Name: Nadine Murray
Company: Kitibella
Business Line: Online shoe store
Contact: +27 (0) 72 904 7681
https://kitibella.co.za/shop-online/shoes
The confidence and validation a self-confessed "tomboy" felt after slipping on a pair of high heels for the first time at her matric dance was what moved Gqeberha's Nadine Murray to open her online shoe business.
Now the mother of two and owner of Kitibella hopes to share that feeling with other women through an affordable range of classy accessories, trendy heels and exquisite fragrances.
For the past five years, the 38-year-old has been running her business while holding down a full-time job in the IT industry.
The Hillside-raised resident, who now lives in Lovemore Heights, has since outgrown the shy, introverted persona of her high school days and hopes to empower other women and girls to embrace themselves and act on their potential with confidence.
"I grew up an introvert and was teased a lot in school, and that affected my self-esteem a lot," Murray said.
"I was teased for everything, feature-wise. I never wore heels, never dressed up, because I did not want to draw attention to myself."
But seeing herself in her matric dance outfit changed her life.
"For the first time, I saw myself in a completely different light. I mean, I didn't see this tomboy any more. I saw a different person, I saw someone who could really make a difference in this world," she said.
"I saw this woman and I saw the potential of what I could do. It was a confidence makeover for me.
"There's just this thing when you dress up and you put on a pair of heels and you stand up and your posture changes and your confidence grows.
"You just see possibilities and can actually inspire other women you know. After that, my love for shoes just grew."
Murray said each piece available from her business was ordered from an overseas supplier and chosen to provide that same confidence boost to whoever might one day don the attire.
"My business is not just about making money, it's about making a difference, and that's what happened for me," she said.
"The benefit of buying online is that the store is accessible 24/7. It is for the modern career woman and mom as it's a challenge to get to a conventional store during working hours.
"I also don't have the rental overheads of a traditional store and staff, thus I'm able to maintain reasonable prices for my items."
She said for the future she was looking to introduce a showroom where customers could try on the shoes.
