Interview with Mamusu Koroma
Mamusu runs Koroma Events with her elder brother, Ansu. With Sierra Leoneon roots, the company name and logo were inspired by their culture and family. Mamusu has a strong events management background of over 10 years, whilst Ansu has 20 years’ experience in the building sector. Together, they are running an exciting events decor hire business!
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What inspired you to start your own business, and what challenges did you face in the initial stages of entrepreneurship?
I have wanted to start a family business for a very long time but had no idea where to start. When planning my mums 60th I had this tiny voice in the back of my head that this could be the start of something, and I could make my money back on all the equipment I had bought. As the party turned out so well and we had so many compliments, our first booking off the back of it was the push we needed to start. I would say the biggest challenge was pricing and stock.
How do you maintain a work-life balance while running a successful business?
I am still perfecting this but I try and switch off when I am doing fun things with friends or family and do as much of this as possible.
Can you share a significant milestone or achievement that you are particularly proud of in your entrepreneurial journey?
I would say getting our first booking off the back of our Mum’s 60th party and it turning out better than expected. It was a white wedding which went from 50 guests to 100 at quite short notice, so it feels like an achievement to have dealt with those challenges and plan an event of that size so early on.
Have you experienced any gender-related obstacles or biases since starting your own business?
So far so good in fact our first client actually commended me for how strong I was.
How do you empower and support other women in business?
I think positive reinforcement goes along way and I believe do onto others as you would like others to do on to you. So I do a lot of commenting and resharing and some times DM’s to give people their flowers.
What role has mentorship played in your career, and how has it influenced your growth as a business owner?
The soulful design co has been transformative on how I think and feel about business. Having a community of amazing women to lean on is so inspiring
How have you found marketing your business – has it been easy for you, or have you found it quite difficult?
At first very difficult as I found it embarrassing and was overthinking all the content I made. I am slowly getting the hang of it and getting more ideas and thinking outside the box.
What are your main marketing activities, and what do you find works best for you?
My main marketing activities are posting on socials and telling anyone who listens I HAVE A BUSINESS LOL. I have just got some business cards, flyers and stickers made so we are about to level the marketing all the way up.
Can you discuss a time when you had to pivot or adapt your business strategy?
I decided to post to attract from January for the next month or so and add another platform to post on … Facebook. Neither was in my plans but I thought I needed to change things up a bit.
Looking ahead, what are your future goals and aspirations for your business?
Future goal is to expand our services. I feel like me and my brother are really just getting started and we are really going to bring some new and exciting things to the event world.