TAKING HER FATE INTO HER OWN HANDS.

Pogiso Mokwena (24) from Hammanskraal is a full time 3rd year Marketing student at the Tshwane University of Technology. This young lady is also the Director of her own business (Pogiso Mokwena Events) based in Pretoria. Her business involves different criteria, from events to artist management, branding and marketing events. Her main focus is managing her own events at the moment, she specialises in formal settings, catering, décor and event planning for corporate organisations.

The business was formally registered in January 2019, but she has been building it years before that. “Pogiso Mokwena Events is a 100% Black female owned business, I am running the business alone at the moment.” She said. Pogiso also explains that most gigs she deals with do not require much, and she has her family assisting her where they can. Starting the business was not easy for Pogiso, she struggled with monetizing most of her skills and networking. She then attended workshops in the university space and some corporate functions, then she saw that a seed was planted, and she had the responsibility to nurture it.

“It took me two years to jump into it, and I would be lying if I say I was not scared of the possibilities of it not working.” She said. She engaged with other business people and realised that it is normal to be scared, she did not allow her fear to rob her the joy of writing her first invoice and sending it out. “The business is growing; I am still learning a lot to keep it afloat with submissions of documents that I had no idea about.” She adds being surrounded by the right people in the same field with her, Pogiso finds things easy.

The young entrepreneur is looking into branching more in the entertainment industry in terms of organizing them as opposed to sending out artists. “Brand expansion and more partnership are to come in the next five years, I am also looking on to adding two more people to form part of my executive board.” She said.

By: Thuli Galane.