RUNNING one’s own business is never an easy feat. Viliame Turuva, 27 and Samuela Koroinamara, 26, know this well. The pair run Repent Enterprises, a small but growing earring-making and jewellery repair business in the heart of Suva.
Mr Turuva, who hails from Vuda in Ba said the business idea came about because they had grown tired of working for others. “We were tired of working everywhere,” Mr Turuva said. Mr Koroinamara, who hails from Rotuma, said they previously worked at Nu-Look, a second-hand shop, “We were working at Nu-Look, and there was this Indo-Fijian boy who was staying with us,” Mr Koroinamara said.
“We helped him out because he’d been chased away from home.” In August 2021, before their friend returned to Nadi, he gave $70 to Mr Turuva to help get his business off the ground. “From that $70, we began making jewellery, and displayed them on top of a small carton and a small box,” Mr Turuva said.
“From there, we kept going. We moved to two tables which were donated by my aunty and Samu’s brother.” “So, how did the name Repent Enterprises come about?” Mr Turuva said the inspiration came from two places.
“We chose the name Repent Enterprises because the word repent comes from the Bible. It also came from the dictionary.” Mr Koroinamara said the inspiration behind their jewellery was simple.
“We would go to second-hand shops, and we would take a look around to see what we liked,” he said. Mr Turuva said the main challenge they faced in running their small business was the unpredictable weather. “Due to our location, heavy rain floods the path and makes it hard for people to buy our items,” he said.
Despite their challenges, the pair’s business has allowed them to teach others how to make earrings. “The good thing about this is that we have taken trips to Labasa and Tavua where we taught single mothers and others how to make these things,” Mr Koroinamara said. “When we first started this business, the profit was little, such as $20 after all the shopping expenses were deducted.
But now, since we are online too, we get at least $100 a day.” Mr Turuva said social media has helped them expand of their business and they now have some overseas customers. As part of Repent Enterprises’ future plans, the duo hopes to open a shop in the West.
“We are planning to travel more, so we’re trying to obtain our driving licences. “Maybe, we will open a shop in Sigatoka because there are no shops like this there. “.
