BSC LIFESTYLE BOUTIQUE

BSC LIFESTYLE BOUTIQUE

BSC is an abbreviation for Bright Sight Collections named after its founder. My names are Bright Sight Founder and Creative for BSC Lifestyle Boutique. I am a Ugandan, married and also a mother of two currently living in Zimbabwe. I am an Economist by profession, majored in Trade Law and Policy. I graduated with an Honours Bachelor’s Degree in (Economics and Management) from Uganda Christian University in 2010 at the age of 21 and immediately started searching the job market like most of us do. I worked as a Sales Representative, Team Leader and Customer Service Advisor on the few jobs acquired until something just didn’t feel right. As a result, I embarked on a journey of self-discovery and indeed found my passion in jewellery making during the process. The jewellery making later turned into a small business which started in 2012 making handmade jewellery using locally sourced materials from acrylic beads, gemstones, wood, white bone,  cow horn, chains, charms, glass, twines and leather.

MOTIVATION TO START THE BUSINESS

I found myself with little to almost no social time especially on my last job which was so demanding as well as exhausting. The job required overnight work at some point which left me with the day time to rest and then back to work in the evening. As a young adult at the time it felt frustrating to not have a social life or even time to explore and engage my creative senses. I have always liked wearing handmade jewellery and it was indeed rare to catch me without a necklace and bangles, and occasionally earrings as I only started wearing those as soon as I could make them myself. One of my sister’s closest friends was a multi-talented young lady called Rhoda and I truly admired her skills which brought me to a point of asking for help. I offered to sell her jewellery at my workplace in exchange that she taught me the basics of jewellery making. During this learning process I discovered that jewellery making brought me so much joy and satisfaction. Not only did I learn but started creating different designs according to my taste and personality. I quickly started wearing my own jewellery, then slowly introduced it to work colleagues and their peers. This little market survey went quite well and I was convinced to take it up as a business venture when my superiors at work started purchasing the same jewellery for themselves and gifting purposes. This gave me the courage to resign from my employment at the time and explore self-employment. I started small indeed and on several occasions sold my products on credit which I do not encourage but it got me somewhere as some paid and others defaulted, all of it was but a learning experience for me. My last pay check, personal savings plus the support of close family and friends helped a lot to start the business; and I have never looked back except diversified through learning daily and exploring my creative abilities. As of today BSC Lifestyle Boutique is not limited to Jewellery but also hand poured Candles, Upcycled Glass, Home Accessories and Gift Sets.

CHALLENGES FACED BY THE BUSINESS

  • As the world evolves with advanced technology, there’s a need to catch up with this online trend and indeed one can’t have all the strengths. BSC Lifestyle Boutique has established its online presence but there is still so much to learn and accomplish in this domain. We have a website up and running but struggling with traffic.
  • Challenges on how to turn online followers into actual customers through the various social media platforms, earning client trust online as people are still transitioning from in-store shopping to ecommerce. There is a need to find professional help that is genuine to support the business’ online presence.
  • The other challenge is penetrating the international marketplace as we have so much to offer and looking for collaborations across the African continent and worldwide. 
  • The high shipping, handling and tax costs can also be a let-down for potential online customers as they make the products seem more expensive than they actually are at checkout. The more the need for international collaborations hence making the products available to a diverse market at more reasonable prices.

Without giving up we continue to produce good quality handmade products, professional images for our online presence without alterations and are indeed optimistic that the business will thrive.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR THE BUSINESS

  • We have the opportunity and pleasure of Upcycling empty glass bottles whilst contributing to environmental preservation. We use empty glass bottles and jars which would have ended up in the landfills; in our day to day creations. We have a unique collection of upcycled glassware from goblets, vases, planters, lamps, pendant lights and decorative pieces. Our candles are hand poured into the cut and polished glass jars. The beauty about upcycling glass is the zero waste impact. Every part of the cut glass bottles and jars can be put to good use; which keeps our creative and imaginative senses flowing.
  • We also have taken this opportunity to another level by teaching and sharing some of the skills with others through our monthly glass bottle cutting workshops. The workshops are aimed at teaching glass upcycling and its endless possibilities. These workshops are categorised into three segments – Beginners, Intermediate and Advanced Classes. The workshops are aimed at empowering our local community and promoting entrepreneurship. It would be our honour to collaborate with international organisations on their capacity building projects through these workshops and empower various communities. Empowerment is meant for all and it is indeed possible.
  • We have also had some collaborations with other local businesses, which helps us to reach the local market on different levels depending on the customer needs. This allows us to stay operational and working according to the prevailing laws of demand and supply given the economic climate.  
  • We are open to international collaborations as our work is starting to get noticed far and wide thanks to the internet and customer referrals. 
  • The biggest opportunity so far has been the ability to teach our children about the business by allowing them to participate and assist with small tasks. This could be part of their family legacy in the long-run. 

ADVICE TO OTHER BUSINESSES

  • Do not be afraid to start small; this will allow you to test new ideas, manage your resources whilst learning from your mistakes as you build a solid foundation to handle your future business growth.
  • Delegation; it’s easy to get carried away with the creative process and the gratification of doing everything by yourself. But as entrepreneurs especially creatives, we need to know when to stop and delegate in order to avoid burnouts. It is important to train a few staff on how to perform certain tasks without compromising quality or even to a certain extent. Thereafter, you can do the finishing touches to make sure that your final products are up to standard and of good quality. A tired body and mind cannot perform productively. 
  • Be open to learning from others; you just never know how this can contribute to the success of your business. I personally believe in having an open mind and exploring possibilities before writing them off.
  • Believe in your potential and avoid constant comparison with other businesses. Whereas comparison to your competitors in business is good, it should not consume a lot of your time. Focusing too much on the competition can cause distraction hence affecting your originality. 
  • Before you give up, take time to do some research and explore new ways to fix the ongoing problems within your business. Here is a practical example from my personal experience; when I first started upcycling glass, it sold well but I later on realised that there was not much of returning customers for the same products. I therefore had to explore other ways to get those customers back on track by adding value to product at hand (upcycled glass). I took a few courses online in candle making and started pouring my scented candles into the same upcycled glass. This here was now diversification and it also added value to the upcycled glass. We ended up with two different products instead of one that is to say Glasses and Candles in glass jars.
  • If you decide to showcase your products online, invest in a good camera or have a professional photographer take the product images. First impressions always last – if you do not leverage first impressions correctly, your customers might and will most likely get the wrong idea. 
  • In addition to that, it is important to price your products right to minimise losses whilst maximising profits. We are still a work in progress but we have made some mistakes along the way and learned from them. Under-pricing your products also makes them appear of lesser value than they actually are unless it is indeed the case, this should be avoided.

https://bsclifestyle.com/about-us/

https://bsclifestyle.com/upcoming-workshops/

https://bsclifestyle.com/product-category/jewelry/

https://bsclifestyle.com/product-category/dining-glassware/

https://bsclifestyle.com/product/scented-candles/

Written by; 

Bright Sight Nantukunda 

Founder of BSC Lifestyle Boutique

Barbara Santini

Barbara is a freelance writer and a sex and relationships adviser at Dimepiece LA and Peaches and Screams. Barbara is involved in various educational initiatives aimed at making sex advice more accessible to everyone and breaking stigmas around sex across various cultural communities. In her spare time, Barbara enjoys trawling through vintage markets in Brick Lane, exploring new places, painting and reading.

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