Despite not having the chance to finish high school, Ibticem Boujezza is a very ambitious 32-year-old woman who has been active in civil society for many years. Through her involvement in women’s rights associations, she learned to assert herself and developed skills in handicraft, marketing, hairdressing and beauty.
Today, Ibticem is proud to have launched her own hairdressing and beauty salon in the city of Kairouan with the help of her sister and the support of her family, who kindly offered her a location on the ground floor of the family house.
“My hairdressing training dates back to 2000. I worked in many hairdressing salons and took part in several professional competitions. By the end of 2016, I had almost everything I needed to launch my own hairdressing and beauty salon. I was just missing the managerial skills to develop my project and manage it efficiently.”
In her first steps to entrepreneurship Ibticem found the necessary support to formalize her project at the Business Center of Kairouan. She discovered and benefited from the HP LIFE e-Learning course of the Mashrou3i program implemented by UNIDO with funding from USAID, the Italian Cooperation and the HP Foundation. Through this training, Ibticem quickly succeeded in preparing a viable business plan for the BTS (Tunisian Bank of Solidarity) in order to get the funds needed to launch her business.
“I attended the regional coaching group workshop in February 2017. Thanks to the support and coaching of the Mashrou3i trainer, Jalel Amri, I was able to complete all 27 HP LIFE e-Learning courses and finalize my business plan by myself. This experience has been enriching and decisive for the launch and the viability of my project. I’ve learned how to plan and succeed in my company, how to evaluate costs, how to determine the profitability of it and most of all how to avoid mistakes in the operation of my business.”
With the assistance and expertise received by the Mashrou3i team and the HP LIFE training, Ibticem is empowered to take advantage of the new skills she has learned and is now enhancing the relationship with her clients, trying to build loyalty by offering a good service quality while managing the costs she incurs.
“Apart from hairdressing and beauty treatments, I also advise customers on beauty care products that meet their specific needs and explain their application, benefits and features.”
Ibticem is now managing her project and successfully confronting the entrepreneurial challenge thanks to her ambitions and her strength of character. “In my opinion, we must always go forward despite all the difficulties. My message to others might be that with or without a diploma, success is possible you just need to believe in your idea and work for it.”
