Page 32 - SPBD Dec 2021

SPBD Fiji 2020 SPBD Fiji 2020

SPBD BUSINESSWOMAN OF THE YEAR:

JOSEPHINE MCCOMBER

Josephine McComber from Taveuni is SPBD’s
Businesswoman of the Year, 2020.
The award is a dream come true for McComber:
“I feel happy and proud, I was desperate to
become the next SPBD Businesswoman of the
Year and it is a great feeling.”
The businesswoman owns three businesses; a
hair salon, makes and sells handicrafts and runs
a market selling vegetables, food parcels, tea,
juice and flowers.
The entrepreneur has been a member of SPBD
for six years. “It has enabled me to set up my
business as well as offering financial training and
support, like savings,” says McComber.
“The money I earn from my businesses are used
to support my family, my children’s education
and maintain my home,” she says.

Her journey
The Taveuni businesswoman’s first business
involved handicraft. Three months later, she set
up a produce market.
Her salon came a year later.

When the COVID-19 pandemic swept Fiji,
McComber’s handicraft business came to a Looking to the future
complete stop, but her market business and Josephine’s ambitions do not stop there. She
hair salon kept her afloat, despite many similar plans to build atop a piece of land, and house
businesses struggling, or even closing down. her different businesses under one roof, helping
to create job opportunities for others on the
McComber says, “We followed the COVID-19
protocol, allowing only a maximum of four island.
people in the salon and the market still operated “The plan is to lease a piece of land for my
smoothly despite the pandemic, using items I business, because in Taveuni it is hard to find
planted in my home garden. a space to set up all my three businesses, and
“There is a need in the market for flowers, employ the ladies in my community,” she says.
particularly hibiscus flowers, I plant and sell The hardworking entrepreneur encourages
them online; people order them especially people to join SPBD and offers some insight to
around Viti Levu,” she says. existing members.
Josephine’s ability to diversify and adapt created McComber says, “To every SPBD member, it
financial stability and sustainability during this is crucial to use your loan wisely and for the
unprecedented time. purpose, it is meant for once you receive it.

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