Determination Will Lead to Your Success
Thato Kgatlhanye and Rea Ngwane – Repurpose Schoolbags
Thato Kgatlhanye and Rea Ngwane started Repurpose Schoolbags by recycling plastic and creating schoolbags for underprivileged children. The bag also contains a solar panel and LED light attached, which allows the children to finish their homework at night when they don’t have power.
“Finding corporates and individuals who want to contribute to a cause focused on education and children is what has enabled us to turn our original idea into a sustainable social enterprise that benefits kids, employs people from the community and also turns a profit,” explains Kgatlhanye.
These entrepreneurs used start-up business competitions in order to accumulate some funding to help them get their concept of the ground. Once they were in production the investors came knocking.
The Lesson
“Everyone thinks you need money to start a business, which is true, but we proved that you can do things differently provided you have enough drive and you’re prepared to work harder than you would ever have thought possible,” reveals Ngwane.
Featured image credit: Remy Martin