Olympic Gardens entrepreneur grows T and N Customs from one-room start-up

Tashika Vanzi has grown T and N Customs in Olympic Gardens from work done in a cramped one-bedroom space into a small business with bigger equipment, wider services and steady support from customers.

Her start came during the COVID-19 period, when jobs and money were scarce. Searching for something she could do, Vanzi first tried phone-case printing, teaching herself through YouTube even though she said she had no background in the field.

"YouTube was my best friend," she said, recalling that the phone-case idea did not take off. She later asked a friend overseas to buy her a printer and told him she intended to open a printing business, despite admitting she had "no idea" how to run one.

From that first machine, Vanzi moved into shirt printing, customised mugs and packaging orders from her bed, often working late into the night. As demand increased, she bought more equipment, keeping some machines outside at the back of her yard and moving them whenever rain threatened.

The business now operates from its own shop on the Hip Strip in Olympic Gardens. T and N Customs offers custom printing, branding and event-related items, with relatives helping in the operation and customers returning for her work.

Vanzi said she wants the next five years to bring more corporate clients, large sign jobs, vehicle wrapping and the chance to teach students. She credits God, faith and persistence for the progress, saying setbacks did not make her give up.

For Vanzi, the business represents more than income. It is proof that a difficult season, a single printer and a small room could become the foundation for a lasting enterprise.