IF THE SHOE FITS ... OPERI TJITEERE The right shoe that is comfortable and made with quality will give a person peace of mind as their feet have peace in their expression,” says Operi Tjiteere, the man behind handmade-shoe enterprise Operi Handmade.
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or Operi, design is the key factor in producing the right shoe: “The design is what makes the shoe perfect. Without the perfect design to begin with, you will not have the perfect shoe.”
that could be sold to both the local and the tourist market. But like many young entrepreneurs, Operi needed guidance to set his business apart and help him move from the position of being a full-time employee to a full-time business owner.
Learning the fundamentals of business development is also key to budding entrepreneurs like Operi. He is an entrepreneurial development-training graduate from the Intensive Product Development (IPD) programme, an intensive product-development course for local entrepreneurs supported by local government and run through FABlab Namibia.
Operi plans on increasing his production. In the future, he would like to pay forward his learning: “I want to be able to grow this business to provide more job opportunities, especially for the youth of Namibia. I have learnt that hard work pays off, so never give up on your dreams.”
FABlab was the first advanced-manufacturing, prototyping and design lab in Namibia. It was opened in partnership with the Ministry of Industrialisation, Trade and SME Development to enhance local product competitiveness and bridge the technological divide. With shoe-manufacturing training and support from the entrepreneur incubators, Operi developed an operation in Okahandja making shoes, sandals and belts, as well as repairing leather products. When he started the enterprise he was still working full time and repairing shoes on weekends. He said that he noticed a business opportunity in the manufacturing of leather goods
“I want to be able to grow this business to provide more job opportunities, especially for the youth of Namibia. I have learnt that hard work pays off, so never give up on your dreams.” 88