1. Hi Andy, welcome to Broke Billionaire, please introduce yourself to our readers.
My full name is Andrew David Kingston, a proper English title for a second generation Chinese South African! I know, it’s a long story. I am 31 years old, grew up in Jozi & matriculated from Jeppe High School for Boys in 1997.
I went on to complete my BComm Marketing Degree through Unisa in 2003. My first job was as a Pizza Chef at Ottimo, a popular pizzeria in Kensington. I can see that confused look again, a Chinese guy with an English name cooking wood fired pizza?!?
My first, and last, corporate job was at Elizabeth Arden where I started as a Visual Merchandiser in 2001 and was promoted to National Merchandising Manager in 2009. My main responsibility was to uplift the visual display image of Elizabeth Arden at store level.I relocated to Cape Town in December 2010 to be closer to Elizabeth Arden’s Head Office and soon realised that there was more to life than the “9 to 5” slog. Drawing has always been my passion and I used this talent to grow from a weekend hobby into a profitable brand.
Being in this beautiful city for 5 months has changed the way I think & see things!
2. Your the owner of Kinky Chinkie Creations, what exactly is it that your company does ?
Kinky Chinkie Creations is a brand based on a simple concept.
I hand draw each of the characters, edit them digitially and my 6 year old son gives each character a unique name. I then give the character a few really crazy personality traits based on my actual friend’s and family’s quirky behaviour (with a bit of artistic license added in).
Men’s Urbanware is just the beginning for Kinky Chinkie Creations and the basic foundation of the brand. From here on, it’s where ever I want this to go!
3. When did you start your company and what inspired you do it ?
Twice a month, we’d have a sales meeting first thing on the Monday morning.
During a boring part of the meeting that didn’t require my full attention, I doodled a character at the bottom of my daily calender. The Area Manager(Marga Nagal) sitting next to me nearly fell off her chair when she saw the sketch & pushed me to start the company I’d been dreaming of! In mid 2009, I registered the name & the brand was born.
4. Where can people buy Kinky Chinkie Creations?
Dapper Streetwear. Shop M37, The Glen Shopping Centre, Glenvista, Johannesburg.
Young Star Originals. Claremont Main Road, Cape Town.
This list is sure to grow as I am currently working the streets like a ‘cheap hooker’ to increase the amount of stockists!!
5. There’s lots of competition in the clothing industry, what do you think young South African designers have to do in order to make it in this industry?
- Network! Network! Network! You never know, someone you met in a seedy bar may turn out to be your first big supplier. Or a stalker, one of the 2!!
- Get your patterns & samples finalised before meeting with potential suppliers.No one’s going to take you seriously until you do.
- Work on selling a concept or an original idea instead of just a cool graphic on a Tee-shirt. Anyone can slap a design onto a tee & attempt to sell it. It’s the story around the design that owners & buyers really appreciate.
6. Would you encourage other young South Africans to start their own business?
Definitely!!!!! The benefits of working for yourself completely outweighs anything a corporate company can offer you. If you are good at something & have a talent for it, there is money to be made. Since I resigned from my ‘9-5’ slog, I can literally hear the birds singing & smell the sea breeze. I’ve got that spring back in my step again…..
7. What are some of the biggest challenges you face as an entrepreneur ?
The reality of business is a challanging one to overcome, yet so vitally important to understand. Know the industry & what you’re getting yourself into before going it on your own. Once you overcome the mindset of owning your own business, you’re well on your way.
Financing is always going to be a tough one! I suggest starting your company with the safety net of a steady salary. Do your time & the opportunity will eventually present itself.
Working weekends & nights to get your product to a specific standard is the way to go, for now…Being your own boss makes YOU your biggest critic! This is a challange as you are never satisfied with your product. Perfection cannot be reached immediately & your plans will take many unexpected turns. Keep moving forward, learning and improving from the previous designs. Evolving into perfection is a challange from within…
8. Three things you wish you knew when you started in the game ?
- Where to source decent quality Tee’s locally. I could’ve saved some cash by avoiding importing from China.
- How to manage the business financials myself. Then I wouldn’t have to pay someone to do it for me.
- How to draw a decent pattern & use a basic sewing machine. I could produce my own design samples or mock ups, saving time & money.
9. What advice would you give to young aspiring entrepreneurs ?
- Have an idea of where you want to be in the future. Plan for next week or next month.
Business plans are overated and often only beneficial when applying for bank loans. Rather save enough money to finance it yourself, at least in the beginning, until you know it’s going to work!
- You cannot accomplish something with drive & passion alone. Know your target market and what your core business is before going solo or investing in your idea.
- Understand your target market & the various segments within.
- You will never get a PERFECT product out on the first couple attempts. You are your biggest critic & the DETAIL will be your shortcoming. Get the product out and improve the next run from the lessons learnt along the way.
- Know how your product is made at every level of production. The better you understand how your product is made, the better you will be at perfecting it.
10. What do you enjoy most about running your own company ?
Where to start? There are so many reasons! Knowing that the late nights, blood, sweat and tears are all for my family and myself.
Being able to decide how my day will be structured. I can change it up as much as I want as long as the job gets done. This flexibility allows me to spend more quality time with my wife & son. At the moment I’m really enjoying the sales side of the business. The interaction between boutique owners & getting their buy-in really excites me.
Explaining my brand concept & watching them get excited about it is a really rewarding experience.
11. Lastly, how do you personally define success ?
When you are able to support your family from the proceeds of your own business and at the same time enjoy doing what you do.
