Daringo shows it can be done

Tjuna Kauapiruara Daringo is one of Namibia's most influential businesswomen. She describes herself as a Herero girl from Epukiro who was raised among strong-willed and prideful women who never let failure define them. She is the founder of Mothers & Business, a realtor, an actress, and a mom.

Daringo says she is a mom-preneur.

"A mom-preneur is a mother who is still trying to find independent ways of sustaining herself and her family through entrepreneurial initiatives."

The mom-preneur sustains her family through her different business ventures.

Apart from business, Daringo is also an actress, having featured in popular Namibian movies such as Katutura (2014), Fish Out of Water (2016) and in one of Namibia’s most prominent TV series’ ‘The Third Will’.

In addition to her acting, she is also a real estate agent for Naziah properties and is a mom-blogger. The mother of two studied industrial psychology and is fluent in German.

Daringo took an interest in business when she was in her second year of university, where she hosted small events. Although the vision was not as clear as it is today, the spark was definitely there, and Daringo realised she had a desire to be self-sufficient.

Mothers & Business

Mothers & Business is a platform where mothers and future mothers can come together and discuss various hardships and share advice on how to be a mother and a professional at the same time. The overall initiative is there to create a space where mothers and women can engage, network, share knowledge, skills, and mobilise each other.

Mothers & Business recently hosted a gala dinner to celebrate women from all walks of life in one massive event that reviews the conversations they had through the course of the year.

The event's main guest was actress and businesswoman, Connie Ferguson. "Inviting Mrs Connie Ferguson this year was fitting as she was a true reflection of imperfect progress," said Daringo.

Daringo is married with two kids and says that her family is her driving force in life. She strongly believes she is meant for big and great things and that mediocrity is not part of her destiny. She also added that part of the reason she is so driven in life and is hopeful for the future is because she is God-fearing and has an ambitious partner.

Five things you may not know about Daringo:

1. She is patient.

2. She is not easily fazed.

3. She gets very angry and annoyed when someone does not wash the dishes and the toilet properly.

4. She has OCD and loves clean environments.

5. She speaks German fluently.

Daily routine

The mom-preneur wakes up and says a short prayer. She then takes the kids to school. After her school drop-offs, she indulges in some self-investment by going to the gym, which is then followed by a trip to the office, where she ticks off all she needs to do and attends to meetings and clients. In-between her office meetings, she runs some errands as well. This is then followed by a school pick-up and a trip home, where she gets ready to make dinner and take care of her family. By the end of the day, she finds some quiet time for herself, meditates, and concludes with a facial care routine.

Challenges

The mom-preneur says that she is yet to fully find a balance between her work life and being a mother and wife. Creating room for grace, Daringo highlights that it is normal to feel guilty when it comes to work and parenting.

"I don’t think there is a way to not feel guilty when you are either at work or home because sometimes you always feel like you are giving one area too much attention and that you are neglecting the other."

One of the challenges she faces in the industry is competing with well-established brands and companies in a saturated market.

She emphasises that one needs to be different from the rest or be so firmly placed in the industry that the competition is viewed as healthy competition.

Capitalising on her creativity is one of her biggest strengths. The mom-preneur combats different work challenges with her creativity.

She leverages her own unique personal brand while having a mentor who fully understands her and what she represents and has to offer.

Advice

Daringo advises aspiring entrepreneurs to create an extensive business plan no matter the size of their business.

Through this plan, she believes one can manage their progress better. She also insists that research is important and that one should be hands-on when it comes to business, noticing every detail.

"You have to know the ins and outs of your business to the point whereby you too know how clean a toilet should be because you have done and tested it yourself," she said.

The actor implores women from all walks of life to unite and stand up for each other. Highlighting that life in itself is already challenging for women, she says that the last thing one needs is another woman bringing you down.

"Make a decision to focus only on constructive criticism and have a clear vision," Daringo said.

She added that when faced with negative opinions and backlash, it is often a projection of their own feelings and one needs to ignore it, as people who speak like that about others should be pitied instead.