Celebrating ‘Black Pound Day’: An Interview With Diverse Greeting Card Entrepreneur Avila Chidume

‘Black Pound Day’ is taking place on 5th September this year and was created as a ‘peaceful response to the systematic racism that creates un-equality for the Black community in the United Kingdom’. On this day, people are encouraged to purchase products and services solely from black businesses in order to help the UK Black Economy. The idea was created following the murder of George Floyd, after which So Solid Crew’s, Swiss, came up with ‘Black Pound Day’, hoping to ‘underpin our long-term financial growth and infrastructure and empower and motivate the Black community’.

In accordance with ‘Black Pound Day’, 22 year old entrepreneur, Avila Chidume- originally from Zimbabwe- is launching her own diverse greetings card business.

Avila is a recent law graduate and an individual passionate about human rights. She has previously owned another greetings cards business since 2018 and this new venture is part of Santander’s Emerging Entrepreneurs Competition. Avila has even been featured in Pharrell Williams and Jay Z’s ‘Entrepreneur’ music video!

As a result, I spoke to Avila about this new business venture and the mission and message behind this amazing new project.

Isabelle Raikes: Where did the idea for Kutenda come from and what does this word mean?

Avila Chidume: Since I was a kid I’ve loved greeting cards- creating them and gifting them to everyone I knew. It was always difficult to find cards which looked like me or my family and friends, so I started my own greeting card business 2 years ago.

Since launching, I have seen my impact on my customers who are now able to receive cards reflecting themselves, providing sentimental value much needed. Families in particular have expressed joy and gratitude to be able to give their kids cards not only reflecting them, but celebrating their unique characteristics.

“Kutenda was born out of a need to open the market to other creatives, often excluded from the over saturated undiversified market.”

Currently, the market exceeds a demand that no single retailer could fulfill themselves; I have contacted many amazing businesses doing the same thing as me without the same support and recognition I have been lucky to receive. Kutenda was born out of a need to open the market to other creatives, often excluded from the over saturated undiversified market.

Kutenda is used to express gratitude, simply meaning ‘thankful’, deriving from my mother tongue, Shona, which is widely spoken in Zimbabwe. I chose it because it is a common response most people have to receiving cards and gifts and I likewise have a lot of gratitude for the support I receive and our Partners, so wanted to reflect that in the brand and ethos.

IR: What do you think makes your greeting card service different to other online competitors?

AC: Kutenda will be the world’s first online greeting card marketplace strictly focused on providing representation for underrepresented groups. Unlike other marketplaces, our focus is to boost minority businesses through offering them support and resources to grow through specific classes/virtual training 3 times per year, with focus on growth, marketing and management. Our focus is on highlighting overlooked brands and businesses and making diverse greeting cards and gifts easily accessible.

IR: Why did you think this was an important thing to do and bring to the greeting card industry?

AC: For so long minority groups have been excluded from the industry and today it is difficult to find greeting cards for said groups. We want to break the barriers which currently exist and prevent the gatekeeping. The industry is not diverse and it is time for changes to happen. Large companies are beginning to realise the importance of diversity but the intention will never be to support the businesses, and will not have the authentic creators at heart.

IR: I have heard you are starting a Partnership programme for greeting cards entrepreneurs- what will this programme include and how will those who take part benefit?

AC: At Kutenda we value our partners and recognise the struggle of running a small e-commerce business; plenty of support and a community to grow and develop are essential. We strive to provide our Partners with access to free resources and events tailored to their businesses. Being a compliant business is not easy, as there are many financial and legal processes involved which are difficult to access when you lack the resources and means to do so. We plan on offering access to experts in various fields, to provide up to date information.

IR: Is there anything else you want to include about this amazing new business venture for our readers?

AC: We are currently crowdfunding to raise money for Kutenda, it will allow us to continue working on the platform, developing it and begin providing resources to the businesses.

https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/kutendaofficial

If you are interested in getting to know Kutenda more and contributing to a great business, details of how you can are below.

All socials: @Kutendaofficial

Website: www.Kutenda.co.uk

Contact: info@kutenda.co.uk

 

Isabelle Raikes 

Featured image is an example of a greeting card from www.kutenda.co.uk. Permission to use this image was granted by Kutenda. No changes were made to this image.