Xiluva Khoza, a young woman with big dreams had always dreamed of pursuing her goal of becoming a fashion designer. Ever since she was 11 years of age, she knew that her dream job was to work in what she was passionate about; fashion. Today, Xiluva is working in Johannesburg and is supplying more than 5 boutiques with her latest designs. She speaks out to help every young entrepreneur, opening up about what her personal experience brought and sharing her recommendations for others’ success.

If you have ever wondered how does one ever start a fashion business, Xiluva says that you must start by identifying the target that you want to sell to. This way, you will know exactly what they are wanting to buy and will make it easier for you to design according to their needs. It is important to perform this market research before any other job is done to save time, money and resources.

Once having started, she mentions the importance of managing well your finances. “Cash flow is everything,” she says, and if you don’t manage it well, an initial investment can disappear extremely fast without much progress being done. “Money flies, invest in good marketing”, she says. Also, she insists on keeping your humility, “Never assume that you know exactly what your client likes, always keep asking”.

Although we all know that the career path of an entrepreneur is never easy, you can see the passion and the personal achievement that working in what you love can bring. Xiluva recommends having a support system that can back you up when times get rough, learning to stay true to yourself and always striving for high standard goals.

From a child’s past dream job to providing fashion designs to boutiques in Johannesburg, Xiluva continues to aim higher, more boutiques, dressing Michelle Obama and even helping to educate young entrepreneurs that are in the situation that she was once. An inspiration and role model for us all.