Rose’s business has experienced remarkable growth over the past few months, with her sales at one point reaching approximately R3,800 per week.

Her use of Google marketing tools has significantly expanded her visibility, helping her grow a loyal following of over 6,000 supporters from Alexandra and surrounding areas. She also acknowledged the important role that Tumi’s network played in promoting her business and increasing customer awareness.

Although she was unable to make use of the recording tool, Rose has developed a strong understanding of her business finances and profitability. She explained that whenever she spends around R1,000 on stock, she is able to generate close to R800 in profit. Confident in the quality and demand for her products, she even doubled some of her prices and was pleasantly surprised to find that customers continued to support her business without hesitation. On average, she estimates that she produces between 50 to 70 food plates per day, demonstrating both the scale of her operations and the strong community demand for her services.

Through consistent hard work and increasing customer support, Rose has also managed to build meaningful savings for herself, which she hopes to use towards purchasing a delivery bike around September or October this year.

Looking ahead, she is considering opening a second branch closer to the Alex Mall area and potentially hiring someone to manage the new store by November.

Despite this encouraging progress, Rose is currently facing several operational challenges that have forced her to temporarily slow down or halt her business. One of the major difficulties relates to ongoing electricity problems within the museum premises where she operates.

Because the building is classified as a government structure, repairs cannot be handled independently, and they are forced to wait for the relevant authorities to resolve the issue.

In an attempt to continue serving customers, Rose explored alternative gas-based cooking solutions, but unfortunately found that the food became cold much faster, resulting in dissatisfaction from customers. To minimize losses during this difficult period, she began purchasing smaller quantities of stock and cooking in limited portions to avoid unnecessary waste. However, this strategy also created frustration among some customers when they arrived and found her either sold out or not operating at all.

Even in the face of these setbacks, Rose remains determined and focused on sustaining and growing her business, while continuing to adapt to the challenges surrounding her operating environment.