4. Ntombenhle Khathwane
Vital Stats:
- Business: AfroBotanics
- Established: 2011
Up-and-coming fact:
Third time was the good luck? charm for Khathwane whose first two business ideas were scrapped before her haircare company took off.
While working in her government position of eight years, entrepreneurship called Khathwane and she attempted to embark into asphalt manufacturing then into stationery production. The capital outlay for both ideas was too much so she went back to the drawing board. In 2010 she entered and won the business plan competition Pitch & Polish, which earned her a trip to the US where she was advised by industry experts on product development. Today her full range of products is on national retailers’ shelves and she’s also exploring manufacturing shampoos and body washes for the hotel industry.