After her business burned to the ground in a blaze, Molly faced a choice between rebuilding her enterprise out of the ashes or letting her entrepreneurial dreams go up in smoke.
“Everybody lost everything”, 27-year-old Molly explains, “It was all in the blink of an eye.” A huge fire erupted on a January evening at the flea market in Apia, Samoa. Breaking out in the food court, a stack of papers caught alight and quickly spread as numerous nearby gas bottles exploded. Molly continues, “We couldn’t do anything, we could just hear the gas stoves exploding.”
The flames tore through the building where 293 vendors ran small businesses - though thankfully empty at the time – as fireman battled to control its spread. Within minutes, the market was completely destroyed.
With her stall situated right next to the food hall, Molly knew that all her stock would be lost. But she didn’t give up – and her courange and tenacity have been commended by Patricia Scotland, the Secretary-General of the Commonwealth.
“I had only two choices after the fire. The fire was on Saturday, so I had all of Sunday, with no food, no church, to think. I had to bring myself back to a point where I could choose where my life is going. The fire was such a big deal for all of us. Our come back was a 50/50 chance.”
The comeback
When dawn broke on Monday, Molly had a plan. It relied on her finding a new space for her stall. Upon asking a fellow vendor, she was offered a spot, but it was more expensive and there was also a deposit to pay.
“I had some savings, which was lucky for me, to use for the comeback. It was tough – I am restarting everything, so if I don’t sell in the first month, then I won’t even be able to cover the rent and they’re just going to kick me out.”
The vendor kindly offered to waive the deposit, giving Molly the go ahead. By mid-afternoon afternoon, she had purchased two new sewing machines and called round her team to tell them to return to work the next day.
Building back up her stock and business was a gradual process, but learning from her six years of experience, Molly took a targeted approach. “I started one by one. Buying materials slowly, sewing this dress and this dress. But this time I was only focussed on the stuff that I know that people will buy.”
Building a better future
After three months, vendors were able to return to the market in temporary tents, where the Commonwealth Secretary-General visited Molly during a mission to Samoa in September.
While attending the 11th Women’s Affairs Ministers Meeting, which included sessions on promoting women in business, the Secretary-General met with young entrepreneurs to hear how they had masterminded their own success.
At the market, Molly told her about how the early days of her venture, “I learned by watching mum. I saw her talent, and thought I could commercialise it. Sewing could be profit making”.
At first Molly made t-shirts, which her mum sewed for her in the evening. Then she made items for ‘White Sunday’ a religious holiday when everyone wears white clothes. Molly bought a better and faster sewing machine, paying in instalments over 6-months, and then a second machine. Over time, Molly began to pick up the skills, motivated by her clientele’s interest. “It makes you want to sew more, seeing your stuff sell every day!”
Secretary-General visits young female entrepreneur
Female role model
As well as inspiring others through her success, Molly has also been recognised by the Government of Samoa for providing job opportunities to the young women that work for her.
The Secretary-General said of meeting Molly, “It’s been the most wonderful morning, to come here to Samoa’s market and see the vibrancy of the young entrepreneurs. Molly has done the most fantastic job. This is the sort of entrepreneurial example that many women across the Commonwealth are using to create new futures for themselves. We have to do everything we can to make sure their dreams become reality. So that we get a safer, better, more balanced world.”
Molly was eager to hear the Secretary-General’s advice and encouragement to continue advocating for women’s empowerment in her community. She believes her and her fellow female business owners will need additional support to recover from the disastrous fire.
“After the fire, we are going to be asking more and more of the Commonwealth to lend a helping hand. The idea of losing everything is still fresh. And if I think of how much loss there was…. I have to try to ignore it.”
Having resurrected her profiteering business from the ashes, today Molly is strong and back on her feet. “From now on, I think I’m ok.”