A little goes a long way, as long as one is passionate about their business idea and is willing to go to great lengths to see it come to life. This is according to Athenkosi Tima, an ambitious entrepreneur based in Khayelitsha in the Western Cape.
According to Tima, one does not need be a millionaire to establish and run a successful business. All that is needed to start, in terms of funding, is what one has in their possession and build up from that. “I started my business with only R3500.00 in my bank account,” she explains.
Tima is one of the eight entrepreneurs who went through an entrepreneurship training programme at Falsebay College, funded by the merSETA. She is the founder of ATMamtolo Enterprise, a business that sells clothes online.
Upon completing matric in 2012 at Kuils River Technical High School, Tima worked as a promoter, moved to retail and also worked as a call centre agent. She started her business in 2018, while studying Public Management Falsebay College.
“Although I’ve always had great passion for entrepreneurship, I realised that one must always have something to fall back on. Studying expands one’s knowledge, so as to be in a better position to explore all avenues,” she says.
Tima explains that her business idea was inspired by wanting to help school children and teenagers
in her community. She witnessed school-going children abstaining from school because they did not have uniform or casual clothes for Fridays, and teenagers not being able to attend matric dances because their parents could not afford to buy them clothes for those occasions. “Through my business, parents are able to purchase clothes for their children and pay monthly installments at no interest,” she explains.
By Thando Ndlovu. Read the full story here:
