From Bedroom Salon to Beauty Empire: Lessons from Mabel Ledwaba’s Havillah Beauty
From Bedroom Salon to Beauty Empire: Lessons from Mabel Ledwaba’s Havillah Beauty. In Atteridgeville, Pretoria, teenager Mabel Ledwaba turned her bedroom into a salon after school. She built her reputation doing nails and lashes, growing into the highest-paid commission stylist working for major cosmetics companies with a “township touch” in white salons. That early hustle taught her business- pricing, client acquisition, professionalism and led to formal cosmetology qualifications and experience with brands like Edcon, Avon, and Justine.
Launching Havillah Beauty with a Purpose
In 2008, with R80 000 from her husband, Mabel founded Havillah Beauty, originally Divine Lashes CC, focusing on products for black women. She saw a gap: local brands lacked deep understanding of darker skin tones, especially in makeup and skincare. Her mission: deliver quality, shade-diverse beauty products that spoke to her community.
Building Products That Resonate
Havillah’s strength lies in product specificity. She sources base powders and mixes pigments in Germany to match African skin tones. By 2018 she had launched handwoven synthetic hair dreadlocks, providing rural Free State women with economic opportunities. The product line evolved to include 24-hour foundations with SPF 30, high-definition concealers, eyeliner, skincare, and afro wigs.
Gaining Traction Through Training and Distribution
By combining product sales with education, Mabel expanded Havillah’s reach. The Havillah Training Academy equips agents with skills in makeup and nails. By 2015–2020 kiosks opened in malls, staff grew from 40 to 82, and turnover rose from R2.2 million to R3.7 million. Empowering women through training became a unique selling point, not just product quality.
Breakthrough Turns: From R2.5 Million to National Recognition
Media coverage in TrueLove, Business Report, Forbes, IOL, ModernGhana, and SEDA highlighted how Mabel grew a home salon into a R2.5 million brand. The brand earned the spotlight as a Black-Owned beauty success, demonstrating that grit plus strategic skill turned township roots into industry accolades.
Pandemic Pivot: Serving During Lockdown
When lockdown hit in 2020, Havillah pivoted into essentials, earning an essential commodities permit to stay open. Mabel launched “Quarantine Glow”: high discount skincare with promised post-lockdown delivery. This move sustained business during a crisis and kept agents working.
Building a Network of 3,000+ Agents
Havillah’s distribution model is agent-driven. Over 3,000 agents across South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, and Zambia sell products independently. The model offers entrepreneurs micro-income opportunities and scale through grassroots marketing while staying brand-aligned.
Diversification with Hair and Academy
Beyond makeup, Havillah expanded into hair products and accessories. Their training academy offers skill-building workshops, placing graduates in media roles. This multi-offering strategy reinforces their market position as both product and skill experts.
Strategic Strengths of Havillah Beauty
| Strength | Impact |
|---|---|
| Cultural insight | Skin-matching pigments and locally made products stood out. |
| Agency-led distribution | Empowers micro-entrepreneurs and scales reach. |
| Media profiling | Coverage in national and pan-African outlets boosted research credibility. |
| Adaptive response | Pandemic pivot showed resilience. |
| Product diversification | From makeup to hair and training, comprehensive beauty solutions. |
Lessons for Aspiring Entrepreneurs
- Identify a real market gap – Mabel saw underserved black women and acted.
- Start small, test, then scale – Bedroom salon to Germany-manufactured pigments.
- Combine product with education – An empowered agent network is a growth engine.
- Own your niche – Focus on what makes you unique, not a copy of global brands.
- Leverage crisis for innovation – Pivot during tough times to build loyalty.
- Spread impact with diversification – Multiple offerings reduce risk and foster growth.
Final Reflection
Havillah Beauty is more than just a makeup brand, it’s a testament to what happens when authenticity, strategic vision, and resilience come together. Mabel Ledwaba’s journey shows that with deep market insight, community investment and adaptability, even a bedroom salon can become a respected, impactful business.
