Some businesses start with a plan. Others start with a pair of old flip-flops, some fabric, and a young woman who wasn’t quite ready to stop learning.
This is the story of the founder of HayGents, a footwear brand built on persistence, mentorship, and a decision she made before she’d even finished secondary school.
Read more: Entrepreneurship Spotlight Series – From Flip-Flops Wrapped in Fabric to Founder of HayGents: A Shoemaker’s JourneyA Decision Before University
Before completing school, she made up her mind about something most of her classmates weren’t thinking about yet: she wanted to learn a practical skill before heading to university. It wasn’t the plan her family had in mind. Her father wanted her to go into nursing. But she held onto her own decision, and once she completed school, she enrolled in a millinery class instead.
The Saturday That Changed Everything
It was during that millinery class that an opportunity appeared, almost by accident. Her instructor mentioned a program happening on a Saturday and asked if anyone wanted to attend. She said yes.
That single decision opened a door. The program, organized by JAPAN, introduced her to a range of trade schools she hadn’t known existed. She decided to enroll in one, and from there, everything changed.
Where the Business Really Began
Long before HayGents had a name, it had a habit. While she was in school, she used to buy plain flip-flops and wrap them in fabric, just experimenting, just seeing what she could make. Looking back, that was the real starting point. “That’s where my business, everything started from,” she says.
The Challenges Behind the Craft
Learning a trade is rarely a straight line, and her path was no exception. Pattern making was her biggest challenge starting out, and honestly, it still is. She’s candid about that. It’s a skill she continues to work on, class after class, piece after piece.
There were harder days too. Balancing training with everything else in life wasn’t always easy, and there were moments she nearly stepped back. But her tutor pushed her forward, and the team at JAPAN did too. She remembers one person in particular who would call to check in whenever she missed a session, asking why she hadn’t come, making sure she stayed on track. That kind of support carried her through the moments she might otherwise have quit.
Eventually, she found her place in the footwear and shoemaking department, and that’s where her path forward became clear.
A Life-Changing Experience
Looking back on her time with JAPAN, she doesn’t hesitate to call it life-changing. Beyond the technical training, she walked away with practical knowledge, discipline, and an entrepreneurial mindset, the kind of foundation that doesn’t just teach you a craft, but teaches you how to build something with it.
Those skills have allowed her to pursue her passion in footwear manufacturing and business, turning ideas into real products and creating opportunities for growth and income along the way. As she puts it, the experience taught her something that stays with her: skills are valuable assets, and no one can take them from you.
Breaking Ground as a Woman in Footwear
As a female shoemaker in a field still largely dominated by men, one of her biggest ongoing challenges has been overcoming stereotypes, proving, again and again, that women can excel in footwear manufacturing just as much as anyone else. It’s a challenge she meets head-on, every day, through the quality of her work.
Her Message to Young People
Her advice for young people considering their own path is simple and grounded in experience: invest in learning a practical skill today, and stay committed to your personal growth. Success doesn’t happen overnight, she says. But learning a skill today brings you one step closer to your goals.
Building Haydent
Today, that journey has a name: HayGents. What began with flip-flops wrapped in fabric has grown into a footwear business built on quality and craftsmanship. She’s quick to express gratitude for the people who helped her get here, thanking both Berry Shoes and JAPAN for the role they played in her growth.
If you’re looking for quality footwear, HayGents does it all. You can reach her directly at 0594293678, or find HayGents on TikTok.
This story is shared as part of Skills for a Shared Future, celebrating the young people turning practical training into real, sustainable livelihoods.
