inBUSINESS Issue 12

is now ingrained in her. Infact, some will say
‘inherent’ best describes how she can discern
behaviour that is out of sync with etiquette
at just a glance. And this is not a skill to be
taken lightly in today’s world where poise and
presence can be of the essence in making or
breaking a deal, and where discernment itself
is an acumen built on refinement of conduct
and good judgement of character.
But this is achieved with little difficulty
because in Marumoagae, we are dealing with
a woman whose beauty and sartorial elegance
must have inspired her chosen name for her
enterprise, Belle Larissa, ‘belle’ being French
for just such a woman plus comportment and
a dash of sophistication.
Armed with a BA in Social Sciences
majoring in Economics and Population
Studies from the University of Botswana in
2006 and a Certificate in Etiquette obtained
from Colorworks International in South
Africa in 2014, Marumoagae fortified her
academic achievements by acquiring an MBA
in 2015. Her professional background, both
as a scholar and occupation, revolves around
dealing with etiquette on several levels. Even
her MBA dissertation was on “The Impact of
Personal Branding on Service Quality: The
Case of the Insurance Industry.”
There is some philosophy behind it too:
“It is important not just to have a passion for
something but to come full circle by studying
it,” she reasons.
Going back to basics, Marumoagae says
during her reign as Miss Botswana, she realised
an increasingly niggling need in herself.
“When I represented Botswana at Miss World
in China, I got intimidated,” she confesses.
“My confidence was
somewhat shaken. But
from that came a renewed
ambition to make it in life
and with it the rationale
that it is not always about
appearance but poise and
purpose from within as
well. In time I realised that a
nexus of personal imaging or
branding and good etiquette
were a synthesis that spoke
an international language
that is readily understood
everywhere.”
She adds: “Belle Larissa is all about
understanding oneself by embracing one’s
uniqueness and maximising it to work to one’s
advantage.”
Marumoagae says a part of her motivation
was a desire to help people reach their full
potential by means of something that had
never been done in Botswana before. With
an understanding that every culture has its
own etiquette, she decided to take a holistic
approach so that every occasion or situation
would have a tailor-made programme.
Her clients are trained in Business
Communication Etiquette, Protocol and
Business Etiquette, Dining Etiquette,
Telephone Etiquette, Grooming
and Poise, Professional Image,
International Etiquette and Personal
Branding, each of which is designed
to meet a client’s specific needs.
She has worked with CEDA,
Botswana Life, the Botswana Stock
Exchange and Letshego, to give a
sampling of her blue chip clients,
although she is not exclusive to
them because the thrust of her
portfolio is about growth. In a
nutshell, the idea is to build a
personal brand that helps a client’s
reputation along and aids the client
to help the company move forward.
For marketing, Maromoagae is
strong on social media to complement
the support she gets from Women
In Business Association (WIBA) and
Business Botswana. This young beauty
is a native of Tonota near Francistown
and has advanced plans to open a
branch of Belle Larissa at Botwsana’s
second city.
Meanwhile, according to Forbes
Woman Africa Magazine, the 2015
Deloitte Millennial Survey indicates
how millennials are tuned into the
purpose of a business, what a business
should do and its envisaged impact
before they venture into it. This
affirms Marumoagae’s message to
other young Batswana: “There is lot to
be done to better the state of service
delivery in Botswana,” she says. “It’s
about finding that one thing that can
help the country and venturing into it
to make a difference.”
She started from nothing and has
persevered inspite of detractors’ views
that her type of business could only
thrive in the West and in South Africa
because it was a Sekgowa thing. Today
this belle from Tonota is thankful to
God for her courage and sheer stick-toitiveness
to stay on because the clients are
happy and the shinplasters are coming in.
She is the firstborn of five siblings
– two girls ahead of three boys – and
says she is in a relationship that should
become productive in due course of time.
“Productive?” “In more ways than one,”
comes the answer. “At my age, I am not
dating for fun. I am looking forward to
getting married and having many, many
children.”
www.inbusiness.co.bw | Issue 12 | 2017 29