Young business owner and baker Sheila Onnetse Balerileng (24) recently launched her own bakery and café spot in Soweto last month, cementing her mark as a small business owner.
Balerileng, who originally hails from Kagiso in the West Rand, started her baking business, Onnetse’s Cake Corner, in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic, and had been operating the business from her parent’s home over the last two years.
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The UJ graduate described her business journey as one of best lessons for her as a young person. She said she has uncovered a lot about herself and capabilities since venturing into entrepreneurship.
“I was doing my final year in varsity and during that time when we were all locked in not going anywhere, I utilized the school data for my classes online to check fun things to do on YouTube and I got intrigued by baking videos and tried baking a few things.
“The interest grew from there, people responded positively and that gave me courage to fully venture into business,” she recalled.
After she started the business, she tells Urban News that she always envisioned the business expanding into a big space and adding coffee to her product offerings.
But it wasn’t until earlier this year that her vision became clearer when she was presented with a funding opportunity of R350 000 from the Small Enterprise Finance Agency (SEFA), which she had applied for in 2021.
She got equipment and quickly had to start looking for space to operate which proved to be a challenge.
“In 2021, I started attending entrepreneurship sessions in my township to equip myself with some skills and knowledge in running a compliant business.
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“When I look back, I even wrote a business plan back in 2020, and now that we are here, to see the vision come together has been overwhelming but a joy to see it unfold together,” she shared.
Asked about aspirations for the business, she said one of her biggest goals was to become one of the preferred bakery/ café spots in South Africa.
She hoped to grow financially in order to be able to employ more people and create jobs within the area where she operates.
“I’m currently in the process of on-boarding someone to assist me in the bakery which is very exciting but is also a big milestone in terms of the business.
“I see Onnetse’s Cake Corner empowering communities, sharing business skills and development.
“I want other young people to believe in themselves and understand that nothing comes easy in life; it’s all about commitment and consistency.”
