Leteechia Rungasamy: “I believe that being an entrepreneur is about taking risks, pushing boundaries, and pursuing your passion.”

She is one of those determined person, who despite the ups and downs, has managed to construct a successful career as an entrepreneur. Through her company, Flourich, she managed to make a name for herself in the field of digital marketing, by touching local restaurateurs. Leteechia Rungasamy evokes her career, Flourich and delivers, without any ambiguity, her thoughts on Mauritius.

Leteechia Rungasamy, I am very happy to have you as a guest on Parole à… For those who do not know you, who is Leteechia Rungasamy?

In fact, I am the daughter of a well-known make-up artist in Mauritius, Kamla Rungasamy. I am currently based in London, but my heart and soul belong to Mauritius, where I was born and raised. I am a true island girl at heart, but I've been lucky enough to explore the west and beyond since 2012. I like to think of myself as a friendly and outgoing person, with a bit of an entrepreneurial spirit thrown in for good measure. My mum has been an inspiration to me throughout my teenage years, I think this is what shaped me and my beliefs. I have always been encouraged to be independent. As a woman, I think it is crucial that we can stand on our own two feet, pursue our passions, and achieve our goals. Society, especially Mauritius, at least when I was there, may try to tell us that we need to conform to certain expectations, but I refused to accept that. I know that I am capable of great things, and I was determined to make a difference. Every day, I strive to be the best version of myself and inspire other women to do the same.

Today, you are very flourishing young woman entrepreneur. Tell us more about your journey throughout entrepreneurship.

I began my professional career in the Tourism and Hospitality industry of Mauritius as a Travel Consultant. My love for exploring new places and cultures drew me towards this field. After gaining valuable experience and moving to the Caribbean, I pursued a Marketing and PR internship in New York City. It was a PR and Marketing agency on Broad Street specialized in Caribbean destinations (2 minutes from The Trump Tower) entirely run by women! The opportunity exposed me to marketing but more importantly, it inspired me even more to become an entrepreneur. Living and exploring New York all by myself also added to my self-confidence. Driven by a desire to learn more, I then pursued an MSc in Tourism and Hospitality in London with my final dissertation being on Women Entrepreneurship in the Mauritian Tourism sector. During my time at the university, I also founded a travel and tourism society, which helped me realize my entrepreneurial abilities whilst running the society and laid the foundation for my career in marketing, considering I had to manage and promote the society to the entire university. Which ended up being one of the most popular societies that is still up and running today. Impressed by my dedication and skills, the university offered me a part-time job as a social media manager, which proved to be a turning point in my career. I combined my New York internship experience and university experience to become an expert in social media marketing and eventually found my true calling. Finishing my masters, I had to decide what is next in my life. I had three options, each with its own set of risks and rewards. The first was to return to Mauritius. The second was to find a job that would sponsor me to stay in the UK. And the third was to launch my own business and go through the lengthy process of getting the university to endorse me for a graduate entrepreneur visa. Despite the challenges and uncertainties, I chose option three. I love a good challenge and I believe that being an entrepreneur is about taking risks, pushing boundaries, and pursuing your passion.

Flourich, your company is a fresh and dynamic business. Tell us more about it.

Drawing on both my experience and academic knowledge in the hospitality sector, I made the decision to launch Flourich, a marketing agency specialized in small independent food businesses in the UK. It was a natural fit for me. However, starting a business is never easy, especially when you must go through the lengthy process of writing a full business plan and pitching it to a panel to be endorsed for a visa. It was a very stressful experience, but I managed to do it. It forced me to think deeply about my goals, my vision, and my values, and to articulate them in a clear and compelling way. It also gave me the confidence to pursue my dreams and to believe that anything is possible with hard work and determination. When I launched Flourich in 2018, I saw a gap in the market for marketing agencies that specialized in small independent food businesses. At the time, everyone wanted to be on social media and have a maintained Instagram account, but they didn't know who to reach out to. I knew that I could help, and I started by offering my services for free to a friend who had started a Greek food business. From there, I started getting paid clients through word of mouth, and my business began to grow. I focused on providing personalized and tailored marketing solutions that were specifically designed to meet the unique needs of each client.

I firmly believe that in today's digital age, having a strong online presence is key to the success of any business, particularly in London. It is no secret that the way we consume information has changed drastically in recent years, and as such, businesses need to adapt to stay relevant. If you are not online, you simply do not exist. That is why I believe that providing online marketing services, such as social media management and website design, remains a very lucrative business. By helping small independent food businesses establish and maintain a strong online presence, I am not only helping them attract more customers, but I am also contributing to the growth and success of the local community. It is an exciting time to be in this field, and I am committed to staying on top of the latest trends and technologies to ensure that my clients stay ahead of the curve. As a result, I became well-known in the food community and gained a reputation for delivering high-quality and effective marketing strategies. It has been a rewarding journey so far.

I guess that the pandemic also encouraged you to be more innovative.

During the pandemic, I found myself facing a new challenge as my graduate entrepreneur visa was about to expire. I had two options for the next level of visa - I could launch a project that could massively help the community and get the "Exceptional Talent Visa," or I could improve my existing business and develop an innovative idea that did not exist in the UK yet to get the "Innovator Visa." I decided to go for the last option and applied for the Innovator visa. I worked hard to develop a technology that would revolutionize social media management by connecting businesses to digital content creators at the click of a button. It is a bit like an Uber for digital content creators, and it is something that did not exist in the UK yet. I was thrilled when my application was successful, and I am excited to continue developing this technology and exploring new avenues for growth and innovation. At moment I had to press pause on it as I need further financial investment to pursue the project. But I believe this has immense potential to be a globally used technology considering the growth of digital content creation online. Businesses will always need creators for user generated content and it’s further in demand post the pandemic.

Is the grass greener abroad?

Why did I not return to Mauritius to pursue my career instead of going through the lengthy process of obtaining visas and staying in London? While Mauritius is a beautiful country with a lot of potential, I believe that what I have achieved here in the UK simply wouldn't have been possible if I had returned home. The support I received from my university, as well as the network of entrepreneurs who have become my support system here, has been invaluable in helping me grow my business. Additionally, there is simply a bigger economic pie here in the UK for me to capitalize on, and I would not have been able to make the same amount of monthly revenue in Mauritius. While it has not always been easy being far from my family and loved ones, I know that I am exactly where I need to be to achieve my goals.

Do you ever think of returning in Mauritius and share your skills in this field to Mauritian companies?

While I have been focused on building my business here in the UK, I have not forgotten about my roots in Mauritius. In fact, I have plans to spend more time there and help my mother manage and innovate her business. Currently, I am doing all her paid advertising campaigns, help with management and working on an e-commerce platform to help her retail all her products that she currently sells at the beauty parlor. I believe that a beauty marketplace with different brands and a user-friendly interface will work well in Mauritius, and I'm planning to launch it this year in August. Additionally, I manage the marketing for ticketbox.mu (www.ticketbox.mu), which is a Mauritian hotel booking and event ticketing platform. This work helps me stay connected to the island. While I love living and working in London, Mauritius will always hold a special place in my heart, and I am excited to continue exploring ways to make a positive impact there. While I am passionate about helping businesses in Mauritius, launching Flourich there is not currently in my plans. The reality is that many Mauritian businesses do not yet understand the value of digital presence, and they may not be willing to allocate a fair budget to digital marketing. This could make it challenging to build a sustainable business in that market. However, I would still love to help educate entrepreneurs in Mauritius about the importance of digital marketing. Perhaps I could run workshops or offer consulting services to small businesses who are interested in expanding their reach online.

When I visit Mauritius, I will explore ways to contribute to the local entrepreneurial community and help businesses thrive in any way I can. It is hard to believe that it has been six years since I last visited Mauritius! I have heard that there have been a lot of exciting developments on the island since then, and I cannot wait to see them for myself when I visit this August. I am especially excited to see how the technology sector is growing, and to connect with other entrepreneurs who are working to make a positive impact on the island. Of course, I am also looking forward to spending time with my family, exploring the beaches and natural beauty of Mauritius, and indulging in some delicious Mauritian cuisine. All in all, I am counting down the days until my visit and cannot wait to experience all that Mauritius has to offer.