19 Jan 2015

When life seemed blurred and showed no sense of direction as to where it was heading for Mr Kaisara Kaisara, the dream of doing something with his life kept him going.

The 32-year-old man, who hails from Tonota, said he would forever be grateful for what the government had done for him.

Coming from a family of five children and being the eldest, Mr Kaisara said he always felt propelled to be a leading example to his siblings. Thus, even after his unpleasant performance in his Form Three examinations, he maintained the focus as to where he was going.

Mr Kaisara, who completed his Form Three in 1999 said it was in 2001 to 2002 when he enrolled in a brick laying and plastering course at Shashe brigade. He initially enrolled in order to go into construction but upon completion in 2002, he worked for several companies from 2003 to 2011.

Mr Kaisara said he enjoyed the work but the downfall of it was him not being able to settle in one place as he had to move from one company to another. “At some point, I would be working in Mahalapye, next in Jwaneng, then Palapye so it was a bit inconvenient,” he said.

It was in 2011 that he quit working for the companies and decided he wanted to start his own business. He said the idea on what to do as a business came from someone who worked with him in the construction company and he saw it as having potential and wasted no time.

It was in 2011 that Mr Kaisara approached the Youth Development Fund (YDF) in Tonota for a loan to start his own business. He said he was very fortunate as it only took him three months before he was granted a loan of P82 750.

Mr Kaisara said during the application process, he was not working, so travelling back and forth to the offices was a challenge for him. Another thing that was a challenge for him was getting quotations for the equipment he needed for the business.

Upon receiving the money, Mr Kaisara said he bought some of the office equipment, which included office chairs and what he terms as a glass stand.  He said he also bought glass that amounted to P11 000.

“It felt like a dream when I received the money because I knew that was the beginning of good things to come,” he said. He said he initially marketed himself by moving from house to house and telling them about the business.

“Before long a number of people knew about the business and after a while I introduced business cards as a marketing strategy,” he said. He said although the business was doing well, the downfall was that the business was seasonal and therefore he sometimes encountered a dry season. 

Mr Kaisara said he was striving towards getting tenders in his business and he appreciates what his glass suppliers do for him as they always educate him on new ways of improving his business. He said despite the occasional dry season, the chances of such kind of business being shut down are low.

Some of the challenges he encounters are glass breaking when being transported or when fitting, although the breaking when glass is being fitted in is low.  He said since the business started in 2012, he cannot say he has done a lot for himself. “I guess it was the fact that I was still learning a lot about business and I had to re-pay back the loan,” he said.

Nevertheless he said he is confident that his business will prosper to greater heights and the kind of glasses he buys include among others whisper glass for bathroom windows, ember glass for doors, clear glass, which is just normal and shatter proof for sliding doors.

He encouraged people never to lose hope in life and find something to do while opportunities are still tenable. ENDS