The scent of jasmine and lilies permeates the air in iZimbali Florist in Pietermaritzburg, a riot of colour and perfume that delights the senses. Second-generation florist, Kaamani Jangali, welcomes every customer to her “happy place” warmly.
While many girls love flowers and floral arranging, it is seldom thought of as a career option, but Kaamani’s childhood prepared her for the challenge. “As a child I enjoyed being in the garden with my father, exploring as he snipped and pruned,” she said. She also helped her mother, Leila Govender, who ran a part-time floral arranging business from their home. Leila taught little Kaamani about composition and colour while she twisted satin ribbons into colourful bows for the arrangements under her mother’s watchful eye. Soon enough, young adulthood arrived and Leila encouraged her daughter to expand the part-time business.
It goes without saying that the first boy to steal Kaamani’s heart with a posy of flowers alerted her to the powerful impact of such a gift. She kept the bouquet, dried upside down. Kaamani’s commitment to artistry is central to the standards this floral family aim for. “I still want to learn to do my art better,” she says, pointing to the magazines she turns to for inspiration and tips.
Mom Leila started out making garlands for Hindu festivals, preparing traditional floral wreaths for funerals, and weaving flowers into brides’ long plaits for their wedding day. “People came by word of mouth, and my family and friends really supported me,” she said. “I also catered to a wide variety of weddings across different cultures,” she recalls. As the part-time business grew, Kaamani was encouraged to formalise it into a proper business. The mother-daughter duo moved their operation to the Parklane Centre, operating initially from the corridors. Next they moved into a small kiosk, but Kaamani was confident that they could take on a bigger shop. Two days before Valentine’s Day in 2014, they opened the doors to their first real shop, kicking off at a great pace.
Kaamani is strongly business minded, seeking to bring a modern flair to old school floristry. Her parents instilled a strong work ethic and dedication. While her friends were relaxing over weekends Kaamani was hard at work preparing flowers for various events. Her upbringing laid the groundwork for her to run a busy operation which handles both orders and walk-in customers, and her dedication did not go unnoticed. In 2016, Kaamani was one of only 46 successful participants selected for the SAB Foundation Tholoana Enterprise programme, a business development initiative aimed at enhancing emerging businesses and ensuring sustainability. The interviewing panel were particularly impressed with Kaamani’s passion to expand her family business and her environmental ideals – this proudly South African business recycles the plastic and cardboard they use.
Izimbali Florist recently partnered with Interflora, taking their unique floral designs internationally. Kaamani aims to open another branch in future, but success is not a given. As any small business does, Izimbali has had its fair share of problems with things like cashflow and pricing, but Kaamani and her family will persevere. She was recognised recently as the first runner-up in the Pietermaritzburg Chamber of Business Entrepreneur Competition.
Every week starts with the arrival of the fresh flowers which are unpacked and then placed in water into the cold room. Next they are artfully arranged for delivery and display. Everyone embraces this ritual before getting busy with walk-in traffic and completing the new orders.
Family pride keeps the tradition going. Kaamani’s mother is eagerly transferring skills to her daughter. The industry has changed over the years, and Leila watches with interest as her daughter develops things further, adapting new concepts and styles and new ways of sourcing flowers. Kaamani brings imagination and ingenuity to the mix, adding modern African flavours to traditional techniques for a unique note.
“Instead of going to the market every day, modern systems permit us to order flowers electronically. The flower are delivered to us directly,” says Leila, who has plenty of old style advice to offer. “Don’t look at your watch. Don’t stop for tea. Put your work first. Go out of your way to ensure that your customer is happy when she leaves the shop. No matter how difficult a client is, put a smile on your face!”
Since joining the Tholoana programme, Kaamani’s biggest learning has been that running a business in today’s economic climate requires a more strategic approach than sitting behind counter and waiting for customers to arrive. In Leila’s day the cost of flowers was significantly lower. It was easier to make a profit if you were service oriented, if you always worked as if somebody was watching you, cutting no corners and doing it right the first time. These lessons have stayed with her.
“It takes a lifetime to master the art of flower arrangement, whether for an elaborate wedding bouquet or a last minute posy,” says Kaamani. “I talk to my flowers and they whisper their secrets back to me, which I in turn share with the world.”
Like iZimbali Florist on Facebook and follow @IzimbaliFlorist
Share this article:
About the Author
Liesl Jobson is an writer, photographer and musician. Formerly a consulting editor of Books LIVE, she is now Fetola’s media co-ordinator. She is the author of Ride the Tortoise, 100 Papers, (which was translated into Italian as Cento strappi) and View from an Escalator as well as three Book Dash children’s books. She enjoys promoting the success of the small business entrepreneurs who make South Africa work.
