06 Jun 2017

Mrs. Lesedi Mphothe of Mochudi, believes that if the plan does not work, change the plan and never the goal.

Having graduated from Limkokwing University in 2011, Mphothe applied for funding from CEDA for an agricultural warehouse but was not successful.

She realised it was a wakeup call hence she enrolled for short courses at the Business Place and the Local Enterprise Authority (LEA) to enhance her enterprenual skills. She studied sales and marketing, financial management and enterprenual training.

Then in 2015 she was funded through the Youth Development Fund (YDF) and her company, ButterScotch productions was born. The company specialises in video production, photography and multimedia production.

As a broadcasting graduate, Mphothe has undying love for video production and the film industry hence her company dealing in multimedia.

She says that lack of employment opportunities and the drive to be an entrepreneur forced her to start the business.

Although the business is not yet successful, she is able to pay bills and is optimistic that at some point she will re-invest her profits.

‘Last year was not bad and I observed that there are a lot of competitors, hence I gave up rented office to work from home as a means to reduce the expenses,’ she says.

Mphothe will love to produce a movie in five years and work with other talented Batswana in a bid to fulfill the five-year plan.

She markets the company using its facebook page and hand out flyers at every event they are engaged for service.

The company targets corporate events, individuals and television stations.

Just like many in the business sector, she looks up to internationally acclaimed Viola Davis and Quinton Tarantino. She lives by Tarantino’s words that when you write or direct, do it for yourself before anyone else.

The vibrant youth pleads with corporate organisations to work well with them as they need better funding to produce quality productions. She explains that some organisations turn them away before giving them a chance to pitch.

On the other hand, the business faces many challenges including capital. She says it requires millions to produce a movie and that producing a movie is a process and it does not need to be rushed.

The other stumbling block is the country’s small population. She said that there are many people pursuing the same venture as hers and they need a regulating body for prices so that the market does not suffer.

Mphothe also urged customers to understand the importance of quality service as it can reduce congestion. She linked this to mushrooming of photographers or videographers.

She advised the youth to be alert of their surroundings and what is trending when considering what business to venture into. she said passion, determination and strong-will are prerequisites when starting a business.

She also pleaded with the youth to take feasibility studies serious ly as it enlightens one on the market, adding that if one does not know the market forces, the business is likely to suffer. ENDS