At the age of 6 and 10, the sisters Nadia and Lemiza Nicolau came to the Netherlands from Angola. They live and work together all their lives. They are content creators and create social media content for Minois.
Social media sisters
Bloggers from the very beginning: The first computer Nadia and Lemiza came into contact with they got from their father at a young age. Nadia in particular enjoyed sitting behind the screen, it was her first contact with technology and the internet. At the age of 12 she was already programming websites. Lemiza started blogging during her study of business economics, which has fueled her creative side. Blog posts include photos, Nadia shot photos for Lemiza’s blog over the weekend. At the time, Nadia was still living at home and was attending secondary education in Friesland, Lemiza traveled to her parents every weekend so that she could post her blog post including photos the following week.
Nadia has encouraged Lemiza to develop her creative side by writing blogs. Lemzia then encouraged Nadia to become a photographer. They learned from home that education is important, ‘you have to go to school and you have to get a diploma’. They have also pursued this, but self-development is also important according to Lemiza.
”"You get the basics from your education, then it is time to develop yourself."
Practice makes perfect: Nadia and Lemiza have taught themselves everything in the field. This started with blogging, nowadays there are many online tutorials about editing photos in Photoshop. At the time it was a lot of trying, learning can only be done by doing and constantly working on it. From 2017, Lemiza received more and more requests for campaigns, she decided to approach her blog more professionally. For this she has figured out how to become a writer, photographer and editor. Lemiza started blogging professionally as a freelancer, then she hired Nadia as a photographer. While her fellow classmates went out until 5:00 am, she worked on her blog until 5:00. This perseverance comes from her passion for blogging. By continuing to practice, you get to know your own style. ‘The difference between a photo from then and now is really big, the style had not yet been developed. Our style is simple, minimalist and classic. By practicing, we now have guidelines for our style.’
From bloggers to content creators: In 2018, Nadia and Lemiza founded their company Desvendo, Portuguese for unraveling. With Desvendo, the sisters advise companies in the field of social media. They also create content such as photos and texts. Lemiza takes care of the communication with clients, she likes to speak and quickly conveys her enthusiasm to people. Nadia works a bit more in the background, but she is a multi-talent who takes care of the translation of the ideas into photos.
Nadia and Lemiza draw inspiration from companies abroad, more than from Dutch content creators. They understand the business perspective, but their passion for beautiful content is leading. Nadia and Lemiza prefer to see themselves as artists rather than a company, as their personalities play an important role in the creation process.
”"We make what we like, that's our passion."
Desvendo x Minois
With Desvendo, Nadia and Lemiza work for Minois. The minimalist and classic style, for which they prefer to create content, fits well with Minois. At least once a week, Nadia and Lemiza meet with Simone to discuss a number of matters. Nadia and Lemiza also organize the monthly photoshoots. They scout the location of the shoot, contact the models and create mood boards for the monthly theme. After choosing and editing the right photos, a new series of tasks is formed: which photos will be posted on Instagram, in what order will they be posted and what captions will be added. From the selected photos, content can be placed on the Minois Instagram account for about a month. During the photoshoots, Nadia takes on the role of photographer and Lemiza comes up with the perfect, minimalist composition.
Differences reinforce each other: Where Lemiza delegates, Nadia carries it out. Nadia looks ahead and is analytical, but Lemiza is impulsive. She quickly says yes! against assignments, until Nadia speaks to her about this and advises to analyze the situation first. The different personalities complement each other, which leads to a pleasant collaboration. After a collaboration, the sisters sit together and put the assignment into perspective at a business level: ‘should we do this again? Were we able to put our passion to good use here? ‘ Sometimes a moment arises when Nadia shouts: “Now I don’t want to work with you anymore!” Yet the sisters always find a balance, it is so balanced because since Nadia is 15 years old, they have a business relationship. Together they have grown into the business world.
”"We are sisters, but very different."
Do you have a vision of technology in our lives?
Nadia: ‘In this time of a pandemic, technology keeps changing, the stores are closed and they depend on their online webshop. That will be even more, if you do not follow the trend, you will be left behind. ‘
Lemiza: ‘The technology is not developing, but we humans are developing. Our development is complemented by technology. Whenever something is needed, technology provides a solution. Needs change by themselves! As content creators, we are part of that development. ‘
What is your advice to other entrepreneurs?
Nadia & Lemiza: ‘Get to know yourself and know your worth! We came to the Netherlands from a ‘different world’ at a young age. For us the question was: How are you going to live in society? By adjusting yourself, you can only do that by getting to know yourself. If you don’t know yourself, it can also be mentally difficult. This is also a learning process when you already live in your own society. ‘
‘As women we have been through a lot, but there is discrimination for every woman. The moment you experience discrimination and don’t know yourself, you stumble over who you are. We have learned that you have to believe in yourself and that you have to know who you are. As women in the technological business world, we are regularly asked: ‘Are you doing this as a woman?’ At such a moment you have to be strong and know yourself, know what you can and what you are capable of. ‘
What do you think is the most beautiful detail of the Minois bags?
Nadia and Lemiza: ‘Many things are already complicated in this world. A functional bag is therefore just right! The design also appeals to us, it exudes class. We think all the bags are very beautiful, but our favorite is the Siny, a beautiful small bag with elegant minimalist details. ‘
April 16, 2021 – Written by Zoe Groetelaars
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