Beaming new shades to the paint industry

Founder of Sun Diverse: Mmatsatsi Rampa

Many young women are choosing to leave behind the pressures of the corporate the world and rather deal with the pressures of their own start-ups.

One such woman is Mmatsatsi Rampa, owner of paint manufacturing firm Sun Diverse Group.

Rampa recently completed her master’s degree in entrepreneurship and venture creation, a qualification she intends to effectively use as she grows her business. She explains that the company does not only manufacture paint but also provide advisory and supporting services to clients.

Sun Diverse Group supplies authentic Italian texturized wall and cornice from a local and 100% black manufac- turer. The manufacturing plant has for many years manu- factured SABS approved wall coating.

With a marketing and sales background she says it was only natural for her to steer her own entity to where she wants it to go instead of working in corporate and building someone else’s company.

She is one of the fortunate few who actually come from an enterprising family with both her parents having started their own pain manufacturing company when she was still in school.

Being a woman in a male dominated industry also does not help because a lot of people think she does not know what she is talking about.

It is often a dynamic she has to deal with before even sell- ing her product she says.“When you listen to people in- stead of just sell you are able to win them, even those who say but you are so young, or you are a woman you get to treat their questions first by inviting them to your factory or showing them samples of your work. Once that part is over you can surely make a sale”.

“This is not a family business. My dad still runs his busi- ness and I run my own, but we are both in the same in- dustry because I was involved in their business as a young girl,” she explains.

The Sun Diverse Group owner says more than anything entrepreneurs want market access. It is difficult for new players such as her in that industry because there are many other brands who have a hold to the market and are monolopising it.

“It’s all good to give me the money but if I do not have access to the market the money will end and as a business I will still need those paying clients”.

So she is finding a way to work around the stumbling blocks.