Yolanda Mbolompo has always had a gift for spotting golden opportunities. A gift that has seen this mover and shaker launch four businesses. And by the look of things, she’s far from done.
In 2018, she founded Afro-Bae, a hair product company, which led to her opening a hair salon in 2019. The following year, she opened a student accommodation facility in the Eastern Cape. And now, she’s trying her hand at farming.
Mbolompo started her small-scale mixed farming business on a small piece of land at her family home in Cofimvaba in the Eastern Cape. On the 0.5 hectares, the entrepreneur grows cabbage, peppers and potatoes that she sells in the community.
Mbolompo confesses that she had never given farming a thought until she renovated the family home in Cofimvaba. “After I finished building my home, I looked at the garden land we have and thought about making money out of it.”
In November last year she reached out to Xolisa Zamxaka, the founder of Ilitha Farming, to get some advice on starting her farming operation. Zamxaka taught her how to farm and helped her get the tools and materials like seedlings and fertilisers she needed to get growing.
“I grew cabbage, spinach, green peppers, and potatoes, which we sold to people in the neighbourhood and in town. I also bought 19 sheep, 10 pigs, and chickens to resell.”
‘Challenges make life interesting’
Mbolompo has not had it easy. She lost her mother at age six, which saw her moving from one relative’s house to another.
At age 14 she lost her brother who was killed in a mob justice attack. These experiences forced her to grow up faster than most of her peers. She moved to Johannesburg when she was 18.
“I started working at the Sibanye gold mine in Carletonville when I was 19 in 2012. I worked as an underground miner. I was 19 when I had my daughter, and I took in my 14-year-old brother the same year.”
Her journey into motherhood was not an easy one and even resulted in her becoming depressed and anxious. Even before this she was still dealing with the trauma of losing her mother and brother.
Making the most of what you have
Mbolompo says that when we look at the country’s economy and how much food costs, it becomes clear that we don’t really need to buy almost everything. This inspired her to grow her own food and being a business woman, she saw a need that she could fill.
“Things aren’t getting better; they’re getting worse instead. I think it’s about time we start making the most of what we have. Use your small garden so you don’t have to buy food you could grow yourself,” she advises.
Mbolompo is also the founder of Afro-Bae a range of hair care products that includes hair food, hair fertiliser, oils, shampoo, conditioner and even beard oil.
She founded Afro-Bae in 2018 and was inspired by her daughter. “My daughter, who had a sensitive scalp, gave me the idea to start this business. After noticing this problem, I started to learn more about how black people’s hair has a problem of growing when it’s natural. I even spoke to a friend from Ghana about information on shea butter product.”
She used the products herself and shared them with others.“The feedback gave me wings to start right away. After three months, it was doing very well. That’s when I realised I should give it a chance.”
Looking to the future
In 2019, she quit her job at the mine to focus on her hair range. To this day, Afro-Bae sells its products all over the country with 350 distributors, and the warehouse has five full-time employees. She is also the owner of a thriving hair salon based in Gqeberha and runs a student accommodation facility.
“I have bigger plans for my businesses. I am working on getting a bigger plot so I can focus on water irrigation and add more livestock. The better option is to put all of them under one roof – farming, real estate, a hair care line, and a salon,” Mbolompo says.
No doubt, this serial entrepreneur means business and with a mind like hers, she’ll one day be counted amongst Eastern Cape’s leading food producers. Watch the space!
ALSO READ: Persistence pays off for Northern Cape farmer
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