Award winning craftsman aims high
Lesedi Mkhutshwa | Monday June 12, 2017 18:00
The company manufactures high quality furniture as well as aircraft seats.
Trading under the name SoulBeat Interiors, Agripa’s business combines a traditional touch coupled with modern craftsmanship to produce high quality furniture.
Soul Beat, which was established in 2012, is located at the Broadhurst Industrial in Gaborone. Mbulawa self-funded the business from his personal savings amounting to P6,000.
The business which started from humble beginnings currently attracts a monthly revenue of P100,000.
Business Monitor caught up with Mbulawa during the Business Botswana Northern Trade Fair, which was held here recently.
At the fair, Mbulawa’s main priority was to market his business, but he emerged with an award of the best entrepreneur in the Small Medium, and Micro Enterprises (SMME) category.
The businessman said that his furniture products include a variety of couches, wingback chairs, bucket chairs, sleeper couches, tables and dinning chairs among others.
“We use high quality materials such as leather, Nepal hide and different fabrics either purchased locally or imported from neighbouring countries.”
He indicated that SoulBeat also specialises in repairing dilapidated furniture.
“Our team has an unparralled level of experience repairing aircrafts seats. We ensure that each item we repair leaves our facility as good as new,” he said. He added that other services that they provide include fitting of car interiors and household carpets.
Some of SoulBeat’s customers include University of Botswana, Peak Yamaha, The Grand Palm Hotel and Casino, Travel Lodge and Botswana Defence Force.
Mbulawa said that the expenditure of his business is about P60,000 or less, which mainly goes towards paying rentals and utilities. SoulBeat boasts six permanent employees. “The number of employees will rise in the near future because I am planning to open another branch in Francistown to cater for my customers in the northern part of the country.” Mbulawa said that one of the challenges they encounter in the furnisher business is stiff competition from local furnisher shops that export their products from South Africa.