Mpharitlhe Ventures Into Incubators
Lenitame Motsokono | Monday December 18, 2017 16:02
Keneilwe Ramphotho & Lenitame Motsokono
Correspondents
To this day, Mpharitlhe does not rue quitting his job. Today he owns a fast-growing business that manufactures egg incubators. The business is named Rednest. The business also manufactures broader boxes.
He self funded the business which started full operations early in 2014. Rednest is located at the Local Enterprise Authority (LEA) business incubators in Francistown.
“I have never attended formal training with reference to manufacturing incubators. From a tender age, I have always been a creative and innovative person. I have a history of exploring with gadgets and other big mechanical devices. While exploring sometimes in 2013, I was fascinated by how an incubator functions. I further researched and eventually managed to manufacture my own incubator,” he said.
The Ramotswa-born Mpharitlhe also used online videos to sharpen his incubator manufacturing skills.
After manufacturing his first incubator using the base of a discarded fridge, Mpharitlhe became convinced that he could establish his incubator manufacturing business.
He eventually started Rednest. Mparitlhe said his business has adopted a couple of cardinal principles used by established incubator manufacturers around the world.
This, he said, has enabled him to manufacture quality and affordable incubators using innovative designs as well as modern material.
“The business is doing fairly well. I have been attracting a sizeable number of individual clients both locally and internationally. I am really impressed with the way the business is doing. The market for my products is still very open in Botswana,” he said.
Although his business is doing fairly well, Mparitlhe said he has faced numerous pitfalls since he started out. “I mostly source my materials from China and Zambia. At times they take time to come, which causes inconvenience to my customers. This is the most significant challenge I face at Rednest,” he said.
Mpharitlhe markets his business through attending exhibitions, using posters, flyers and by word of mouth.
“Some of the clients I have served well also recommend my products to their associates. In fact, I have never received any major complaint with regards to my products.”
Mpharitlhe advised the youth who want to go into business to avoid going into ventures that have already been fully explored.
“They should learn to embrace challenges. The youth are afraid to go into less explored ventures because they fear challenges associated with them (less explored ventures),” he said.
The former soldier further advised the youth who are already in business to prudently manage their finances. “Some youth businesses do not stand the test of time because they want to live lavish lifestyles using proceeds from their businesses”, he said.
The 31-year old’s biggest ambition is to open another incubator manufacturing factory in Gaborone.
“There is a lot of demand for my products in the Southern part of country. Opening a business in Gaborone will allow me to effectively serve my clients in the Southern part of the country,” he said. Rednest has three employees.