UP CLOSE … with Sylvia Moustache, postwoman and entrepreneur |08 September 2020

Sylvia the postwoman

‘I have my dreams and I plan to realise them no matter what’

By Marie-Anne Lepathy

She is a young, active and determined mother of three who is full of entrepreneurial ideas and is striving, in spite of all odds, to find ways to bring her ideas to reality by knocking on different doors for help. Recently, just before Covid-19 struck, she had set up her small laundry business at her home.

She is Sylvia Moustache and catching up with her this week she was willing to share the ideas she has and how eager she is to develop them, the challenges and difficulties she is facing both when it comes to realising her entrepreneurial ideas and to make ends meet as life becomes more difficult with the continuous increase in the cost of living.

More about Sylvia

Being employed as a postwoman with the Seychelles Postal Services for the past seven years, Sylvia has nonetheless always dreamt of being her own boss.

“Since very young I have always dreamt of one day having my own business and being my own boss as well as being a boss to other people whom I would employ,” Sylvia told me.

But she admitted that at first she was not quite sure what the business would be. But as she grew older many entrepreneurial ideas came chasing into her mind.

The young woman describes herself as being an outgoing and independent person who has never wanted to sit and wait for everything to be presented to her and to depend on anybody but rather to work hard and try her hands at different jobs to make ends meet.

“If I have an idea I would not hesitate to go for it and work to turn it into something which would benefit me if I can,” Sylvia said.

Living in a one room house with her husband and children Sylvia admits that come the end of the month she is not left with much as she has to pay for their present lodging as well as for a permanent house which they are yet to be allocated.

“Life has not been easy for me and even though I have my husband’s support I want to be financially independent,” Sylvia stated.

During our conversation Sylvia eventually revealed that her first business idea was   having her own mobile stall where she sold mostly grilled meat, fish, sausages and burgers at national events and other entertainment activities.

After two years Sylvia said the business became less profitable as more people came onboard with more innovative ideas like selling drinks and a variety of other food in one stall.

“With the increasing cost of transportation and all the other related expenses, Sylvia said she had gradually reduced the number of times she goes out to sell anything. With the onslaught of the Covid-19 pandemic, as all entertainment activities stopped, now the opportunities to go out anyway are rare for everybody.

This is when Sylvia decided to move to explore her other idea of setting up the small laundry.

Dreaming of having her own business

“In my mind this particular idea kept lingering and it was persistent. It was about a laundry service which I had been nurturing for some time even though I was not too sure where I would source out the money and a place to carry out the business,” Sylvia explained.

But all the same she made up her mind to knock on some doors. Two attempts to secure funding from Enterprise Seychelles Agency (Esa) were not successful.

“I did not lose hope but instead I persisted and urged on by the slogan ‘leve debourye’, I talked to many people who were better informed and I was advised to go to the SNYC (Seychelles National Youth Council) as there, young people with good business ideas and plans can benefit from a grant if their business ideas and plans were successful,” Sylvia recalled.

Mid last year she started the procedures with the SNYC and she was encouraged as they were very much easier and she seized the opportunity to fill in the related documents and submitted her business plan.

“I was really excited and very happy when I learned I had been successful even though afterwards it took quite some time for the money to be disbursed,” she said.

Setting up her laundry business, the Covid-19 downturn

Even with no money to rent a place to set up her laundry business, Sylvia was determined to move on and so she transformed the verandah at the back of her house to make space for her two washing machines, steamer, containers, iron boards and other related accessories.

“In life if you are determined to do something to improve your situation you will find a way no matter what,” Sylvia said.

Sylvia affirmed that from earlier this year her business was up and running very well and she was getting clients by distributing her business cards and words of mouth had also played a big part in increasing her client base.

“I was really doing well and I was very happy but suddenly Covid-19 appeared from nowhere and delivered a blow to one and all. It has really affected me as all my clients one by one pulled out as they are all being more stringent when it comes to how they spend their money as the prices of goods and services continue to rise as a result of the economic downturn brought about by the pandemic,” Sylvia said pensively.

She admitted that currently the business is flat on its face and she is struggling to keep it going in spite of some disappointments.

“It is rare that some clients will require your service and call you but I am really optimistic that things will gradually pick up,” Sylvia said hopefully.

Plans for the future

Being entrepreneurial as she is, Sylvia said she has already started to explore possibilities in the blue economy sector but she admits that with no money, no good connections, no contacts and being a ‘little nobody’ as she called herself, things has been difficult for her.

“The doors open just a little and once you detail your idea instead of opening wider for somebody to come out and talk to you, advise you, support you and encourage you, the doors close in your face as nobody is willing to help you. While I am told this would not be possible after I had been scanned from head to toe and summed up, I later hear that the same doors have opened to welcome someone else and for me this is really unfair and very painful especially at a time when all the young people are being encouraged to ‘leve debrouye’,” Sylvia stated in disappointment.

But armed with her ideas and determination, Sylvia is as keen as ever to persevere and not let any disappointment pulled her down.

“I have my dreams and I plan to realise them no matter what and not even all the different hurdles of discouragement will stop me. I admit it is not easy for somebody like me but I have never been afraid of challenges and I have been through a lot of hard times in my life. I will continue to knock on doors and I am convinced that one day somebody will listen to me and will be eager to help me and my idea will receive the attention it deserves,” Sylvia said, pointing out that many of the successful businesses and billionaires in the world today started off from scratch and took off after several failed attempts.

With regard to her laundry business, Sylvia said she is exploring other components of it like washing other things like carpet for both household and vehicles.

“I am just hoping that Covid-19 will leave us alone or a vaccine will be found and our lives will get back to normal and our economy will pick up,” Sylvia said.

A faithful believer in God and prayers, Sylvia said she prays a lot and she firmly believes that God will provide for her and guide her way.

Meanwhile Sylvia believes the SNYC should better support those small entrepreneurs who have started their small projects and want to move forward. She said there should be better monitoring of grant recipients and a service to ensure they are followed up for a certain period of time.

Leisure time

When she is not at work or busy thinking about her next moves to push her entrepreneurial ideas, Sylvia spends time around the house doing the ordinary chores entrusted to all working women and mothers. She also reserves ample time for her children especially her teenage daughter whom she says is currently going through the critical adolescent phase.

“I make sure I give them all the attention they deserve. We share the housework, we play together, we go to the beach and do many things together. We support each other and share our joy as well as our life challenges,” said Sylvia.

Meanwhile as Sylvia continues to nurture her dreams to one day become a successful entrepreneur, we wish her all the best of luck in her future endeavours.