22 Sep 2015

While most youth hope to get employed by either a company, parastatal or government department after completion of their studies, Mr Thobo Moalosi had other thoughts.   

The young man, who completed his Form 5 in 2001, never dreamed of looking for a job and decided to start an Auto Repair workshop in 2009.   His dream of becoming an entrepreneur came true as he applied to be funded by the Youth Development Fund (YDF) and received P82 000.

Speaking in an interview recently,  he said he managed to start his business called TT & Auto Repairs.   

With the money received, he managed to buy equipment, service kits, operating stock, pay rent including water and electricity bills as well as his employees. Whilst running this business he encountered some challenges that made him realise a top up will improve his business.  

“The reason why I want the Department of Youth to help me with a top up is that when I started my business, I focused only on auto mechanic and now I want to make it a one stop shop,'' he said.   

He wants to expand his business and introduce new features, which are panel beating and spray painting, wheel alignment as well as wheel balancing and selling auto spares.   

Mr Moalosi has already bought a small stock and customers have been asking him to buy more but due to the little money he has he cannot satisfy their demand.  

“My customers are the ones who encouraged me to buy stock as at times when I fix a car it will need a part, which can only be bought in Francistown and I will be forced to stop my work to go and buy it,” he said.  

If he had an auto spare shop, it will make his work easy as customers will be buying from him and reduce his costs of going to Francistown. He further said if he supplies his customers with parts or spares that will not only boost his sales but be adventitious to those who have their own mechanics to repair for them.   

A one-stop shop will help him do all the repairs a car may need in a short time rather than sending his customers to other workshops for other features that he can have an employee perform them at his workshop.  

“I have been losing a lot of money by sending customers to other workshops, that is why I want to do a one stop shop,'' said Mr Moalosi.   

He said he can also help a lot of people who sometimes encounter breakdown on the A1 road as he is located near the road. Mr Moalosi said he is happy now because he has been allocated a plot by Tonota Sub-land Board this year, but will need money to put a structure where he can operate.   

He said he has written a letter to the Youth District office and another one to the Ministry of Youth, Sport and Culture Through the top up, he can be able to achieve his dream of being accredited by Central Transport Organization (CTO) to repair some of their fleet, which is now a barrier because firstly he has to be registered and approved by Public Procurement and Assets Disposal Board, which is a long process.   

He further said he is happy because the youth ministry has been assisting the youth to ensure that the PPADB process does not take long for them.

The Tonota born man beams with joy when he talks about YDF as he says it has helped him to be independent and to think outside the box.   

He said it has also cut his business journey short because without it, he would have been forced to look for a job to save for his business or take a loan from the bank.  

“I have managed to create employment for other Tonota youth and I have even sent one on apprenticeship to Botswana College of Engineering and Technology,” said Mr Moalosi.   

He credits Tonota sub-district council where he has been winning tenders and this has been sustaining his business.   Mr Moalosi said his plan in the next five years is to see his one stop shop service operating successfully.

He wants to expand his employee base and hire more youth and send some of them to technical colleges for training as some of them have not been trained.   

His advice to other aspiring entrepreneurs is that they should  have passion and be success driven because running a business is not a one day thing. Mr Moalosi said they should have patience and perseverance, noting that there has been challenges but that did not make him give up because of the patience he applied.  Ends