Amanda du-Pont launches South African beauty startup 

Renowned South African actress and model, Amanda du-Pont has created a proudly South African holistic beauty  startup titled Lelive. 

Du-Pont has shared some key tips with Ventureburn on entrepreneurship and starting your own business

Inspired by du-Pont’s unofficial Swazi name, Lelive directly means ‘nation of the world’ and is representative of the brand and its product offering. Lelive is a clean, vegan, dermatologist approved and unisex skincare range. 

Lelive

Officially launching on 16 April 2020, Lelive is a health and beauty startup that aims to provide a locally-made and holistic range of skincare items. 

In an interview with Ventureburn, Amanda du-Pont provides insight into what led to the creation of the new venture. 

“Our journey began last year at the beginning of the pandemic. We realised that there was a need to offer people support and inspiration on how to take better care of themselves, so we created this platform to share tips and advice on healthy eating, fitness and wellness. We soon realised there was a need for skincare that was clean, effective, and affordable and our community then began to help develop the range that we have today.'”

In order to create a premier range of items, an in-depth focus study was launched using various social media platforms such as Instagram. This provided insight into the skincare industry in South Africa along with what consumers are looking for.

Lelive is completely bootstrapped as pointed out by du-Pont. 

“It’s been completely self-funded – which during times like this is a big risk, but because of the vision we had and the immense possibilities of what we wanted to achieve we knew that it was a risk worth taking and it was something that we wanted to have full ownership of.”

Created out of a community-built approach, Lelive’s products have been created with affordability, simplicity, effectiveness, and a clean approach in mind. Throughout the range, African ingredients have been used to create unique and impactful products and merged with international ingredients as well to create a unique product offering for locals. 

Du-Pont explains what her favourite product from the newly launched range is. 

“My favourite products have to be the moisturisers – that’s why I even named one of them after me! From the jump, I completely fell in love with them and knew that they would become bestsellers because they were truly on par with some of the most expensive and well-known brands internationally that I’ve also used over the years. The du-Pont, in particular, is major love of mine – I use it as an overnight hydrating mask, and it leaves my skin feeling completely renewed.”

Entrepreneurship

According to du-Pont, the following key elements have influenced her entrepreneurial journey:

• Building an empire
• Being self-sufficient 
• The desire to have a positive social impact 

Du-Pont shares three tips of advice for fellow budding entrepreneurs who want to launch and establish their own business.

“Have a clear vision, listen and work with your customer to develop a product that they truly want, assemble a strong team, and stay determined. We’re all capable of greatness, we just need to stay focused and trust that God will help us see it through.”

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Featured image: Amanda du-Pont (Supplied)