Olivia’s story

“Thanks to a microloan, I was able to open my own beauty salon”

From dream to reality: Olivia builds a beauty business with the support of Fin’Elle

Olivia Gnagne (28), from Côte d’Ivoire, runs her own beauty salon where she sells cosmetics from the brand Belle Nubian. Belle Nubian is an American franchise with several branches in Côte d’Ivoire. To open her salon, she needed financing. In 2018, she became a client of Oikocredit’s partner Fin’Elle and received a microloan to launch her own salon.

With Fin’Elle’s support, my salon grew — and so did my future. Olivia

As the name suggests, Fin’Elle focuses on empowering mainly female entrepreneurs by providing microfinance to small and medium-sized enterprises. In addition to microloans, Fin’Elle also offers its clients technical support and financial education, helping women learn to manage their own finances.

Olivia is now on her second loan with Fin’Elle, and business is thriving. Some of her products are even in such high demand that they occasionally sell out. The loans from Fin’Elle have helped Olivia open her salon, purchase more stock, hire three employees and even buy her own car.