SERIAL ENT EXTRAOR Meet Paball
Driven by passion, 40-somethingyear-old introvert, Paballo Phaswana, aspires to make the Forbes Africa list of most influential entrepreneurs in the next five years.
Not an impossible feat to achieve as the accomplished mother-of-two young adults is not only a creative, self-taught baker and brewer, but also a qualified management consultant, project manager, economist and practicing soft skills trainer.
Voice Woman sat with the sharpwitted, outside-of-the-box thinker who is also an architecture enthusiast with a qualification in interior architect and green design. Formerly an Assistant Buyer in the fast-moving consumer goods sector (FMCG), the multipreneur, who enjoys travelling and dancing, considers herself a ‘boundary pusher’ who believes every challenge is an opportunity. “I believe in continuous improvement. There is always something on the other side of a destination and it must always be explored.”
Give us a brief background of your businesses.
I mentioned that I am a baker. I run Crave Bakery with two other partners. Crave is a confectionery bakery which started in 2016 but just managed recently to break into the commercial industry. We do customised bakes of all sorts but pride ourselves in being the first commercial suppliers of specialised dietary confectionery which is our egg-free, gluten-free, sugar-free and lactose-free range. The main stockist of our product range is Food Lovers Market/square Mart at the moment and very soon, Choppies, across selected branches. We also supply other bakeries and cafés as well as the hospitality industry. We are jumping on every wave of opportunity we come across in order to expand our footprint across the country. The government’s ban on imports of baked goods is one such opportunity we intend to ride. Be on the lookout for the most incredibly tasty chocolate, caramel, mango, and carrot and coconut cakes with the Crave signature on them; especially if you’re looking for a Woolies replacement.
I am also a self-taught brewer who has worked on a ginger drink recipe (better known as gemere) for a few years and have gotten to perfect it to give you Ginger Rush; a ginger drink manufactured and bottled by a company called Sugar Rush. As Batswana, we know the importance of gemere at any event or gathering. As much as there cannot be any meeting without cake, likewise there cannot be a gathering without gemere. Ours is the most authentic gemere available commercially, bottled and branded in a language that speaks to one’s senses. Simply put, it is bottled poetry. Sugar Rush, which has a range of ice teas and juices, is also manufactured and bottled right here in Botswana. I run Sugar Rush with one other partner and the company is expanding much quicker than we can blink. Our products are available at Square Mart and Choppies for now.
As an introvert, I never imagined myself as an educator of sorts, but alas, at some point in my life I found myself as a customer service ambassador. That is how I got into training and rode my journey to being a trainer in customer service, sales, team management, strategy, change management and other soft skills. The journey also led me to pursuing a qualification in project management (PMBOK) and I am currently on my way to earning my project management practitioner (PMP) qualification. It is on this strength of imparting knowledge that I run a training company with a partnering training academy, Genesis, from across the border.
We have also combined offerings across companies to offer training packages that will help equip Batswana looking to break into business. For example, one of our baking courses includes introduction to business management and will not only equip the learner with baking skills but will also arm them with basic soft skills, planning and management, winning sales techniques, marketing as well as compliance guidance.
What challenges have you had to overcome?