 I want to be able to give my kids the ability to live out their dreams without the worry of a financial muscle. Not that we want to build them to be lazy individuals, but having a financial muscle allows you to explore your dreams and your passions a lot easier. Hi, hello, and welcome back to The First Time Home by our show. I'm your host, Estie Carson. As you know, for the month of August, I am chatting to an amazing, empowered woman. And today is no different. Do not forget, we bring you amazing content every weeknight this week. We've got some Antungua Kumalu with the private property podcast that's Monday to Friday live at 7pm. And of course, if you're interested in farming and agriculture, we've got Mbali on your screens every Tuesday and Thursday night at 8pm. And of course, I'm on your screens every Wednesday night and for the month of August, I am chatting to an amazing woman. So this is definitely something you do not want to miss. And last but not least, Chad Vavyrus is traveling around Johannesburg, visiting amazing homes every Monday and Friday at 8pm. And without further ado, an absolutely amazing woman is sitting with me today in this gorgeous home over here, Lulu Mutsikira. Good evening, how are you? Good evening, Estie. Thank you so much for inviting us into the space. It's absolutely gorgeous. Thank you so much. Thank you. Let's jump straight into it. I want to find out from you what inspired you to go on this journey of interior designing. You know, Estie, I've always been very good at making spaces beautiful. I mean, I did up my first flat and everybody thought I had gotten it professionally done. And then friends started asking me to do their homes and to make their spaces beautiful. And so I knew that I had a knack for it. But first for a couple of years, I broke my ankle and really couldn't work, couldn't do anything. And so what I did is I took up interior design as a course. And like they say, the rest is history, really. Friends then started offering to pay me to do their homes. And I realized that this is something I wanted to do for my life and I quit corporate. And here we are now, six years later. Wow, six years. That's, you know, so obviously you went and started your own business, which we'll get to a little bit later because I feel like it's so important for us to even educate people on how to do that, how to take that leap of faith and leave corporate because like I said a little bit earlier, corporate is such a safe space. And what you did was you turned your passion into your business. It's now an income for you. It's now something that you love off. And you don't need corporate anymore. So Lulu, you know, we're in this gorgeous home and we will give you guys at home a little bit of a tour of a few things. But I'd like to hear from you, Lulu, what was the most difficult part for you? Like what was hard? Was anything hard like to achieve or accomplish in this home? You know, coincidentally or incidentally, this was probably one of my easier homes. Really? I've had the relationship with the client for many, many years and me and him have been friends for many years. In actual fact, funny story, I was his client when I was in corporate before he was my client. And so we've got a lot of history and so I know him personally, which made getting elements of his lifestyle, getting elements of his passions quite easy. But in the same breath, it also teaches you to reign yourself in and not be over familiar with somebody's space because it's not mine. Even if I know him, it's still his. But no, this house was a joy to do. I love doing homes for loved ones. I love it because my heart then can really outpour into the space. And there's a little bit of a modern take to the home. Why did you choose to go down that route? The client is very young. He's very urban. He's an entrepreneur as well. He loves to entertain. And so a sort of contemporary modern space was really right up his alley. As you can see, it's a male space, so there's a lot of dark tonalities. But in a very light, airy manner. And so really that speaks to contemporary spaces right in the middle. So it just lends itself and also the architecture of the space. Really, really lends itself to that design aesthetic. Before I even ask about your favourite room, what is your favourite piece? Do you have like a... Yes, yes. The staircase. Please, will you showcase it. The staircase has a beautiful Solomon Oma Puea piece. He is my favourite artist. And my client is obsessed with art as a whole. He's a collector. And so that's another part of why this house was such a dream to do. Because the collection of the art pieces was a beautiful add to making the space beautiful. That's the staircase piece. Number one. A dream. Are you going to have that in your own place? Poor girl. I need the chankuras first. But you're definitely going to be supporting that artist. And getting some of that in your house. And then your favourite space, your favourite room? I'm known as the bedroom whisperer. So I'm very good at bedrooms. I really love the bedroom in this home. But also every single room you'll notice that has a little bit of a thematic element to it. So there's a beautiful colour theme to all the rooms. Which was also quite quirky and fun for us to do. And so while the bedroom is my favourite of the rooms. All the rooms have something a little bit special because they all carry something different in there. That's beautiful. And again, this home is absolutely spectacular. Thank you. You spoke, I read your bio. And what a beautiful bio. Your story. Absolutely amazing. Inspiring to say the least. But you talk about how what you do changes lives. I really, really believe so. Explain that to me. I really believe so. I think the environment we stay in. And the space we encompass is very important for our psyche. It's very important for our everyday. And while a lot of people may not believe that changing the structure of your lounge or changing the colour of your walls has a massive effect on your livelihood. For me it is life giving. It's critical. Colour has psychology. The type of space that you stay in has feeling. Creates feeling. Creates emotion. Helps with feeling and emotion. Different rooms need different colours. Different rooms need different looks and feels in order to give you a specific type of emotion and to help you. And so for me it changes lives because it gives you happy endorphins. But it also changes lives because certain changes that you can make to your space can truly have a massive effect on your psyche. And you're literally doing that for people, right? And I want to find out from you how do you plan on achieving that after every home that you've been to. You're obviously in the home for a while. It takes a few weeks. I don't know how long. How long does it take? It obviously depends on the size. Yes, correct. A general home takes about three months to start and finish from end to end. And it's a very collaborative effort because it's not my space. It's very hard. I won't lie to you, right? Sometimes I leave homes and I want to come back all the time because I've thrown a lot of my heart into those spaces. But it's a very collaborative effort. And the people that live in that space really need to feel like it's their home. So I don't create spaces for myself. I create spaces for the people that live in it. And so their personalities, the things that they love, we make sure that we incorporate a lot of those things in those spaces so that when they walk in and I reveal their home and I hand over their keys, they feel like, oh my God, how did Lulu make this my space without me actually getting any of the items myself? And it's stunning. Yeah, and I like that you say and you're so passionate and obviously you believe that. And I believe it too because just walking into this home today, you know, it lifted me. The energy was lifted and there's a mood and a feeling to it. Your right colors are so important and the psyche behind that. I solely believe in that. But I want to find out, let's go back, right? So before you even enter a home, what is the type of research you do to, you know, fulfill the goal of the client? Okay. So it's really again about understanding the living conditions of the tenants of the home or the owners of the home. It's understanding how long they plan to stay in the home. Some people are new home owners and so they want to move into their homes completely done up and looking beautiful. Some people have been living in that space for a long time and they're trying to sort of upgrade it and make it look better. And so it's understanding the intention behind what it is that they're doing. It's understanding what are their loves and the things that they want to keep and preserve in the home and the things that they're happy to take away. And then really it's about sitting in the space. So we do a lot of walking about, sitting in the space, understanding, you know, how does the client flow from one room to another, from one space to another in the home. You've used a lot of words that were echoed so much through my life, sitting in the space, the intention, what is the intention. And that's so important because these are words and things that we actually need to find out from our clients. I want to go to first-time home-buying experiences, right? Because obviously you've designed a lot of first-time home buyers' homes and I will, let me tell you a little bit about me. If I were to get my first home now, I would not know what I want. Have you ever gotten a client where they're like, I don't know, just do your thing? Yes, my favorite type of client. Please come and do my home. I love those clients. Yes, you do, you do have, listen, we have a vast area of clients. There are those who say, I don't know what I want. Make it look beautiful. Here's the key, I'll come back in three months' time. You have those that you want you to show them. Every single item you buy from a flower, from a glass, from every single item. And then you have those that just really want to walk the journey with you. And so we cater to all of them. But new home owners I tend to find really have, because their home is now their new dream country. They really have a lot of dreams that they've packed away on Pinterest. They've packed away on, you know, they've sent messages to their house. My entire home and wedding is on Pinterest. Exactly. Let me tell you that. Exactly. And so it's not hard to get their dreams pulled out of them. And then really it's just about making those dreams come true in a practical, affordable as well as, you know, realistic. Right. So we talk about first time home buyers and how, obviously you're going to do your own home. Because I know you're on that journey. Yes. Oh my God. Really tell us about that. I really want to know about that because I feel I'm ready. So scary. So scary. So I mean, we have done so many homes for first time home owners. But the technicalities and the background process of buying a house is so much more complicated and nuanced than just making a home beautiful. If it was just about me getting a kid and making it beautiful, so easy. But there's just a lot of, there's a lot of education that one needs to get into buying a home. And we have had to go through that very educational process. We've had to do a lot of work in making sure that we understand the nuances and the legalities around buying a home. But it's a beautiful journey. It really, really is. Because it's a dream realized. Of course. Yes, so Lulu. So we spoke about your home ownership. You know, you wall on your way. What has been the hardest part? I know you said it's scary. But what has been the most difficult part thus far? I think the engagement with the banks has been quite tricky because you obviously need to be negotiating the right rates for you. And I really am a huge fan of mortgage brokers. I don't know if I'm supposed to be saying that. Go ahead. Speak your truth. But I find that they help a lot with really getting the best rates from a bond rate perspective. You know, when banks speak to us as individuals, it's quite tricky. And they can be quite uninterested in helping you get those best rates. But the brokers know exactly what you need to do. And they know also how to chat to these banks in order to help you get that. And then obviously it's just like getting the right space and picking the right home. No home is going to give you exactly what you want in totality. And so you really need to have the top picks of the things that you really find to be very important to you. And then, you know, when there's one or two things that are not right, you need to compromise. There's no such thing as a perfect space. It doesn't. It doesn't exist. There's close to perfection. Mm-hmm. But there is Jay that... Until Lulu comes and, you know, makes it perfect. Until Lulu comes. Yeah. I think you've got it. I finally understand what you do. I wanted to ask you, because you know this is the first time home buyer show. And I love that you're giving us a lot of information about what steps have been easier for you and what has been hard for you. And of course it is different for everyone. But what advice would you give another first time home buyer? Who's in the same process, in the same phase, you know, who just feels maybe demotivated and they would just want to give up? Because it gets tiring. It does. It takes a lot. Start looking and start getting your paperwork and all your things in place. Make sure that you've got your, you know, your bond application, documentation. Make sure your banking situation is top notch. Hmm. Credit scores. Credit scores. Important. Make sure you've got all of that stuff in order as you're looking for the home. So by the time that you find your home, you can green light everything at the same time. And I think that's important just to make the journey a little bit easier for you. Correct. Now, does Lulu know what she's going to do in her own home? Do you already know, like, do you see the vibes of the home? Babe, I've got Evigy. I've got Evigy. Nice. Obviously. Yeah. Exactly the home that we're buying is a home that we've lived in for a while. And so we've had the opportunity to look at the things that we don't want. We've had the opportunity to really start building a proper vision. We call it our Vision 2024. Oh, nice. So we've got the vision to do what we need to do to make it our dream, dream, dream home. Right. So you spoke about, you know, you said, you know what you want, you know what you don't want. What are five things that are key? Because you said, you know, some homes, it's not going to be perfect. Five things that are key that this home must have for you. Light. Uh-huh. I'm big on light. So it's so strange. The position of the sign is important to me. Yeah. So light is really important. Natural light, that is. Yeah. A good kitchen, because my husband is a chef. So he needs to make sure that the kitchen is good. Nice. We never, we've never gotten a perfect kitchen. Really? But it has to be good enough for us to be able to do what we need to do with it. Um, a big side, well sized bathrooms. Um, cupboard space. Yes. Important. I have a lot of shoes. Yeah. Cabinet space, very, very important. And then just the sizable garden, where people like to entertain. And the outside. So we need to be outside. And so a sizable space, um, from an exterior perspective is so important. I agree. I think you, you know, even like just your top three are so pivotal, even for me, looking for a first home. These are important things. And you being an interior designer, being an entrepreneur, being a powerful woman, um, let's not leave that out. Would you say that it's made your journey finding your first home easier? Just because you already have your vision of what it's going to look like inside. Um, I think it's made our sourcing of the home journey easier, because like you said, we know what we want. We've got the things that we need in our home. Um, but it also has the, the pros, the buying process, the technicalities of it have really been an eye opener and a little bit of like, oh girl, you don't know as much as you think you do. Um, and so it's, it's a little bit of a little bit of both. Right. We've been talking to a lot of powerful women and I want to talk about leadership among women. Are you as Lulu currently doing anything as a leader? I feel like you're a leader in this industry of interior designing to inspire other young up and coming interior designers. Such an important question and you're very right. Um, it's as women, as entrepreneurs, as leaders in whatever spaces we're in, it's so critical that we ensure that we're doing something to charter the way forward for those behind us. Um, in our little way at Namasaya, we really, really do try to make sure that we're inspired, but more, moreover, we, we're engaging with, with women and girls who are trying to get into the space as well. There's so much need to make sure people understand that it actually is possible. It's sitting right here. It's hard. It's not easy, but it is possible. And that is the, that's the one thing. Um, I think even in my engagement with clients, even in my engagement with the general public, when we're talking, you know, on Instagram or ever, I really, I really want people to see that it's possible, but it's real. It's a real experience. It's not, it's not the fancy experience you see on top billing only. There's a lot of realness behind it. Um, and that's what we, we like to showcase. Yeah. And you're loving proof. I'm here. I'm loving, you know, 100s. You, and I think what's so important just to add to that is our journey and the, the race we've ran and the race we're currently running also plays a part in, in, in our own success and what we're willing to, trying to achieve. And I read a little bit of an article where you said that your parents shaped you and molded you to be the woman that you are today. And I want to talk about how you plan on doing that going forward for. So both my, my parents are entrepreneurs and my dad chose an entrepreneur. My mom's a circumstantial entrepreneur. Very important to see both, both types of entrepreneurship because when you're, when you're, when you choose to, to, to run the race, it, it, it strengthens you and it makes you, you know, it makes you, um, it makes you, uh, deal with the blows quite easily. But when sometimes you're placed in a position where you have to be an entrepreneur, it can be quite difficult, but you still forge forward. And so I've had the privilege and I call it a privilege because I believe entrepreneurship is the way of the future. Um, I've had the privilege of having both my parents show, showcase what the reality of entrepreneurship is. Um, I find, I tend to find that there's a lot of, um, making nice of the journey. Um, but when you see two people that you love dearly go through the process, the, the wins are super exciting, but also the blows are super painful and it's good to get that perspective. And both of your parents went through the same journey, but with different, the motivation behind it was different. And you got to witness that. What is your motivation behind your? Passion and choice. Nice. Um, and when I say choice, it's a little bit of a, a catch-trade attitude because at some point I just couldn't, I couldn't live with the passion anymore and continue in corporate. Even though corporate was so easy. I was, you know, a star employee. I was doing what needed to be done. You know, running the rat race, but sometimes the spirit tells you where you need to go and that's exactly how I felt with mine. So my motivation, I'll really say was very much spirit lit. Um, and very much passion. Nice. I like that. I wanted to ask you a little bit because you said you believe that entrepreneurship is the way of the future, but let's, let's stick to your industry. And I know that what you're doing at your company, Namasaya, right, is continuing to inspire young black woman, which I love. What is your hope for young black woman in the future? Sure. So many. How much longer do you have? I know. Do you have time? Um, oh God. So I really, really, like I said, it's really first and foremost for me, for me to be able to show, show people and females that it is possible. I think, um, we, we, we grow up with the narrative that entrepreneurship is a male dominated space. Um, and it's a, and it's a space that needs you to be rugged and hard. No, no, you can have a face beach. You can have nice hair. Yeah. You can do, you can do it all being feminine. And I think that's, that's a big, a big piece that I really am passionate about. But also your passion can become a career. Of course. That's a big one for me. Living proof. You can make a career out of your passion. It is possible. Um, and then the third one, the third one and a really important one is that with all of that that I've just said, it also takes a lot of work. It takes a lot of sleepless nights. You have to be ready to put in the work. You really, really, really do. It's not up in place. We can't be lazy in this. You're so right. Yeah. Uh, taking on, cause you're taking on the role of a lot of things in corporate. You have people who do certain things. Correct. You are now doing all of that. You are doing all of that. I love that so much. And I wanted to talk about because you're on your journey buying your home. You're ready to create the space. Like you said, when coming in and how important every little detail is, you're creating this comfortable space where you feel at ease. You're on your journey to do that. What would you say is your driving force behind generational wealth for you? And financial freedom. Babes. Like who? I just want it. Island troops to follow. Yeah. Um, it's, I wanted to be able to give my kids the ability to live out their dreams without the worry of a financial muscle. Not that we want to build them to be lazy individuals, but having a financial muscle allows you to explore your dreams and your passions. Yeah. A lot easier. And so the reason we are trying to build generational wealth and the reason for us, legacy wealth is so important is so that we can have our children and grandchildren. My husband always says he wants to be able to to manage his grandchildren's lives without worry at all. And so it's a really around building that legacy and ensuring that our children, children's children, their children, are in a position where they can live out their passions and build their dreams without the worry of having, you know, to pay for because those bills really make it difficult to live out those dreams. That's very true. It's heavy. Thank you so much. I'm sure they are young upcoming interior designers or maybe someone who is in university, not sure which road to take, right? Not sure if they should study this. Not sure if it can sustain them in the long run. Whatever the case may be, you know, as young adults, I feel like we're juggling so much. Do I stick to corporate? Do I also do what Lulu did and take that leap of faith? So just to close off the show, if you can leave us with a little bit of words of wisdom, especially for young people who watch the show, someone who is afraid to do what you did and we spoke about the different entrepreneurs that you get and what motivates them, someone who lacks, not even lacks motivation, someone who we all have our down days, right? There are probably days where you're like, I have to get this out. I have to do this. No one else is going to do it for me. I run the show. I need to do it. But then that day you just, you don't have the capacity to do it. So if you can just leave us and close off with some words of wisdom for young upcoming interior designers, home buyers, whatever the case may be. I used to have a boss who used to use the term for us, Lulu go ahead, go on ahead and fail forward. That's what he used to say. And I've kept that and I've done that with everything that I've done. Take time. Firstly, it's so important to take time to understand what your spirit says to you. So take the time, particularly those of you who are in metric grade 11, take the time to really understand one's self. And it's very hard to know what your passion is in metric grade 11. Trust me, I understand. But as even you're studying, take time to understand what the trigger points for your joy are and create those trigger points within the working environment you're in. So that does not mean particularly entrepreneurship. It can be incorporated. It can be in civil service. It can be in entrepreneurship. But make time to make sure that those passion points within those spaces are honed and you take care of those so, so important. And then for those of you that are at the precipice, just waiting to become entrepreneurs but are very, very frightened. Fail forward. Jump in. You'll see forward. I'm kidding. Plan, very important to plan. Save, save, save. You'll find that a year's worth of salary work is unlike this. So you've got to save. But if you can't plan as much as you can and then just jump in and throw yourself in anything. Fail forward. Might just make that the title of the show. Fail forward. I want to just close up with something because I always have this debate amongst myself and a few friends. I solely believe is because I too am an entrepreneur. I solely believe that no art is new art. So nothing has not been done before. So I love what you said about plan, save. And another crucial point is research. All of these things have been done before and I do believe that it's, it gives you that little, what do you call it, like a diving boat to then fail forward. And then just do the things. Thank you so much, Lulu. I really appreciate that you took the time out of your day to join us and educate us more about this. So thank you so much. Thank you so much. This was fun. Thank you. Thank you to our viewers at home for tuning in. As you know, we are live every Wednesday night at 8 p.m. Stay tuned. We'll see you guys again next week. Take care and stay warm.