Kgosidialwa Swaps Media Lab For Carpentry
Pauline Dikuelo | Monday September 10, 2018 18:00
Determined to follow his dream, Kgosidialwa told the Monitor Business that he encountered many challenges, which he turned into opportunities. Narrating his journey, Kgosidialwa said after quitting his job, he went to South Africa to benchmark on several workshops before setting up his business.
“I always had a thing for carpentry and believed that I did the wrong course. After even realising that most people by that time preferred to purchase their furniture of choice online while some went to neighbouring countries, I embraced that opportunity,” he said.
When starting his business, Walnut Collections in 2014, he opted to finance it from his pocket pointing out that the undertaking was risky. According to Kgosidialwa, even though the reception was not what he anticipated, a year later he managed to grab another opportunity in upholstery to meet the market demand. “I got a tender to make tables, dinner tables, chairs for a game lodge.
The owner wanted sofas, which he saw online and asked us if we could deliver them. We managed and posted the outcome on social media where the response was overwhelming,” he said. Walnut Collections specialises in manufacturing wood furniture pieces for home and office, interior design, repairs, upholstery, partitioning, and kitchen fitting just to mention a few. Their product range includes sofas, coffee tables, beds, mirrors, and display cabinets.
Kgosidialwa said their clientele ranges from individuals, companies with the latest being Dimension Data and Orange. He said unlike his competitors who put emphasis on big tenders, his focus is on the small market and boasts of producing unmatched quality and reliable turnaround times. The company has four fulltime carpenters and two part-time upholstery experts.
Speaking on their future plans, he said next year he would venture into joinery; manufacturing hardwood doors, window frames, garage doors and wooden gates adding that they are on the final touches. He said they would explore the other regional markets including South Africa and Namibia. Currently, Kgosidialwa gets material in Botswana and South Africa.
“Carpentry is not an easy path to follow, manufacturing requires a lot of patience, commitment and during the past years of operation I have learnt a lot and now I don’t have any room for mistakes,” he said.