I graduated in 2005 and in September 2018 I decided to embark on an entrepreneurial venture in Casablanca, Morocco. To be more precise, a venture in the shoe-repair sector, with a new concept that doesn’t exist yet: connected shoe-repair.

After working 6 years for an auditing firm and an auditorship, and 8 years in the sugar-producing industry, first as a business development manager and then as an export operations manager, bringing to life this new concept became my next project. 

Becoming an entrepreneur means stepping up to new challenges. What are they? First of all, bringing my feminine touch to this male-dominated profession, modernising it, encouraging my fellow citizens to “fix instead of buying or throwing away”, and creating new career avenues for the younger generations.

You call this an innovative project. Can you explain? It’s a new concept that doesn’t exist yet in Morocco: connected shoe-repair. Customers can order their shoe and leather-goods repair and maintenance services online and have their items collected and delivered at their convenience. That is how Ma Cordonnière came about!

Actually, today I am opening my first co-workshop dedicated to “connected” shoe repair. It will include a dozen master shoe repairers/shoemakers and some twenty apprentices who will breathe new life into your cherished items. The goal is to spruce up the image of a very old profession which young people don’t consider nowadays by associating it with new technologies, but also to ensure there are training programmes available in the national organisations devoted to leather crafts.

How does it work? You can order your service online and have your item collected from and delivered to your home or office. Users can choose from all the services available and immediately see their price. Photos of the items can also be sent to the master shoe repairers for a preliminary assessment and advice on the most appropriate solutions. Notifications are sent to the customer throughout the process to inform them of progress, and the work is guaranteed to be completed within 24 to 48 hours.

Btissam Belghazi (SK 2005) - Founder & Owner-operator, Ma Cordonnière in Casablanca (Morocco)