23 Jan 2019

A young entrepreneur, Mr Thabang Maleke, has advised young people to take advantage of available opportunities to improve their lives.

He said he saw a gap and decided to fill it. Mr Maleke turned to design of merchandise such as clutch bags, hats, caps and decorating garments, shoes, bags with stylish writings and covering worn out shoes with denim.

The 32-year-old explained in an interview that he started his project after realising that it did not exist in Ramonaka in the Kgatleng District.

He said most young people operated projects, some of which ended up collapsing due to stiff competition, adding that young entrepreneurs needed to think outside the box in order to thrive.

He said it was a pity that most youth, who were beneficiaries of the Youth Development Fund programme, were failing to service their loans.

He opined that they were failing because their businesses were not making the expected profits due lack of market.

Mr Maleke said young entrepreneurs could only survive in the market if they changed their mindset and become innovative to attract customers.

He stressed the need to benchmark from others, noting that he learnt about his business through social media and also because he did art at school.

He revealed that he was inspired by someone from Thamaga, who posted on social media that he taught people how to cover worn out shoes and make hats and bags, therefore he took the opportunity to learn.

He said he started the business in 2007 and never looked back, adding that, “I tried my luck and today I am excelling because of the uniqueness of my project”.

He said his business was self-funded and he operated from home.

Mr Maleke said he intended to move out and establish a bigger structure.

He also explained that his business was doing well although it was seasonal, revealing that during low seasons, he was forced to reduce prices to keep going.

He said he also intended to apply for government programmes to grow the business and create employment for others.

He said he had resorted to marketing his company through social media platforms such as Facebook, exhibitions and expos and other media, including word of mouth and referrals from satisfied clients.

Mr Maleke said some of his future plans included building a factory and being able to employ a large number of youth since manufacturing was dominated by major companies.

He also aspired to operate a training facility thereby transferring skills and knowledge to Batswana in order to boost manufacturing.

He said establishing a business required someone willing to take risks, adding that he was willing to help those with passion to unleash their potential. BOPA