By Seleoe Nonyane
Tholang Matsipa has beaten the challenges of unemployment and job-seeking by venturing into the businesses of crafting beautiful crotchet items using wool.
The 25-year-old entrepreneur who hails from Lithabaneng, Maseru makes crotchet items such as winter hats, jerseys, hand bags and two-piece items like bikinis for women.
Her products are easy on the pocket as they go for as little as M60.
Matsipa revealed to this publication that she also makes custom-made items made according to individual clients’ preferred specifications.
She started the business at the height of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2021 after losing her job when the company she worked for closed down.
She said she learnt her craft as a means to make an honest living after unsuccessful attempts to find a job.
“I was never a hands-on person. I was therefore, actually surprised at how quickly I grasped the art of crocheting,” Matsipa noted.
“I fell in love with crocheting and became better and better at it with each day that passed. I learned a lot from watching YouTube videos and within a few weeks of learning I had become so confident that I could actually showcase my skills to my family and friends first for feedback.
“My family was brutally honest with me as they told me I still had a long way to go before becoming a finished product. However, they assured me that I was on the right track. This motivated me to put in the hours to perfect my craft.
“I took that as constructive criticism and pushed even harder. I believe it is my friends’ and family’s honesty that made me this good. Business has not been easy as I only work by order and orders have not been coming in like they did to when I first started. Back then I would get an average of six orders weekly, but now I sometimes go for a whole month without orders,” she said.
Matsipa has found a solution to this challenge; she just makes stuff without orders and advertises everything on her Facebook business page.
This has proved to be a simple and seemingly magical solution to her complicated problem. Demand for her products has taken an upward trajectory thanks to what she calls ‘the best decision I have ever made to save my business from crumbling to the ground’.
When all is said and done, she still harbours hopes of becoming a household name and opening a shop or two.
Not bad for a girl who is consistently learning new tricks and trends of the ever-evolving apparel industry.
Matsipa can be contacted on +266 57316605.
