Kutlwano Magazine

When passion is business

Source : Kutlwano

Author : Mothusi Soloko

Location : Gaborone

Event : Interview

Like many other renowned business people, Kemonnye Marobela’s journey down the road to entrepreneurship was motivated by a desire to break free from what many call the corporate shackles. Today, after discovering the freedom of self-employment, Marobela does not for one moment regret his decision to venture into the world of entrepreneurship.

While still working for Senn Foods Company in Gaborone, Marobela climbed the corporate ladder quite happily. However, as time went on, he got stuck in one position and thus began to realise that future prospects were not as bright as he fathomed.

A burning desire to put his future in his own hands drove him to search for greener pastures. As it turned out, his adventurous spirit landed him at Sandy’s, another meat processing enterprise, this time in Selebi-Phikwe.

He continued passionately with his meat processing career, making tasty biltongs, Voers, Bacon, Polony, Russian and many other meat products.

But pastures at Sandy’s were not as green as he would have loved. After what proved to be a short stint, he felt he had acquired enough ammunition to venture into the business world, and venture he did.

“At that time I firmly believed that I had what it took to start my own meat processing enterprise, I was not aware of the huge sums of money needed to start such a businesses,” he says.

With a businesses plan that he compiled with the help of his sister, he sold his idea to local commercial banks without success. He says he could not give up his dream because he was convinced that he had the best ideas and skills acquired from his previous employers to do the business.

Armed only with the aptitude and attitudes, he decided to try CEDA for a loan. Unfortunately they also turned down his application, advising him to perfect it and re-apply.

Giving up was not an option. He desperately wanted to leverage his lifelong passion of processing meat into a profitable business. After spending sleepless nights rehearsing and refining his ideas he reapplied and CEDA finally gave him close to P1 million to start his small meat processing enterprise that has now developed the potential for further growth.

Since then, his company, Wave Knock Investments, has been steadily growing.

“Starting the business was not easy. New in the market as we are, customers are still skeptical if we are serious or just another fly-by-night company. We are currently working on building both our reputation and clientele. The future looks good though,” he opines. Just like his previous employers, Wave Knock Investments produces polonies, bacon, gammom, biltong, minced meat, as well as dog food.

Within its first year of existence the company already employs nine Batswana, and has already opened a branch in Serowe. “Business is much better in Serowe, I think that is because of our strategic location,” he says.

His customers comprise individuals, restaurants and catering companies, he says, adding that doing business in a market that is already saturated is very hard.

He says currently, Lotsane Senior Secondary School is the company’s biggest customer after a successful tender to supply the school with meat on a weekly basis. The entrepreneur says local chains stores are another lucrative market, and has since been advised to package his produce so that it is attractive to them. “Our dream now is to open up branches in towns and supply people with high quality meat,” he enthuses.

He also says were foreign chain stores to support their businesses then the future wouldlookevenbrighter. Onthedownside, Marobela queries government’s delay to pay them while costly meat processing machine compounds the situation further. These, he says, are some of the challenges that threaten his business.

“We are also helping many small farmers around as we buy cattle, goats and pigs from them. Otherwise, most of them will be stranded with their animals if we did not exist,” he says.

Common senses dictates that owning a business is the most fulfilling experience anyone can ever have. Therefore, without doubt, Marobela’s success and happiness -a direct result of self-motivation and risk-taking – means that the dark days he experienced in the past are now over. With Wave Knock Investments growing as it does, certainly he no longer imagines himself working for another man.