Today we’d like to introduce you to Natasha Oiye.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Natasha. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
I moved to the US from Kenya 11 years ago. Every time I went to visit Kenya, I would buy jewelry and other African artifacts to give my friends Stateside as gifts. The ladies always begged me to buy more because I was a good tipper. I was also moved by how hard they worked and kept trying to figure out how to help them leverage the globalization trend and sell to people overseas.
With time, I decided to form an online store to give people in the states a true connection to Africa, and also to help African business people make better money.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has not been smooth at all. Starting a business with my own capital while still having a full-time job and being a single mum of three was torture. My suppliers are in a time zone 8 hours ahead so I have to wake up at night to talk to them. I also have had to learn everything myself, since I didn’t have the money to hire a team. I set up my website, do the graphic designs, take all the pictures and do all the customer service. It’s exhausting yet very satisfying.
COVID 19 had also brought very significant delays, and some of my suppliers are impossible to reach because the market is closed in Kenya. So maintaining enough stock to meet the demand has been a challenge.
Motherlandstuff – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Motherlandstuff is a bridge. We connect African women in Africa to people out of Africa who long for that connection to the motherland. They can own something direct from Africa and see who made it. We also teach lesser-known facts about Africa and what is not shown in the media. We celebrate black culture and invite both blacks and non-blacks to our village. To learn and just enjoy owning motherlandstuff.
I am most proud about filling the gap for Black people and telling them more about where they are from. That sets me apart from other jewelry stores, I tell a story and offer a place to belong. I am a hybrid of both worlds and understand both markets. So I have a unique advantage of fitting in both Africa and the US.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
The proudest moment was last week when I signed the lease on the first free community library in my village. I have sourced a lot of book donations that are on the way there and I’m very excited for the people in that area to have a place to borrow books for free.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.motherlandstuff.com
- Phone: 818-993-2775
- Email: [email protected]
- Instagram: instagram.com/motherlandstuff/
- Facebook: facebook.com/motherlandstuff
- Twitter: twitter.com/motherlandstuff
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