Lesotho:Mabohlokoa Bula

My name is Mabohlokoa Bula from Lilala Community Council.Iam an aspiring entrepreneur. The name of my business is Zenzela General Café and I have registered it with the Ministry of Trade and Industry and also with the Lesotho Revenue Authority (LRA).So this helps me to file and pay tax end of each year.

The memory I have with Gender Links is when we were asked to discuss and come up with the businesses looking at needs that are within are our different villages. It was a very important excise as it challenged and made us aware how easy it is to come up business idea. I enjoyed the excise so much even though I have a business already.

The knowledge I got from the training is very important as I learnt so much, how best I can grow my business and improve some of the things. It has given me so much power and helped on myself confidence also to believe that I can be the best business woman.

My business is doing so well and I think it is because of GL training; I have now have more customers who come from nearest villages. I think also the advertising strategy has worked, at first I was not advertising my business as I believed that people knew about it not knowing the power of social media and how it can turn around something if used wisely.Iam using Facebook and whatsapp platforms to advertise my business and its working perfectly. I wouldn’t have done this much if it was not because of the GL entrepreneurship training. I think now iam in a better position to help other women who would want to have businesses one day.

Even though the business is doing so well and grown so much the business is still facing some challenges being people asking for goods on credit, but when the have to pay it is such a hassle and there are other customers who just come to the business for gossip. But I try by all means to talk nicely with customers to make them aware that it is not okay for them to visit at the shop as it can make other customers not comfortable.Since I was taught how to make customers feel at home and want to come again and again I try to reason with them that it is so rude for taking things and not paying on time as this makes it difficult for me to stock again.

I want to see this business growing atleast to the supermarket type and extend the building, also I want to hire atleast two women who will assist me.I can only achieve these thing if I work hard and make sure that my business is well known. Also if I buy more stock and what is needed all the time so that I don’t loose my customers.