Wendy Dlomo-Nwankwo, who runs a black women-owned company, is breaking new ground in the property industry.

Dlomo-Nwankwo, who grew up in the township of Sobantu village in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal, owns and runs several accommodations in the Midlands under her company, The Living Collective (TLC).

TLC is a full service self-catering accommodation rental company with properties in the KwaZulu-Natal Midlands. Her company offers a unique selection of modern and luxury homes and apartments catering to clients with medium and short term leasing needs.

The 40-year-old businesswoman who founded TLC in 2018 said it was her interest in investing that made her go into the property industry.

“While I was working and looking around for better investment options, property for me was a better investment option. I wanted something that would be secure in terms of investment. When you look at property, it is one thing that you know that it either  retains its value or appreciate in value, especially if you are maintaining the property correctly. So it seemed like a better investment option one could put their money on,” said Dlomo-Nwankwo.

“TLC didn’t start as a fully-fledged company per se. It started off as an investment option. I started off small and not big. I started with buying a flat here and there and then they [property amounts] consolidated over time,” she added.

“I started off small and built on what I had already owned and then I turned the investment into a business and started acquiring more properties once the company was running.”

TLC has two properties they own in a tranquil estate called The Gates in Hilton, which offers guests a sophisticated experience on the countryside. They also have 24 apartments in Pietermaritzburg, which mostly cater to professionals.

“The Living Collective name is about integrating the lifestyle. It is about offering the lifestyle that people would want to have. If you want tranquillity and want to be far away from town, Hilton side offers you that. If you want to stay in an area that has everything you need like malls and schools then Pietermaritzburg is the place for you. TLC is about integrated living and that’s why it is called The Living Collective. It offers different types of options and varieties for different types of individuals that might be interested in our offerings,” said Dlomo-Nwankwo.

TLC head offices are based in Pietermaritzburg with 11 employees, mostly young females. 

Dlomo-Nwankwo, a marriedmother of two has a Masters in business administration from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, which she obtained in 2017. She also has a B-Tech degree in management  from the Durban University of Technology and a postgraduate diploma in management specialising in monitoring and evaluation from the University of the Witwatersrand.

She wants to see TLC grow and expand from where it is now.

“I would like to expand TLC and get more properties and build up on the name we have created. The best thing is that we are hands-on with our clients and we have build that rapport, and I would like to continue on that so that we increase our market share in the industry and see TLC grow and thrive into something bigger than it is right now. Expansion and growth is our future goal."