We recently connected with Helen Annette Njau and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Helen Annette, thanks for sharing your insights with our community today. Part of your success, no doubt, is due to your work ethic and so we’d love if you could open up about where you got your work ethic from?
I like to believe that I “inherited” my work ethic from my father. He was a giant among men. He taught us so many things but one was “there is dignity in labor.” He worked for every single accolade he achieved in his 84 years of life. He not only worked hard at whatever he did or was tasked to do, he worked at it with excellence. There was nothing ever mediocre about him or the works of his hands. He worked at his role as a husband and father with all his might, he worked at his degrees from Cambridge University with all of his might, he worked as a judge for the United Nations with all of his might. He put dignity in every single thing he did. So when I say I inherited it from my father, I really mean it was well demonstrated for us through witnessing him. So some of it is nature and a lot of it is nurture. My father was a huge encourager of us doing the best we can in everything we did and that’s what I try to do. I also believe that work ethic is a muscle. The more you use it, the more it improves. You have to use it though otherwise, it dissipates. You have to use it in order for it to “flex” so to speak.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
House of Takura (aka H.O.T.) is a lifestyle brand focused on high-end and unique designs that tell a story of African traditions and Western influences. The name Takura is very near and dear. It is the name of the my son. Takura is Shona for “to grow” or “mature”. The attributes of a person named Takura include creative ability, ambition and high ideals. They also desire to accomplish something outstanding in life and are destined to do great things for humanity. I found this name to be perfect for my son and frankly even more perfect for the brand given our purpose and goals.
At H.O.T, we envision fusing African textiles with Western fabric and modern styles to reflect my own upbringing. The notion of fusion is deeply-rooted in my life and shows in the brand. The most exciting thing about this brand for me is challenging the narrative of the level of quality of finished goods that come out of Africa. Our ultimate purpose or goal though is to remind people that every House Of Takura bag or pair of sunglasses puts people to work and helps uplift the people who handcraft them out of poverty. We want to build a legacy of being socially present, conscious and impactful. Our work is not just art work, it is heart work.
Because our bags are limited editions, there is always some exciting new print coming down the pike with any one of the customer favorite bag silhouettes. For instance, our Alpha and Duara Waist/Chest bags drop in new prints at the end of March. These bag silhouettes are top sellers and go fast. We want you to run not walk to the website and sign up for our HOT Insider so you know when they become available for purchase. We recently dropped our Kura bags in various colorblocks and those have easily become a customer favorite. They are the cutest little bags with a lot of room. For our boss ladies, we have the It’s Handled work bags that will drop again in April. We are almost completely sold out of our current inventory on these bags. They went faster than we imagined. We also recently dropped a new eyewear silhouette called the PAKA, which means cat in Swahili. A play on the cat eye shape of the sunglasses. Lot’s of exciting things going on here and we are so grateful for the opportunity to keep this brand going.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
1. Know your market. Understand what people like and what drives their purchases. For us, we interviewed a couple of our best customers and asked them what attracted you to the brand and what keeps you coming back. The two top answers by far were uniqueness of bags and designs and number 2 the purpose of the brand. You will save yourself a lot of time and money by just asking instead of trying to figure it out by some magical formula. Your brand, by definition, cannot be for everybody so identify the repeat customers and ask them why us. You will be surprised at the responses and possibly how you got it wrong. For instance, I thought by far that it is the purpose that drives people to House Of Takura, turns out that was a secondary purpose. Come to find out the primary purpose is the idea that no one else in the world or only 10 other people in the world will ever have a bag that looks like mine is the actual driver. So now that we know that, we are working at tapping into people who want to standout (or not) and have something not readily available to every single woman in the world. We make small batches on purpose and turns out people like that.
2. Focus on what sells. The product that sells may not actually be your favorite design but at some point you have to put your emotions aside and run a business. This is a lesson I learned the hard way but I am getting better at identifying what people want from our brand every day and at some point, this will catapult us to huge success. I wholeheartedly believe in the power of persistence.
3. Be attentive to your customers. One thing our customers will say about us is that our customer service is second to none and we designed it that way. I believe business is relational. How do you want your relationships to be? Fraught with tension and non-responsiveness or filled with ease and good vibes. I never want a customer to feel like they did not get the best of us when they have an encounter with us. I have stopped shopping at brands I love because of their utter derelict of their customer service duties. I don’t ever want to be that brand that has really great items but their customer service leaves a lot to be desired. Never. As a consumer, I believe customer relations takes priority over the product. I am well known in my circle for boycotting places that just refuse to meet the level of customer service that people who work hard for their money and spend it with you deserve.
What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?
The most impactful thing my parents did for me was instill in me that I, alone, determine my worth and value. I was taught that no person can take away your knowledge – your ideas, what you have learned over the years, experiences that have given you lessons, encounters. Nothing and no one can ever take what you have acquired in your head and that is quite frankly your super power. That is your value. So you determine your value and worth by acquiring knowledge – because that knowledge is something someone somewhere will pay you for. So the most impactful thing you can do for yourself and your children is to instill the value of acquiring knowledge. I am convinced that I have experienced and gained knowledge in so many areas of life that if I could gather them all in a neat package and offer them for sale, I would be an instant millionaire ten times over. Knowledge truly is king.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.houseoftakura.com
- Instagram: @houseoftakura
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/houseoftakura
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/house-of-takura/
- Twitter: @houseoftakura
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjG1YZm5x2WR-_6ctgNKfkw
- Other: Tik Tok @houseoftakura
Image Credits
Carlos Rodriguez (Photographer) Chellilina Ezenibe (Model) Ajima Cole (Model)
