MEET ARIANA
Imagine a life where you could eat well seasoned food every day. Mimicking celebrities who have access to personal chefs.
A clean solution that cuts out the sourcing of herbs ,what to and what not to mix together. A blend of the right spices that evokes the memory of a dining experience.
Smell the tantalising smoke of barbecue! It could be any meal of your choice from jollof rice to seafood platters. Food in the comfort of your home or customised grills at your event. Life does not get tastier than this!
Our world is crowded with people who are constantly finding the next ‘big’ idea. Thankfully Princetta Nicol has found what she enjoys doing and this pushed her out of her comfort zone. She has presented a solution to the countless numbers of people that do not have the time nor the ability to create barbecue delicacies.
Ariana Diaries is excited to present to you Bellcetta Grill and Co as they share their views and lessons learned in entrepreneurship.
Describe your company using 4 words only?
We are:
- Engaging
- Flexible
- Friendly
- Challenging
What innovative solution(s) are you bringing to your industry?
New ideas on how to shop using technology via social media and using online payment system and worldwide deliveries. We also introduced vacuum seal packaging that will prolong our product shelf to life and also to reduce the growth of bacteria. We conduct continuous research about how to blend our spices to enhance our product.
Describe how you felt when you had your first paying customer?
“Successful “Because I had finally reached my goal. Hard work does pay off.
What do you think are the challenges for entrepreneurs in Africa and why?
- CAPITAL– Lack of funding, Sometimes there are brilliant ideas but these fail on receiving funding. On the underhand, one could say there is a limited understanding of how to make money out of the ideas.
- CONNECTIVITY – poor connectivity that, in spite of improvements, still bedevils the continent. Real time data needs to improve to get access to high quality connectivity.
- TECHNOLOGY – Even though the Internet is available in Africa and it is growing faster than anywhere else in the world, many digital entrepreneurs struggle to make the most of this resource. There are many struggles in Africa generally which hinder the progress of the continent in the digital space, but I believe that with a very small mental shift, we can have globally disruptive technology emerging from Africa.
- MARKET SIZE – Africa’s middle class is growing, but not as fast as many think. Many people remain disconnected from the internet and financial services, this creates an issue with expanding market size.
- GETTING THE PURPOSE RIGHT – Most African start-ups are very clear on what problem they are trying to solve but fail because they are unable to figure out how to do it.
- TRUST- Many Africans are slow to trust online stores with their personal payment details. This stems from lack of knowledge about online payment systems and advanced security measures. In order to overcome this mistrust, consumers should be educated as to how online payments work.
How do you define business success?
My definition of success is achieving personal goals. It is as simple as, meeting my customer’s needs, and meeting the demands of the business. This can be rated as a huge achievement for me. This is business success in a nutshell in my view.
If you were to start all over again, what will be your first priority in terms of set up?
Advertisement- Educate people about my products, do more samplings and conduct more surveys.
What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?
- Expansion of Bellcetta Smoked Grill & Co.
- Packaging and selling our food stuff and spice products in local grocery stores,
- Logistical growth, adding additional delivery vehicles to our inventory, and even restaurants to our growing service.
