Finding Opportunity After Disaster
Cavin Kanoko | Monday February 17, 2020 14:15
Instead of becoming a statistic amongst the numerous Batswana who lost their jobs, Maiteko Morapetsane decided to venture into the business fraternity opening a cleaning detergent manufacturing company.
Operating as Lit-Shine Chemical Solutions, his warehouse is located at Selebi-Phikwe industrial area.
Lit Shine Chemical Solutions has a product range of cleaning detergents which include those for both domestic and industrial uses. They are Pine Gel, Dishwasher, Oven Cleaner, Car Shampoo, Carpet Shampoo, Degreaser, Bleach, Multi Purpose Cleaner, Blue Disinfectant, Drain Cleaner, Blood Stain Remover, Floor Glaze, Floor Stripper and many other products.
Narrating his journey to Monitor Business, Morapetsane explained that he registered the company in 2015 before applying for the Youth Development Fund in 2018.
He was fortunate to be funded by August the same year allowing him to start production in February of 2019.
“Our products are still struggling to penetrate the retail market since we are not yet certified by the Botswana Bureau of Standards,” Morapetsane said. “However, we have been supplying individuals running tenders and those who need our products for domestic use.” He further listed some of his biggest competitors as Sirocco, Capri Chemicals, Master Chemicals, Gaborone Chemicals and SHE Power. The entrepreneur believes he can beat his rivals by producing quality and affordable cleaning detergents. Currently Lit Shine has two employees including Morapetsane and it has a production capacity of 200 litres of detergent a day. Morapetsane says he came up with the idea for the business when he attended a toilet roll manufacturing course at Local Enterprise Authority (LEA) Incubator where he developed an interest in the cleaning detergent manufacturing business. He says his association with LEA has been beneficial for his business because LEA helped him with licensing issues. The Authority is also helping him establish a market for his products. He says the company’s target market includes schools, hospitals, and individuals, cleaning companies, retailers and councils.