Africa-Press – Lesotho. The Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) are said to play a crucial role in the economic growth of a country. Our reporter, Thoboloko Nts’onyane spoke to one of the players in this sector.
Based in Mafeteng, Tlhokomelo Mapuru takes us into his entrepreneurial journey from ‘humble beginnings’, he shares his challenges and highlights as well as how his resilient attitude has helped
him weather the storms. Mapuru now boasts three businesses under his belt. He has recently established an Ice Cream Parlour which is the ‘talk of town’ in Mafeteng and its surroundings. Below is an excerpt of the interview.
What kind of businesses are you into, their names and which
services do you render? I am involved in three different types of businesses. Decor, DeeTlhox creatives baking and catering, Didi bakes and selling of Ice cream, The scoop.
DeeTlhox creatives is a decor venture that supplies wedding and party equipment for hire. We also offer flower arranging for weddings, and funerals, stretch tents, and
everything associated with decor for any event. Didi bakes is a mini bakery that provides mouthwatering cakes, muffins, cookies, scones, cupcakes, doughnuts and biscuits for any occasion.
The Scoop is my new venture where I sell ice cream with various flavours and toppings amid the heat waves we are experiencing at the moment. When and how did you venture into the entrepreneurial
space? After Graduating from varsity I realised that there are many unemployed youth in the life pool and only one fishing rod. I then decided to embark on an entrepreneurial
journey and have never looked back since. How has the journey been so far? My journey has been an uphill battle since day one. Recession hit hard, competition from other people doing the same things as me and quite recently
the COVID-19 pandemic. It nearly crippled all of my businesses but through the grace, we are still afloat. Surely, you have had your fair share of challenges, could
you tell us and how you managed to beat them? Determination, hard work and discipline have helped me very much. Knowing why I am involved in what I am doing and always keeping my eye on the ball has really
helped. My strong will to thrive and make the most of everything is another thing that has really helped me tackle everything head-on. What skills have you cultivated so far
which you wouldn’t have ordinarily acquired have you not been in business? The fact that I engage with heterogeneous audiences has helped my interpersonal communication
skills very much. I was an introvert growing up but have since learnt to open up and engage with people on the daily basis. What advice can you give to those who wish to explore the
entrepreneurial journey? I would urge them to never give up, be vigilant and have more than one stream of income. The Coronavirus has shown us that a lot can happen in a day.
Moreover, I would advise them to be open minded, believe in themselves and cultivate their potential because we all have infinite amounts of potential locked in us awaiting to be tapped.
How has building and maintaining rapport with your
clients helped you? It has helped me increase my client base through referrals. Offering one client great service almost always creates a ripple effect that has always led to an increase in
sales through new customers. Who inspires you and why? I get all my inspiration from my mother, wife and DJ Sbu. My mother because she is a hard worker whom I’ve always seen struggle raising four kids as a single
parent, and making sure we were all comfortable like other kids our age. My wife for always keeping me in check and making sure I never diverge from my
dreams and Dj Sbu for showing us that anything is possible if one puts their mind and effort into it. Instead of sulking after getting fired from his 9-5
job, he rose from the ashes and is today one of the most influential business minds in South Africa owning a business. His motivational talks and books have been the fuel to my everyday business ventures.
Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?
I am a very optimistic person and I believe 5 years from now I will have developed my businesses to significant margins capable of hiring a lot of Basotho and known
country wide. I hope to have franchises in all districts and curb the unemployment rate. COVID-19 pandemic has surely thrown a spanner in your business plans, how bad did it affect you and how has the
recovery process been, following the phase in of many socio-economic activities which were in halt? The pandemic nearly crippled me to a point of no return.
The fact that no gatherings were allowed, no functions or events and closure of borders meant that all my businesses were on hold. I could not do my decor because there were
no weddings and parties, I could not bake since events that required baked delicacies were put on hold. It was really a tough time for any business and
I’m glad we have these eased restrictions of late. They revived the spirit in me and I’m well on my way to make a name for myself again. The recovery process is slow but I believe achievement comes in reasonable steps. Slowly but surely, we will prevail.
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