• A 28-year-old Durban woman started a business with no money in 2021 and now supports eight people through income.

• The business employs five workers, but survival depends on daily sales and steady customer demand.

Nomfundo Ndlovu, 28, from Durban Central, struggled to find work after finishing her studies.

With no job opportunities coming through, she decided to start her own business in 2021.

"I realised that waiting for jobs was not helping," she said.

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She had no capital, no funding and no equipment when she started.

"All I had was my phone," she said.

She began by posting pictures of furniture she could make on social media. When customers placed orders, she used the small profits to buy materials and tools.

"That is how everything started," she said.

Over time, the business grew.

Today, Ndlovu manufactures furniture and sends orders to customers across South Africa using courier services.

The income supports eight people in her family.

She has also been able to create work for others and currently employs five people.

But she says running a small business is not easy.

"When sales are slow, everything stops," she said. "There is no safety net."

She said the pressure to keep the business going is constant because many people depend on the income.

For Ndlovu, starting a business was not about success or status.

"It was about survival and dignity," she said.

She hopes to grow the business one day, but says the focus for now is staying afloat.

In an economy where jobs are hard to find, she believes many people are being forced to create their own income.

"Sometimes you must try something, even when you start with nothing," she said.