Mags Shivanda, originally from Bloemfontein, is an entrepreneur, the founder & CEO of a digital marketing company. After spending a couple of years in corporate, she started her own digital marketing company. In an interview with Nounouche, she warmly shares her journey.

“I am from Bloemfontein, and I moved to Johannesburg in 2007. I was in corporate for about eight years, and then nine years ago, I started my own company called Digital Shero,” she says. She explained that she decided to start her own company because she felt like it was time for her to become an entrepreneur. “I looked at what makes a good entrepreneur, and having a sales background was one of them. I am quite cool. I’m quite skilled in sales, so I knew that my company would continue running no matter what because I know how to sell anything.”

Also, Mags was enticed by the idea of the freedom that comes with having your own company, and one just has to be disciplined. And that’s how Digital Shero. A comic superheroine inspired the emergence of the company Digital Shero. Adora is a fictional superheroine commonly known by her alter ego, She-Ra. She’s one of the first superheroines that Mags discovered, and that’s where the name for the company came from. “I submitted the name to see IPC, and they came back with Digital Shero, and I was still happy with their name, so I went with it,” Mags says.

Additionally, Mags was tired of not seeing people who looked like her in leadership positions, so she decided to be the change she wanted to see in her industry. “She-Ra inspired the company’s name, and I told myself that I would be the She-Ra for my industry,” she says. She-Ra’s character has profoundly influenced Mags, a fact that became apparent through the embodiment of She-Ra’s ideals in Mags’ leadership skills.

One of the things that inspires Mags is creating equality for women above everything else. Mags worked hard to ensure the company always put women at the forefront. “When you hear the name of the company, it already gives you the idea that a woman owns it. But when you go inside, you’ll see that it is actually led by women. That is very important to me and something I’m very intentional about. Even when I hire a CEO in the next couple of years, I want to ensure it is a woman.”

Like with every entrepreneur, challenges arise when starting a new company, and it was no different for Mags. One of the biggest challenges she had to deal with when she was still starting up her company was that the creatives she had on board were not permanent employees. “The creatives I was working with were consultants, which was a bit challenging because it was hard for me to manage them. If someone is consulting for you and you can’t reach them, it becomes difficult because there’s nothing you can do. And it becomes an issue if I promise clients to deliver on a certain date and I don’t. I knew that would damage my company’s reputation, so I told myself that the first thing I will do is get permanent employees,” she shares.

Because of the courage she had to start a company and face the challenges that came with that, Mags was able to learn from the challenges. One of the biggest lessons she’s learned was that every problem or challenge will always have a solution, and one should always embrace challenges. “We thrive with challenges because that’s when we have the best ideas on how we will revolutionalize our vision.” That is also how Mags can enjoy her accomplishments over the years, and she finds the greatest joy in empowering young women from her community. One of her accomplishments was starting a foundation called BloemGirlsRock.

“Two years after I started the company and it was doing well, I told myself that if I was going to be a success, I needed to go and give back to the community that raised me. So, I took about 25 girls, and we ensured that they go to high school and some go to university,” she says. She knows that her efforts have not been in vain because one of the girls she helped through the foundation is employed at Digital Shero, the same company that enabled her to start the foundation. “Knowing that one of the girls the foundation helped is employed in my company is the biggest highlight because that is the ecosystem I was seeking to create.”

She shares that even her favourite awards to get are the community-based ones; those are the ones that matter to her the most. The foundation has done a fantastic job and has grown to help empower young boys as well, “In 2021, we have integrated young boys in the foundation as well, and it is called BloemGuysRock as well.” They created a soccer team with the young boys they took in through the foundation and are making Mags and the community proud by being the top team in their league. “ Hearing that the community radio stations are talking about this team, the support we give them, and how it has helped them get where they are today, those are the kinds of things that make me proud and happy.”

Her other accomplishments include getting their first global campaign in 2020 with the feminine hygiene brand Libresse and working with Trevor Noah on the Come To South Africa campaign. Of course, she couldn’t have achieved everything without her support system.

“I don’t think I’d be where I am today if it wasn’t for my husband. People are realizing that the partner you have is going to be impactful for your future and the plans you have for it. I am so grateful to him for being a part of my journey and plans because he pushes me to be the best version of myself.” She states that her partner’s support is significant, and she is very grateful for it. She is also grateful for the support she gets from her friends and her community. The people you surround yourself with play a huge role in your success. I can also always perform at my optimum best because I have a fantastic support structure.”

Mags is ready to take over the world, one step at a time. She shared that the company is expanding and is currently working on extending and integrating itself in East Africa. They also want to expand globally. “We opened a Kenya office last year, and we are working on other projects as well. Just be on the lookout and see how we expand ourselves.” We are excited to see what Mags and Digital Shero will do next and are rooting for them every step of the way.