Kabelo Makinta: The Man Behind 'Kasi Economy' Holds Exclusive Q&A Session
- The man behind the motivational Twitter page @Kasi_Economy recently did an exclusive Q&A with Briefly.co.za
- In the Q&A, he answers questions about the inspiration to start the page, which shares stories of local people's success
- He also shares what his goals are for the page and how he would like to launch a physical store in the future
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Kabelo Makinta is the brains behind a South African Twitter page that has dedicated itself to promoting black businesses and motivating other black South African citizens to push toward their dreams.
In an exclusive Q&A session with Briefly.co.za, Mr Makinta discusses the motivation behind the page, where he'd like to see it go in the future and its achievements so far.
1. What is @KasiEconomy?
"Kasi Economy is an empowerment group founded last year to give exposure and to uplift local and township entrepreneurs through distribution, promotion, information and branding services. Also I chose the name Kasi Economy because my initials are KE - Kabelo Enos".
2. What are your goals to help grow "Kasi"?
"Our goals are centred around the kasi economy and we want it to attain mainstream status. We are negotiating with township entrepreneurs to have a one-stop shop to distribute their products. Month-end we are launching the online store and the physical store we'll launch around July."
3. What is Kasi Economy's biggest achievement so far?
"Our achievement is watching small businesses like Indiza Foods, which we have promoted, go from a small company supplying one pharmacy to expand across SA and supply over 50 pharmacies. Also we have managed to surpass over 100 million social views through our posts within seven months."
4. Do you think there is enough support from the government for Black-owned businesses in SA? Why?
"I think there are a few individuals within government like the Free State MEC of Economic Development and @TauParks who are passionate about supporting black-owned businesses, but it is tricky for them because the current legislation doesn't give them more authority to implement."
5. What is the inspiration or motivation behind @KasiEconomy?
"We are inspired by the ordinary small businesses doing progressive business and selling unique products but are hidden in the township. Giving them more exposure through our posts motivate us and it is what keeps us going."
Source: Twitter
6. What advice can you give to a young entrepreneur trying to start up a business with no initial funding in SA?
"They need to start small and invest their revenues back into the business. We are living in an era where there's more inclination from our communities to support black businesses. Also, they should never feel ashamed to go out to the streets and look for customers."
7. Tell us more about the man behind @KasiEconomy?
"Kabelo Makinta is a man who grew up in Soshanguve township, north of Pretoria, and a digital marketing strategist who has worked on several marketing campaigns with small and big companies and has now decided to start his own project (KE) to empower the community he grew up in."
In more inspirational Briefly.co.za news, taking matters into his own hands is what drove Lekau Sehoana, the founder of Drip Footwear, to change his family's fortunes as he grew up in a dire state. Having struggled in a family that was supported by a single mother of a family of four, Sehoana says the call to come to school dressed in home clothes was a life-changing moment for him.
Coming from an underprivileged background where he had no clothes or shoes led the businessman to read inspirational books about the likes of Herman Mashaba and Richard Maponya, among others. Sehoana told Briefly.co.za:
""In 2003 I was in Grade 8, that was the year I actually realised that we were very poor at home. Mom raising 4 kids by herself and being unemployed."
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Source: Briefly News
