– Take it from this young entrepreneur

AT just 22 years old, Shanazz Embleton is the proud owner of ‘Enchanted Indian Wedding Décor’ – a business that she has registered since 2013.

She would not dare to take all of the credit for herself, however, nor would she attribute the hard work and dedication that she’d put into making the business a success; she will only speak of the love and practical assistance that her grandparents rendered to her.
Her grandmother, especially, Mrs. Camil Hassan (now deceased) worked hard as a seamstress to sew uniforms for the Guyana Police Force. Incidentally, her grandfather, Mr. Sheik Hassan (also deceased) was a tailor.

Although Shanazz said she had never actually helped out in her grandparents’ business, she would always admire their work.
Born and raised at Mon Repos, on the East Coast Demerara, Shanazz attended the nursery and primary schools in that village. She enrolled at Apex Academy afterwards but dropped out of school in the third form.

It was at this point that her grandmother gave her some money which she used to start up an internet café business. Because she hadn’t given up the idea of finishing school, Shanazz later enrolled at the Academy of Excellence and completed her secondary education there.

In 2012, Shanazz landed her first job decorating an auditorium hall for the Texila American University graduation ceremony. Fortunately, a friend from Academy of Excellence who was a receptionist at the Princess Ramada Hotel lined her up for the job.
Shanazz believes that watching her grandparents work fueled a desire in her to work with different kinds of fabrics; although not realising this immediately.

She found that she started to enjoy her new kind of work and decided to pursue it. Her grandmother again stepped in and gave her money to invest in the business.
“That was her investment in me; and that money got me all the way here,” Shanazz related during an interview recently with the Pepperpot Magazine. “My grandmother was my mentor and I wanted to be just like her. I couldn’t sew so I decided to go with décor. She was one of the greatest persons I saw while growing up. Nothing bothered her even though she went through her own struggles.”

Shanazz said she would have loved to have her grandmother around today. “I was hoping she’d still be here because I can do so much for her. She’s still my mentor.”
“If you have someone in your family who can give you inspiration and help you along, then follow in their footsteps. You can’t go back and change the beginning but you can start from where you are and change the ending. That’s actually my life quote. So you can determine how your life will be,” advised Shanazz.

NEW LINE OF BUSINESS
Shanazz works with a five-member team and designs as per the liking of her clients. “It’s fun. If I don’t have what you want, then I will try to create that,” she said.
Her team supplies everything that is needed to decorate the venues. “I would have to do the backdrops, do the table settings; find the utensils, glasses, centrepieces and everything in line. We provide most of the stuff. We’ll take everything there and put it into place.”

Shanazz said although the name of her business might give the impression that she decorates for Indian weddings only, this is far from the case. “We don’t do only Indian weddings; I just like the name.”
Shanazz also rents chairs, tables, centrepieces, vases, tablecloths, table and chair covers, sashes, weddings chairs, and the like.

By next January, she said she will be opening a new line of business where she will be bringing in wedding dresses from overseas for sale and rental. She also plans to bring all kinds of brand name make up. Shanazz has a showroom in Mon Repos where she is living.
Eventually, Shanazz is hoping to be able to own a banquet hall that can host various events. “For the next five years, I do have a plan that I am working along with. My job was not easy when I started but I didn’t give up. I had to keep going,” she said.