Take Charge – Career Snippets
Thato Kgatlhanye, 26, founder of Rethaka Foundation, businesswoman and philanthropist, shares why her success in business is mostly driven by serving others
The Rustenburg-born social entrepreneur started her company, Rethaka Foundation, in 2013, but is currently re-strategising and building a lifestyle brand for African women titled Life With Thato.
What inspired Rethaka Foundation and the subsequent repurpose bags? The decision came about when I took a look around my community at age 18. I had seen many problems that grown-ups had failed to address. I felt if we applied ourselves, we could find innovative solutions. I’ve always been conscious about waste and wanted to make a difference – my purpose is to serve people and make an impact. That is how Rethaka Foundation came about – we produce solar powered recycled schoolbags. In the past four years, I put my head down and mastered how to serve people. I now consider profit a consequence, and not the driver. What are you currently busy with?
My five-year plan is to transition as a business, and to make my own stuff – including fragrances, make-up and decor items – which I’ll sell through my lifestyle brand, Life With Thato. As a startup, I quickly learnt that most entrepreneurs aren’t in control of the manufacturing arm of their businesses — most import their goods. I want to dedicate the next five to 10 years building a company, where each product has been manufactured by us and placed on the market on our own platforms, under our own terms. I started Life With Thato this year, and I want to do what Gwyneth Paltrow is doing with Goop. What is the downside of entrepreneurship? Much focus is placed on the short term, when this is a long-term game. In the short term, there’ll be many a downfall because being an entrepreneur isn’t easy. The long game, on the other hand, is about seeing the fruits of your labour, the legacy-building and self-mastery. What do you want to be remembered for in business circles? As a mogul and a muse, who is inspirational, creative, and strategic. What would make the world a better place? We all need to go into our inner worlds to seek our alignment because everything starts within you.