BY Nkosazana Ngwadla
Lotsha Onaka is a South African retailer known for showcasing different African cultures and traditions through their range of products created and sourced from a pool of talented individuals. They are an omni-retail business that focuses on selling all things African – truly capturing the beauty of the diversity in Africa through fashion, homeware and everything in between.
Although Lotsha Onaka is now a thriving business, it hasn’t been a journey without challenges, says CEO Onaka Tsangwane, especially as the first ever entrepreneur in her family.
“With the lack of a business background there is no one in my family to guide me. Most of the time our families are our biggest [critics] when we want to pursue our own business ventures. Business is a passion that doesn’t allow a person to work under someone’s authority. It is a calling that has to be answered with a risk-taking appetite. Businesspeople are a different breed, we want to start something of our own,” Onaka wrote on her LinkedIn.
“We don’t like to work for someone. We have a certain amount of confidence in our abilities. We know in our subconscious that we can do something that is against the tide. We don’t like to do things that everyone else is doing. We are trendsetters. First-generation entrepreneurs have to struggle much more than next-generation entrepreneur who has a family business to back them up. A first-generation entrepreneur has to learn from his own mistakes and avoid making those mistakes again,” she continued.
In conclusion, Onaka encouraged new entrepreneurs on their journey with their businesses and said once they take that first leap of faith, there’s no turning back.
