OSSIES PRINTING & EXQUISITE STATIONERY

Don’t be fooled by her petite physique. Shariefa Osman, owner of Ossies Printing and Exquisite Stationery, is a serious businesswoman who is breaking barriers and inspiring other female entrepreneurs.

In April 2018, Osman acquired Ossies Printing in Woodstock – where she cut her teeth in the printing industry prior to opening her first business, Exquisite Stationery, in the early 2000s.

“My entrepreneurial journey started after a holiday to Malaysia in 2000,” says Osman. “While there, I attended a print expo at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. It was really a man’s world. However, while walking around I stumbled upon a booth that had interesting wedding stationery. I was really intrigued by the different textures and colours for invites and cards – and decided there and then that I wanted to open my own stationery business when I return to Cape Town.”

The rest is history, she says.

Today, Osman owns both Ossies Printing and Exquisite Stationery and services some of South Africa’s top insurance companies, as well as the City of Cape Town.

“I am truly blessed, but it’s taken a lot of hard work and perseverance. My clients include Old Mutual, who helped me with the funds to acquire Ossies Printing, and Print Outsource International (POINT), an international print management company, whose clients include Sanlam and other leading insurance companies. In 2017, I also landed a tender to print the City of Cape Town’s business cards for three years.”

Osman says the advice and assistance offered by the City’s Enterprise Development branch while completing the tender documents was superb. “They helped me navigate the process, which was wonderful,” she says.

About Cape Town as a business destination, Osman says she couldn’t imagine running her business in any other city. “I was born and raised in Cape Town, it’s my home and a beautiful city in which to live and work.”