among Burundian women.
 
All that remained was to get the project off the ground, which Yvette chose to do cautiously. Despite her desire to get started, she knew she needed access to financial resources. But she wanted to access these resources on her own: no other way of operating has ever crossed her mind! So she continued her professional activities in the administrative field (she worked for an NGO), saved some money, and took advantage of her time off to travel to Dubai to buy accessories that she would use to develop her models. In doing so, she upset the local tradition that disapproves of vacations outside the country, particularly for a young woman on her own.
 
After starting with a small workshop, which she left to her mother to manage during the day while she took over at the end of her working day and on weekends, Yvette wanted to move on to the project of a boutique. However, the political situation in 2015 was unfavorable to the opening of this dream boutique and even led to the closure of her workshop. Yvette was not discouraged, however. So, she could not sell her clothes in Burundi? She made enquiries – as she does every time she encounters a difficulty – and discovered an online platform that would enable her to sell them in Kampala.
 
In 2017, having judged that conditions were now acceptable for her boutique project to go ahead, she finally launched it! However, ever cautious, it was not until 2019 that she felt that the financial situation of her boutique was good enough for her to finally devote herself to it 100% and quit her job.
 
And since then? Since then, Yvette has been mastering her trade as an entrepreneur, learning from the difficulties she encounters. 
 
Has she ever thought of giving up, given the challenges she's faced? Never! On the one hand, she's convinced that if she stays focused on one activity – the success of her boutique and her creations – she can achieve her goals. And secondly, she has made a habit of looking for sources of information – or motivation – in books and on YouTube.
 
Four days after our meeting, I realize that some of the key drivers of Yvette's success that come to mind are rather familiar to me; they constitute a leitmotiv that I share almost systematically when I meet sub-Saharan partners who support young people on their journey towards workforce integration, be it employment or self-employment:

•  It is vital to support young people (and not-so-young people!) to ensure they choose to engage in a trade in which they have a genuine interest. Choosing a job because it is likely to earn a lot of money is often not the right choice, as an exclusive focus on income is unlikely to keep young people motivated when they face difficulties (either in finding a job or finding customers). And difficulties are inevitable.
• Having a good idea for self-employment or an entrepreneurial activity is obviously a great place to start. But that doesn't mean that difficulties won't arise and have to be dealt with. In other words, difficulties are not necessarily a sign that the project is a bad one.
• Dealing with difficulties often requires access to information. Yvette looked at the information available online; others should be encouraged to talk to people who can help them. The main thing is to find relevant sources of information that can help you take the plunge. And they do exist. 
• Relying on access to a loan to set up your own business is not necessarily a good idea. After all, there’s no guarantee that a financial institution will grant a loan. On the other hand, it’s always possible to save money and get ahead. And, as in this case, opting for an intermediate activity that will enable you to make those savings can be an excellent option.

 
Yvette, thank you so much for all the reminders your story has given me, as well as for the very pleasant meeting!

​Catherine Ukelo, July 2023