By PNG Marketing Magazine
It is commonly observed that most college students often show interest in extracurricular activities such as sports, music, gaming, scholastic clubs, and other leisure activities as points of relief from study stress, but uncommon for Students to venture into business all the while maintaining appearances in class.
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| Xai'ishja Monique Saulep. Photo courtesy of PNG Marketing Magazine |
Xai'ishja Monique Saulep, 23 from East Sepik and Enga, who graduated two weeks ago from the University of Papua New Guinea with a Bachelor in Earth Science, is one of those uncommon business-driven young scholars.
Initially, she began with the selling of crochet bags and earrings to her friends and schoolmates as a means for extra cash to help her back when she was doing her 2nd-year studies at the university in 2018.
Seeing the attention her small business got at the time fueled her interest in adding more time and effort towards building her business.
By 2019, she started shipping in traditionally designed bilums and baskets from East Sepik, and begin importing rattan and pandanus craft products all the way from the Philippines.
Today, her business - Soulful Treats sells an array of crafts and accessories from handmade fashion products crafted from pandanus leaves and other natural fibres, rattan earrings, wallets, pouches, clutches, wristlets, coin Purses, bilums, hats, bags and fans, and other ladies accessories.
Her aim is to promote handmade natural fibre items as relevant fashion trends, and also to sell these items at an affordable cost.
With limited knowledge of business or marketing, Xai'ishja learned about the business through practice and is always open to suggestions and marketing tips from friends and colleagues.
Through consultations with us (PNG Marketing Magazine), she now understands the power of social media and how having good quality product photos and creative content can attract the right people.
One of her major challenges as an SME is the problem of having a permanent venue or an avenue to facilitate sales, thus she uses social media channels, and Pascoe’s POM City Markets once a month to market her products.
Xai'ishja is currently employed by New Crest Mining Limited based in Lihir Island, under their Graduate Development Program as a graduate Geologist, and with the undying support of her family and loyal friends, Soulful Treats is kept afloat.
She checks for updates on Soulful Treats whenever she finds time after a hard day's work in the mining pits of Lihir.
Xai'ishja always promotes good customer service, as she believes that if a customer is happy then it’s a success for the business, regardless of the money made.
“Customer service is a very essential part of the business,” Monique says.
“If we treat our customers with respect and give them excellent customer service when communicating with them, I am sure they will definitely promote our products by word of mouth or by social media.”
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