Khaya Tshabalala was twiddling his thumbs at his parents' home in Soweto after he lost his job in 2020 when he was struck by an idea of starting a business.
The idea was inspired by his childhood days when he used to help at his parents' spaza shop after school hours.
Tshabalala, 33, is the founder and a business development consultant at Local Roots Africa – an online retail platform that sells and markets brands from African designers.
He established his business in March last year, which he runs from his home in Dube, Soweto.
Local Roots Africa sells and markets items such as footwear, clothing, watches, ladies handbags and hair care products, among others.
The young businessman has sold and marketed products from 30 designers since opening his platform. He got his first taste of business when he was working in the family shop when he was a child.
"My mother had a hair salon that she was operating from our home. I grew up seeing my mother operating the business, plaiting people's hair and selling products. We also had a shop were we sold snacks and chips. I would help out with customers after school,'' said Tshabalala.
From this little business experience that he got as a child, Tshabalala went on to secure several jobs in the sales and marketing space.
He got his first job in 2011 as a sales representative, working for a marketing company in Cresta, Johannesburg. From here on, he worked as a business development consultant for many companies.
The last gig he had as a business development consultant was in April 2020 in Durban. He had signed a one-year contract with the company, starting in 2019.
Before his contract could be renewed, came the hard lockdown and the company released him because it could no longer afford him.
Tshabalala said after he lost his Durban job he was devastated but told himself that he has to stop feeling sorry for himself and find a way to sustain himself.
