Klip & Kraal Studio is a Gqeberha maker of leather belts, card sleeves, and repairable work bags. Founder Lulama Ndlovu took the Hold the Door pledge after receiving informal requests from first-time makers who wanted practical advice but could not afford a consultant. Each quarter, the studio now offers one emerging founder a structured support session covering pricing, production planning, and finding dependable suppliers. The sessions are not a promise of funding or a sales contract; they are time set aside to answer questions and share useful templates. In the first two quarters, Lulama supported two founders, including a maker testing a small run of locally sewn aprons. Together they reviewed a costing sheet and identified a packaging choice that reduced the projected unit cost by R18. Lulama says the pledge formalized something she wished she had received when starting out: candid guidance without pressure to buy a service. The studio plans to keep one quarterly place available and to ask each participant what kind of help would be most useful.
