A young Bloemfontein-based woman entrepreneur’s perfectly polished business pitch won her much-needed prize money to invest into her business. Tsoseletso Maleho scooped R50 000 for her ability to present a pitch to potential investors during the Township Entrepreneur Alliance (Tea) workshop on 29 April.
Her unique swimming pool construction and engineering business is Xcessive Pools.
The entrepreneurial skills mentoring initiative was held in Bloemfontein at the K-La-K Lifestyle restaurant, an African cuisine and entertainment eatery run by another thriving entrepreneur, Keke Supi.
Maleho pitched like a professional, selling her business to a panel of judges who found her presentation convincing and deserving of the prize money. After being announced as the winner, she said she planned to reinvest the money to sustain and grow the business.
Maleho was one of six finalists chosen from more than 50 men and women entrepreneurs. Her business specialises in the repairing and maintenance of swimming pools, which she operates with business partner Piet Mabuya.
“I am very delighted to win the first prize. I did not anticipate being selected, because the other candidates were also good,” she said.
Maleho has a BTech degree in Business Administration, attained from the Central University of Technology (CUT), Free State.
According to the judges, the difference in the final score between Maleho and the runner-up, Kelebogile Lechwano, was six points.
Lechwano is the owner of A Step to Brilliance, an education initiative offering extra classes in different subjects for both primary and secondary school learners. These services assist learners with their allocated homework, as well as with preparing for upcoming tests or exams.
The Tea initiative targets emerging entrepreneurs in townships nationwide, and takes it upon itself to provide these entrepreneurs with basic information, soft skills and mentorship, as well as creating opportunities that help with networking through a project called the Kasi Business Workshop.
“We have been prompted by the rising rate of youth unemployment to empower owners of enterprises,” said Bulelani Balabala, founder of Tea.
“This unemployment has been aggravated by challenges small business owners have endured the past two years.
“We believe that the Kasi Business Workshop provides the necessary support to help revive the economy through the true lifeline of economic development, which is small business.
“The Lockdown Township Economic Survey revealed that over 60% of small businesses reported that they had lost their sales pipeline, so the need to build an inclusive economy is both urgent and present now.”
Funding partners of the initiative are Naspers Labs, Nedbank, Seriti Resources, Brand South Africa, and the National Youth Development Agency (Nyda).
