Golden Hour Skincare
What does your company do?
Golden Hour Skincare is a proudly South African company that produces environmentally sustainable, gender-neutral skincare products. At Golden Hour, we're passionate about simple, targeted skincare. We've eliminated the guess-work and simplified your daily skincare routine into 3 effective steps, so you can address your skin concerns with clarity and confidence!
To be apart of our customers' daily routines is a big deal, and we take it seriously. Our products are formulated with a careful selection of ethically sourced, vegan ingredients. Rest assured that your golden moments of self care each morning and evening with us are as serene, high quality, and as thoughtful as possible. Our commitment to using recyclable, refillable, or reusable materials in all our packaging ensures that your skincare journey is rewarding for both you, and our environment.
What is your biggest success?
My biggest success has been raising funds for my business. Pre-seed funding is hard to come by in South Africa, particularly when ventures don't have an obvious tech enablement. I participated in a number of entrepreneurial programmes to refine my concept, before being awarded funding. Those programmes include the Entrepreneurial Academy by the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation, The Academy for Women Entrepreneurs by AWIEF and the US Embassy SA, Startup School by Investec, and currently, the Pathways Programme by E Squared Investments. I've since raised R3.5 million, which has enabled my co-founder and I to commit to our business and nurture it full-time.
What has been your biggest hurdle?
My biggest hurdle has been recognising myself as an entrepreneur. My entrepreneurial journey started at the age of 9 when I sold popcorn at my school tuck shop. I engaged in multiple more entrepreneurial endeavours from that time, each iteration maturing with age, one of which, awarding me a seat on an international summit panel. Despite these early entrepreneurial achievements, I didn't see myself as an entrepreneur and chose to follow a more traditional path through a degree in Law. Upon graduation, I felt compelled to explore entrepreneurship once more, head-first and full force. Though bullish in my motivations, I felt ashamed pursuing such an unorthodox career path, so young, with no guarantee of success. This impacted how I marketed my business, raised funds, and showed up as a founder because I shied away from being publicly associated, even amongst my most intimate networks, with my venture. The tide turned in our success and growth as a business when I overcame this hurdle, "got over myself" for lack of better words, and stepped into the power of being a young, black, female entrepreneur.
