Tshepiso Branding Solutions

“My late husband and I founded Tshepiso Branding Solutions in 2018. Our business exists on the premise of living our purpose and it goes beyond just making a profit. If we were in it just for the profit we would have gone back to corporate. “Our loyal customers that keep coming back to us appreciate the personal touches we add. We understand their challenges and visions as start ups because we are one too. They are not just customers but brands that we hope to grow with. Our “WHY” is co-creation of brand equity, because we know as our customers brands grow, so do we,” said Sarah. As previous owners of a reputable signage franchise, she and her husband were able to use their intelligence, resources and their complimentary skills to ensure that their customers received excellence on all fronts. Their services ranges from Indoor and outdoor signage, vehicle branding, printing services, graphic design, street pole adverts as well as digital strategy and implementation. Sarah also mentioned that Tshepiso Branding Solutions is committed to improving its customer base in South Africa and across the African continent and to growing the business into an asset of value that will have an impact locally and globally. “We also want to play an active role in the digital branding space while adding value to our customers’ brand exposure. To be an employer of choice by putting people first, to uplift and empower the youth and women with skills but lack knowledge on how to start and grow their own businesses,” she said, while adding that Tshepiso Branding Solutions is committed to addressing the early childhood development issues prevalent in our communities. How did your interest in business come about? “I was entrepreneurial from my early years but most out of necessity as opposed to passion. I can say that I had a clearer sense of what it means to run and own a business when I worked in a friend’s business as a Business Development and Marketing Manager. But essentially the decision came late in 2019 when my late husband shared the business vision of Tshepiso Branding Solutions with me and I was sold. I knew I was still employable but I wanted to be part of something more purposeful, something bigger than the average goals I had at the time,” she explained. When asked about people who inspire her she said; ”My late husband was my inspiration, he was just an amazing man who rebuild his life against all odds. He helped me to be a better me in all aspects and saw the best in me even when I didn’t. He taught me a lot about business hence I am still steering this ship. Vusi Thembekwayo is another person who inspires me. He is a realist; I love how he’s unapologetic about his convictions and how he made a success of himself. I am also inspired by a lot of my peers and business owners waking up daily to build their legacies while impacting lives positively. To me their efforts truly inspire and fire me up.” Both your mother and grandmother contributed towards your upbring... “Indeed. From birth until 1997 I was raised by my maternal grandmother in Ramokokastad, a rural town in North West. In 1998 I moved to Johannesburg to stay with my mom and two of my siblings in Sandringham where my mom was a live-in domestic worker. We had the opportunity to go to Model C schools and enjoyed the suburban life until my mother remarried and we moved to Meadowlands, Soweto in 2010,” said Sarah.

Purple Pineapple Marketing

Purple Pineapple marketing is run by a twenty-six year old marketing strategist Reabetswe Mabine. Born in Bethlehem but raised in Bloemfontein, Reabetswe is an ambitious young lady with a vision to branch into not only the African but international market in the near future. “After I completed my undergraduate degree in marketing and communications, I went back for a postgraduate qualification to apply myself as I wanted to be well rounded in my industry. And the BCom Honours in Marketing has helped me improve my marketing skills from a business standpoint,” she said. In 2016, she founded Purple Pineapple Marketing initially under the banner of “The Evergreen Branch” which was later rebranded to Purple Pineapple Marketing. Reabetswe says she was inspired by business woman and Philanthropist Thato Mokgothu to follow her passion. “She encouraged me to do that which makes me look forward to getting out of bed in the morning because people who do what they love never feel like they are working,” she said. “Our business objective is to be pioneers in building forward-thinking, long-lasting, and competitive brands that people relate to. Through this, I aim to establish brands as household names, allowing them to market and sell their products and services effectively. I also want to provide marketing and brandingservices that will help start-ups, small and medium businesses to access their market share,” explained Reabetswe What makes your business to stand out from the rest? Tell us about the unique features. My business story began at a business convention when I realized that brands did not understand what their customers wanted. I then founded the business to help bridge the gap between brands and their customers through designing innovative and tailored brand development and growth strategies. We have brand packages for start-up companies at reasonable prices, and a unique feature is what we call “Pineapple for Hire” where any company is able to outsource us as a marketing department and let us deal with everything marketing and branding allowing them the peace to run their company without having to worry about the marketing aspect. What are the highlights of being a businesswoman? My highlights of being a businesswoman must be the ability to make moves that inspire other women who are already in business or who aspire to be in business. Being a businesswoman has also given me a voice to speak and have influence in conversations of key importance that might impact people’s lives and their way of thinking. Another highlight was when I was able to branch out into investment property, which is an industry I have always wanted to tap into and now that I have, I intend to scale and grow my property investment portfolio. Are there any challenges or lowlights? The lowlight would have to be the barriers to entry in the business world, especially as a woman where one does not only need to keep proving oneself as compared to male counterparts. Women generally also experiences challenges of being expected to give out favours in exchange for business deals. Another challenge is to operate in a market that is not ready and sometimes unwilling to buy into your service offering. Do you have advice for aspiring entrepreneurs? First and foremost, find your passion. The moment you start your business in line with what you are passionate about, you give your company a stronger chance for success. The biggest mistake one can make is getting into business for the sake of getting into business, or solely for money but with no passion for that industry or market. Who do you look up to and why? My mother. I watched her become a single parent after the passing of my father and she picked herself up to build a home for us from nothing. She would work double shifts to put food on the table for me and my sister. It did not stop there, she adopted two other children and raised them as her own, and I have never heard her complain. She carries herself with so much grace and dignity. She is always there for us; she carries our pain like it’s her own. My mother is the epitome of class, sophistication, and hard work.

Scientist produces indigenous skin care products

Bodi Bata skin care products was founded by Dr Barbara Keitumetse Mashope (47) from Kimberly in the Northern Cape Province. She is a scientist with qualifications from esteemed Universities such as UFS and WITS. “My mission is to create natural skin care products while also providing healthier alternatives to conventional petroleum based products,” said Mashope. “I want to re-establish the connection between people and nature because I feel that it has been lost especially our indigenous knowledge on how to make skin care products. My products were developed with the knowledge acquired and used prior to colonialism. During those days, black people applied animal fat on their skin. Hence my products are currently all oil based with natural ingredients,” she explained. Mashope began developing her products in 2011-2012 while she was a full time employee. “Initially, this began as a side hustle. I would make products over the weekend or when clients placed orders. At that time my friends and family were the only clients I had. Their positive feedback motivated me to start taking my business seriously because I could see that the products were helping them with other skin problems such as Eczema which I had not thought off,” she said. Bodi Bata skin care products started trading on a full time basis in 2015. “I realized that business is an avenue that could help me support myself and would allow me to survive without having to rely on a job,” she said. Her business, as she mentioned is a benevolent expression of her cultural heritage, her scientific training and her spiritual journey. “It is and continues to be the biggest adventure of my life,” she explained. Having role models such as Oprah Winfrey, my late father G.M Mashope and Rudolf Steiner helped to steer my life in the right direction. “My late father was able to transform his life from a child who entered high school with no shoes to an adult who was awarded a partial Fulbright Scholarship, and studied at an Ivy League University in the 1980s. He was pivotal in building the Northern Cape Provincial Legislature in the 1990s.” “Oprah Winfrey, transformed her life of poverty to become the first self-made African American Billionaire. Her talk show, affirmed so much of my thinking and ideas in the late 1990s and early 2000s,” said Mashope. She adds:”Rudolf Steiner’s work enabled him to establish a schooling system (The Waldorf Schools), that is still one the best in world, in my opinion.” When asked to mention some of the best advice she has ever received, Mashope said: “When I was young my late father gave me one important advice. He told me to chase my dreams with everything I’ve got because naturally young people have few responsibilities.“I believe that youngsters shouldn’t wait for the degree or the funding. They should start building the dream they were born with and came here to express. It makes all the difference. You can see the people who have given up on their dreams, they are almost lifeless,” she said. With all that she has achieved, Mashope still has bigger plans for the future. “In ten years time I see myself on a farm surrounded by lots of plants, or in a greenhouse working with plants or in a laboratory making new products with plants. I would also like to build a more transformative school in the Northern Cape. I believe that our education system is outdated and does not teach kids how to create with the knowledge they have gathered,” she explained. My motto... To know thyself is the beginning of all wisdom (Socrates) Current read ‘Knowledge of the higher worlds and its attainment’, by Rudolf Steiner