Fluctuating the game

JUSTICIA SHIPENA



It would be hard to find anyone more passionate about what they do and helping parents educate their children than Jenny Derday, the owner of BluButterfly at Swakopmund.

But passion will only get you so far, and keeping a business afloat when most people are investing in digital solutions has taken a huge amount of courage, determination and hard graft for Derday. Her goal has always been to be financially independent and to be able to spend as much as time as possible with her family at the same time. She pursued a career in management through the University of Namibia (Unam).

“However, most small business owners know that this is a huge challenge. To make this set-up work, one must be agile, think out of the box and be prepared to fail, get up, and start the whole process all over again, every time,” she says.

Derday always plans her schedule the day before, but there can always be unforeseen issues popping up and that is where agility plays a role.

“I know that I’m not a superwoman. When I am overwhelmed, I try to take a break, enjoy a cup of Five Roses the way my mom liked it with sugar and lots of milk, and remind myself of my goals and aspirations,” she says.

Derday says she has worked for companies but never felt fulfilled.

“I am one very lucky lady who has a husband and three sons who fully support me. I also want to be an example for my children. Namibia’s unemployment rate is unfortunately very high and so we must create our own opportunities to be successful and productive individuals.”

She emphasises that is vital to invest in the education of the Namibian child, therefore at BluButterfly they have established teaching aids for schools and parents.

Derday says her biggest inspiration comes from being the mother of a young child.

“I was and still am always looking for interesting and inspiring ways to teach essentials and basics to Jordan, my son. I used the internet and spoke to friends and family in education about the most important skills and knowledge children need to acquire at especially a young age.”

All this information culminated in a range of charts, posters and other teaching aids. Nowadays teachers and parents also come to her with their own ideas and BluButterfly makes it happen. She says this is one of her favourite activities at BluButterfly.

Derday emphasises that BluButterfly does not only offer products but also excellent service.

“We take real pride in customer service rendered and continuously train our staff, as well as setting a friendly environment.”

She believes that investing in the younger generation should be the key goal as they are the ones who will grow the country and make it prosperous. Derday feels that the older and more experienced generations must plant the seeds, but that does not mean that young people do not already make great strides.

“I’m so proud when I read about young Namibians starting their own businesses and projects. I noticed that Covid-19 has been the trigger for some young people to think of ways to earn money on their own,” she says.

Her dream is to see young people look past racial and social barriers and see working together as the opportunity. Her future plans include growing BluButterfly into a full-scale printing business.

“I have many new ideas I want to try out. I would also like to play a greater part in growing our community, especially in terms of unity and a sense of community.”

Derday says she loves the fact that they have grown their customer base during the current pandemic, and they have learnt a lot and moulded the business to fit customer needs.

She adds that many environmental factors can kill a new small business and entrepreneurs need to be supported through adapted loans and other resources such as efficient government services.

“We need to constantly renew our services and products because photocopying is just not enough anymore. This is a challenge because even when we find new ways of injecting new life into the business, we may face constraints to implement these ideas,” she says.

Derday says the name BluButterfly stands for transformation, change and renewal.

“When one sees a blue butterfly, a new time in your life begins. It is also seen as a wish granter and messenger. This fits so well with our mission at BluButterfly thus we hope to spread a positive message and to be able to contribute to community and societal transformation,” she explains.

She urges aspiring young entrepreneurs to diversify by offering new services and products.

“A good idea is to look at the types of technologies available and adapt the business accordingly,” she advises.