Shop With A Mission

Fiji Times Online: "Wilhelmina's shop for God

Siteri Wilhelmina Rokovunisei hopes to be an inspiration for women. As you enter Wilhelmina's at Garden City, you would be forgiven for overstaying in its homely interior. The soft sounds of soothing Gospel music are bound to draw out the child in adults. There's a feeling of homely comfort, mixed with the sweet smell of hot chocolate.The shop is not your average shop.There is an ambience of comfort portraying the securities of a safe haven and definitely no stalking sales girl, which often leads to discomfort and a feeling of being pried on. Instead there ahead of you as you enter are rows of blouses and skirts in the latest trends. As you approach the counter, you would be dazzled by rings and jewelry on the right wall from the counter and perched neatly on top of the display structure is the shop's theme and inspirational verse. Its theme is fit for its purpose of being 'Blessed to Be a Blessing'. This shop is more than a commercial income-generating project but is the result of a labour of love from a dedicated family and an amazing and strong-willed woman who had no prior business background before Wilhelmina's. The story of this two-year project is an inspirational one which entrepreneur Siteri Wilhelmina Rokovunisei hopes will encourage other women to join the business world.

Here is the story of its humble beginnings. 'It all started out when I used to return from other countries and my friends would ask me where I bought my clothes from because there were hardly any shops selling clothes in big sizes for us,' Wilhelmina said. 'So I began to buy them outfits and came back and converted the price to the Fijian currency. While doing this my daughter Manaini gave me an idea to start the business. ''She told me 'Mum, how about you start this business and help fund for youth missionaries in Fiji going overseas', so this was what motivated me and inspired me to take the step to start my own business.

'There was no turning back then as the mother of three embarked on a frighteningly new journey, which was completely foreign to her. 'I am a secretary by profession and have no business experience whatsoever, so giving up my career for this was an entirely new and, yes, scary experience but I asked God to help me and with God's help and my family's support, I took the step. 'She opened her first shop at Deuba two years ago and admitted that all was not smooth sailing in the beginning. 'Like all businesses I encountered a few problems along the way, but problems are not too big for the Lord to handle, so I kept on and persevered because I knew I was doing this business for a good cause and that is to help fund missionaries here in Fiji,' she said. 'Seeing that our local missionaries were not supported I pushed on with the business to fulfil the vision I shared with my daughter.'The determined former secretary persevered and continued to build her little business until what it has become today.

'With my family's support and insistence from my friends, I opened my first shop at Pacific Harbour on September 2003,' she said. Wilhelmina as she is known from her high school days at Adi Cakobau admits that the idea of starting up her own business terrified her and she used to pray a lot about her plans. 'I prayed about it and waited upon the Lord for a space for my shop,' she said. 'I waited for a few days and got a phone call from the Fiji National Provident Fund who said they had a space ready and waiting for me at Deuba and with this, I began to kick off the business slowly.'

A reasonable percentage of earnings made from the shop goes to various missionary bodies in Fiji including the YWAM (Youth With a Mission) group. 'Mainly our focus is the KONA group because that is where my daughter was based first, and that is the branch that had helped her a lot too,' said Wilhelmina. 'It was where Manaini received part of her scholarship from during her posting as a youth missionary.'"

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Google Transl. by: Online Business Journal