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Making parenting easier, one nursery at a time

Making parenting easier, one nursery at a time

Beatha Shitemba, owner of Nels Babies, an online nursery decoration company, has come a long way from just producing crib bedding and nursery accessories.

She has added value to the local economy, created jobs, manufacturers locally and design products that are especially made for an African market.

Beatha who officially launched her Nels Babies in 2017 who was nominated for Emerging Entrepreneur for 2017, now has been voted as the Best Fashion Tech Startup 2019 Namibia by the Southern African Startup Awards.

She said even though she has been recognised for her work, it has not been easy and one of the main challenges of starting a business always capital, however bootstrapping is becoming very popular, because with a certain amount from saving, one is able to get the business off the ground.

“The challenge of administration work involved in running a business is frustrating and I believe we have a long way to go in terms of what is required from Micro Small Business Enterprises and Small Business Enterprises, especially when it comes to tax and vat administrations,” she explained.

Beatha has a passion for what she does and a huge part of their focus at Nels Babies is to create products which will make parenting more exciting, less stressful and easier and enjoy being part of very parents journey.

“We are also glad to be part of the movement of supporting local production, we love being part of this journey and I believe that is what sets us apart from all the other competitors who simply import products from China and other countries to resell them in Namibia,” she explained.

Giving some advice to other starter-up companies, Beatha said start small and build a strong foundation when starting

“Have monitoring and operational tools to drive your business in the right direction, but most importantly get a mentor and build great relationships,” she added.

According to Beatha the best part of what she does is seeing an idea come to fruition is the most exiting part of the process and being able to make a difference in people’s lives.

“To see babies and toddlers cared for and loved as seen by the efforts parents put in, brings me such join,” she added.

For the future Beatha and her team plan on going big, by focusing on the wholesale market, recruit team team members and open a showroom.

“Becoming a parent is one of the most joyful things in life, but also one of the most stressful, therefore apart from being a fashion tech we would also like to position ourselves as a baby tech or a high tech helper who will relieve some of the worry, so parents can enjoy the moment,” she concluded.


Caption: Beatha Shitemba, owner of Nels Babies uses fabric produced with ultra colour technology using water-based, ecologically safe pigment inks for her products.


About The Author

Mandisa Rasmeni

Mandisa Rasmeni has worked as reporter at the Economist for the past five years, first on the entertainment beat but now focussing more on community, social and health reporting. She is a born writer and she believes education is the greatest equalizer. She received her degree in Journalism at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST) in June 2021. . She is the epitome of perseverance, having started as the newspaper's receptionist in 2013.