“As an entrepreneur, one needs to have the mindset of a leader,” says Victoria Imani, content creator, founder of Verani Apparel and Denri Africa Brand Ambassador.

Verani Apparel is a custom-print business that does branded clothing for individuals, groups, events and organizations. “Being an entrepreneur so far has been quite the journey of successes, failures, character building, losses, and opportunities. There were two sides of the coin for me, the part that is successful, seen and celebrated by those online or those around you, and the part that is not seen, which include the daily habits one needs to have to build what they have started, the risk of failure, loss, or rejection, and the sacrifices one has to make to achieve the vision for their venture. This has been my first venture, and over time I realized the much I needed to learn, the guidance needed, and how I have a long way to go, especially in growing this business.”

Victoria is also a content creator and currently works as a brand ambassador for Denri Africa. Working as a content creator for a brand has exposed her to exploring and growing in creativity, which again, helps her as an entrepreneur. “It has also led me to learn new technical skills, such as social media management, using digital marketing metrics to grow my personal online presence and brand, working with editing software, and knowing the fundamental basics of photography. I am hoping for more opportunities and exposure as I continue.”

Victoria is also a student in her final year pursuing a Bachelor of Commerce degree, specializing in Entrepreneurship and Marketing. “When I started my degree, I was still figuring out what I would like to do with it for I did not want to go through 4 years of university and come out with a certificate that I might never use. One thing I remember thinking though, was, as I continue discovering my passion, getting a little extra pocket money would be nice!”

“Therefore, I started thinking of what I could sell, and came up with many ideas, of which none of them were actualized. I had a friend at the time that came to me with her idea to sell printed t-shirts, while I presented to her one of my ideas to sell unisex hoodies and jeans that perfectly fit any African woman’s body type. We ended up merging ideas, to design and sell custom-printed hoodies, t-shirts, sweatshirts, and jackets, and hopefully venture into jeans later.

This is how we ended up starting the business. ‘Verani’ launched and as time passed, I grew a passion for entrepreneurship, leading me to attend training programs for entrepreneurs and majoring in it at university. However, over time, the partnership broke, and she became the sole owner of the business. Verani Apparel now does branded clothing for individuals, groups, events and organizations.”

What motivates Victoria to keep going is self-mastery, growth, change-making and purpose. She is heavily driven by self-improvement and leadership, for she believes that before you lead others, you need to learn how to lead your own life. The self-leadership you master pours into being a visionary leader that makes an impact not only with the people you work with but also in the lives of the community around you. She aspires to continue being this person that grows and walks in purpose in this way.

“In the future, I plan to venture into agribusiness, for it is one of the industries with the greatest opportunities to grow the economy of our country but is facing a lot of challenges. I aspire to innovate in this space, and hopefully make a solid difference in the industry.”

Follow  @victoria.imani  and @ve.rani_ on Instagram