04 Oct 2016

 

 It is commendable to find young people with a sense of entrepreneurship responding to government’s call to create employment for other youth. 

More promising is the fact that some young Batswana started enterprises with their own hard earned capital and thrived to succeed despite the challenges related with any other businesses.

Mr Tambona Solomon (29) of Nshakazhogwe told an inspiring story of a purposeful individual who aspired to be a successful chain business owner.

Speaking in an interview, Mr Solomon said he was licenced to carry business of workshop and trades in maintaining and repairing cell phones, laptops and accessories.

He added that he owned two cell phone and laptop repair workshops, which he started from his own capital that he earned after lengthy savings.

He said he started his business four years back in Mahalapye and continued saving money until he made enough and opened another workshop in Mochudi last year.

He said he has employed five youth, three in Mahalapye and two working in Mochudi.

He said the main challenge in the repair business is that sometimes people fail to collect their property after it is fixed saying that the act weighs hard on business as they lose money buying spares.

He said he was renting a caravan in Mochudi that he operated from and said it would have been convenient if he had his own. 

He said despite the challenges repair business was doing well.

Mr Solomon narrated that growing up in a rural village and faced with adverse poverty, he had to quit junior school and turned out to be a breadwinner.

“Somebody had to bring food to the table and I sacrificed my education to help my poverty stricken family form starvation. I started working at a tender teen age, I felt obligated, you can imagine life in a rural area,” Mr Solomon said.

Mr Solomon said he always dreamt of a better version of himself he added that he wanted to improve his livelihood and help that of others at the same time. 

He said as a school dropout and with his petite body it was challenging to find a job and relied on piece jobs. 

However he said he got a job as a security guard in the then Phones for you, a company that dealt with mobile and telephones.

He said he was eager to learn and one of the company employee offered to teach him how to repair phones that was when he developed the love to repair electronics.

Mr Solomon said he found it imperative over the years to save money as he wanted to own his repair business. 

He said people especially the youth should learn to save money adding that he has learnt to be responsible and learnt to use his money sparingly which he said evidently benefitted him and the youth he employed.

Moreover Mr Solomon said young people should not sit on their talent and decry unemployment.

He said there is great potential that can be nurtured once one finds purpose in life.

He said youth should embark in legit ways of making a living saying Batswana are fortunate because the government has availed several measures to help any willing Motswana financially.  

Mr Solomon said though he had a rough time growing up, he is proud that he never relented on poverty but fought out. 

He said today he is a married man and has two children whom he provides for. ENDS