We were lucky to catch up with Niza Phiri recently and have shared our conversation below.

Niza, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s talk about social media – do you manage your own or do you have someone or a company that handles it for you? Why did you make the choice you did?

I manage my own social media and I absolutely love doing so for the simple fact that I get to post authentic posts that relate to my life and my business. I get to engage with real life followers that I didn’t have to pay to follow me & most importantly I get to authentically be me. My advice to business owners is this; Make sure you post what feels good and authentic to you & not what people will just “like” be Natural, be you and keep posting even when you only get 1 or 10 likes.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My Name is Niza and I was born & raised in Lusaka, Zambia. I moved to the USA when I was 13. I’m 37 with a 7yr old with a Masters Social Work from Case Western Reserve. I started making beads as a hobby I enjoyed with my clients and for my selfcare. I enjoyed it so much that I started making waistbeads and anklets to gift my friends. It was a few months later that a friend encouraged me to start an IG & make it into a business. Fast forward to a year later and now 4yrs creating waistbeads & anklets I’ve enjoyed doing pop ups, having had 2 shops, and meeting so many amazing people world wide. What sets me apart is honestly my Energy & invitating personality. I’m very much an extrovert & great with people. As a business owner, customers are attracted to great energy and my personality draws people to me. I want my clients to know that any woman can rock their waistbeads unapologetically no matter your race, age, weight size. Yes, these waistbeads have a different meaning in each African country so I only speak in Zambia’s behalf.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

The best source of new clients has been attending different events while wearing my logo on a shirt which either strikes a conversation or is a way for me to introduce myself and my brand. I also make it a point to support and show up for other businesses which helps me meet their clientele, I encourage my current customers to wear my beads & direct people to my social media if asked where’ they got their beads from, Finally I’ll just sit at a local cafe, park or restaurant while making my beads and people come up to me asking what I’m working on.

Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?

Honestly it’s been my outstanding customer service. I love great customer service when I visit other businesses and always make sure I give as well.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://beads-by-niza.square.site/s/shop
• Instagram: Beadsbyniza36
• Facebook: https://m.facebook.com/niza.phiri.921/

Image Credits

Jordan Kage