Godana Rajnovic is a lady who has an Eagle’s attitude. Scaling through the heights of business with no fear of where that passion will take her.
Starting her business at the age of fifty five years old when most are about to retire is not an easy task but she has handled it gracefully. It was a constant desire in her heart to create something that was purely Kenyan, made in Kenya for Kenyans. That lead to the birth of her very own Gora Studios. Life is all about taking calculated risks that will lead us to achieving our dreams and live more passionate lives. The Pesapal team had the privilege of sitting down with her and this is what she had to say.
Godana: I had a huge need to showcase Nairobi, Kenya as a cool and urban place. We live in a very resourceful Country with opportunity to create unique pieces from the raw materials produced here. I wanted people to comfortably wear African fabric or textile and still be modern so as to show the rest of the world that Nairobi is a great place. Plus I wanted to show people that something made here can be worn anywhere in the world proudly.
Godana: It was started in 2017. Initially it was an idea I had thought about way before the inception but it took some planning before I could officially bring it out to the world. I had to first learn how to sew myself before I started the business because I wanted to own the whole idea wholly. Before starting Gora bags I had lived in Kenya for roughly fifteen years and I had not seen something like this happening, this motivated me even more to start because of the uniqueness.
Godana: My biggest challenge without any doubt was the fact that I did not know anyone, I had no connections and to make matters even more intense I was just a 55 year old lady starting something new who was motivated to show the world that this place can be cool.
Godana: Before I started I had the urge to create something that was out of the norm, something that nobody had ever done before and also something that was original and in sync with our African culture. That is why I settled on “Gunia” and Kitenge to symbolize our culture. At times I will switch it up a bit with Cotton.
Godana: Pesapal was absolutely amazing, it was a Savior in my business! The provision of a variety of payment options means that my clients are now able to buy more products at every point of sale because they don't have to worry about carrying around a lot of cash. As opposed to buying just one bag, they can get two or even three. To me this has been my biggest thing because it automatically leads to the growth of my business through the increase of revenue.
Godana: Never let your current situation determine where you will head in life. I am an old lady now of 57 years old, I started a completely new idea two years ago and I have toiled in order to make sure that it turns out successful. I believe that if I can do it, anybody can do it.
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