By Neo Kolane
Libuseng Kopano started a business called ‘BoxIt’ during last year’s Covid-19 lockdown, which proved to be not so much of a tall order given the easy availability and affordability of cardboard boxes.
BoxIt is a business that makes memory, storage and jewellery boxes as well as photo frames.
The 22-year old budding entrepreneur narrates that it all started during the first lockdown in March 2020 when she had nothing to do.
“I was really bored and I thought of something fun to do and I remembered that my best friend’s birthday is coming up,” she said. She had wondered how she could surprise her friend.
The Qacha’s Nek-born straight talker told theReporter that she needed whatever the surprise is to be a materialist gift so she began writing letters addressed to her friend.
Kopano said that she wanted those to be a reminder that she appreciates her best friend so she could open them whenever she wished.
“I made ‘open when’ letters and started crafting the box. It turned out really great and when I gave it to her on her birthday, she was really happy and impressed.
Kopano said that people showed interest and that is when she realized that she could actually make a business out of it.
When asked about support, Kopano said that her friends and family have been really supportive from the start; her mom even collects boxes for her.
She makes every box depending on the demand, saying that every box is unique and it is custom made.
‘More often than not, when I create boxes I find intel on the details of the client’s order and collect the suitable materials for the product.
“Of course I still consider the quality and texture of the product, thus ensuring that the needs of the prospective customer are met.
The film production student revealed that the boxes she used before were of a lower quality and they did not give off the design she had planned for in terms of measurements and texture.
She therefore looked for boxes of a higher quality suitable for creating designs she wanted in order that they last longer.
“One challenge is a shortage of boxes; I gather boxes in advance now so I don’t struggle when an order has been placed,” she said.
She invested about M400 for covers, sellotapes, paints as well as stationery.
