Thandolwenkosi Ntombela (17), the owner of TGS Creative Agency was born in Mpumalanga and later moved to Alberton where he discovered his love for design.
Ntombela started his TGS Creative Agency business when in grade 10 at Parklands High School.
According to Ntombela, his love for design came after his teacher, Mamabolo, needed someone who could design business posters for her business.
Ntombela used the opportunity to design the posters and never looked back. His strong passion for design led him to make presentations for his teachers, not knowing that he was pushing himself for the better.
Without formal training, he honed his skills using Canva, a free design software that allowed him to design logos, posters, and presentations.
Ntombela explained how he washed cars to afford data so he could use Canva.
Ntombela said: At home, there was no Wi-Fi so I had to make means to get data. I then started developing this vision of wanting to have a creative agency. I wanted to look at design more broadly.”
According to Ntombela, he started researching design and found out that he needed a laptop and a camera to perfect his designs and at that stage, he only had a cellphone.
However, this didn’t stop him from continuing with his business. This became a motivation for him to keep pushing.
“I see myself as a very aggressive person when it comes to my dreams. If I figured out I have a dream, I saw the need to carry on and push.”
Ntombela stated he was initially into fashion design but his family discouraged him from pursuing a clothing brand and wanted him to focus on school.
His determination and resilience led him to explore other design avenues.
Ntombela’s big break came when his teacher became his first client, and soon, his social media presence attracted more clients seeking logos, posters, and digital services.
Ntombela told Alberton Record how he struggled with professionalism in his business but eventually worked through that.
Now a first-year student at the University of Johannesburg, studying multimedia, Ntombela’s work ethic has improved, and his agency continues to grow.
Despite initially not getting support from his family, he followed his passion with the dream of building his agency into a million-dollar business one day.
This young creative’s journey shows how passion and persistence can overcome obstacles resulting in success and a bright future.
His advice to young people is to be aggressive with your goals. Go out there and do what you have to do.
For more information about his services, contact him on 065 802 3246 or check his Instagram @Thando-T-Ntombela.
Contact him through his email, tgscreativeagency@gmail.com.
