Isaac Mbatha
Described as young, black, and successful by GQ, South-Africa, entrepreneur, Isaac Mbatha isn’t new to the business world. As a young chap while in school, he would sell sweets to make money, and he was pretty much exposed to the business world as his father owned taxis and a filling station. His first business had him invest his savings into buying a taxi, and in four years, he had 7 taxis.
Today, he’s the CEO of Sky Tents SA, which caters to manufacturing and sales of tents for all purposes. They also supply mobile freezers, mobile toilets, chairs and tables for different occasions. One is very likely to see the how lucrative this business can be as tents seem to part of our lives as almost all functions require a tent, and not only do they supply to the public, they supply to corporate companies, government departments, municipal corporations, and disaster relief concerns.
SABC news reports his company’s staff strength as growing from 3 people to 59 at the moment, and reports that Sky Tents contributes to job creation in a country with a 29.1% unemployment rate.
Mbatha also is a proponent for paying it forward, as his business also partners with charitable organisations, and is actively working to alleviate poverty by empowering people.
His message to the youth, which I find quite evident in his story, is the importance of staying consistent. Change or progress usually doesn’t happen on a whim, it takes sticking with it, and having the will to stand back up after a fall.