At just twenty-years-old, Lebohang Gaula is already a thriving businessman. It all began in August last year, when he spotted a CAST flyer at a local shop in KwaDabeka and jumped at the opportunity to join the business programme.
Over the course of 3 months, he successfully completed the Business Experience Course and Business Growth Course. Using what he learnt, he set about starting his own business.
Like many of the youth in his community, he faced challenges in his home life that made him vulnerable to a life of crime and alcohol abuse. But Lebohang was determined not to go down this path. Straight out of school, he tried making money through selling CDs and taking piece jobs, but this did not offer any stability.
Through the programme, he learnt how to put together a business plan, bookkeeping, and marketing. “If you want to be a businessman,” he says, “you must think like one. You must find solutions.”
Lebohang saw a gap in the market for a cleaning company and again, grabbed the opportunity to learn chemical manufacturing through an advertisement in the newspaper. He used the little money he had to pay for the course and was soon mixing his own cleaning products, and registered his brand, “Gaula Cleaning Products.”
Lebohang currently runs the business from his home in KwaDabeka. He is steadily working towards opening an office in Pinetown and plans to expand his business into a full cleaning service for residential, commercial, as well as public premises.
Lebohang is grateful for his time in the business programme saying, “CAST taught me how to have courage and be a go-getter.” He also feels that, through the spiritual nurturing of his mentors, he now has a closer relationship with God.
When asked about his long-term goal, Lebohang says: “I want to change my community. I want to help them become better people, especially the youth.”
Mentoring entrepreneurs in our communities like Lebohang can make a world of difference in shaping their future success. To get involved, contact Janet Okoye at: janet@cast.org.za or (031) 266 8830.
