Entrepreneurship
28
Kulisha Consulting and Take-A-Bite Biscuits
Website
Kwazini Zulu, 28, is the founder of Kulisha Consulting and Take-A-Bite Biscuits. He started the biscuit brand in a bid to support his family, having grown up watching his grandmother sell iziqeda (flavoured ice blocks) from their kitchen which generated sufficient income for the family to live on.
The biscuit brand grew and he now oversees the operation that produces and supplies quality biscuit and candy products to sales agents, general dealers and commercial stores in KwaZulu-Natal, such as Spar, Pick n Pay Express and Freshstop.
Through his implementation agency, Kulisha Consulting, he works with various organisations to maximise ambitious young people’s strategic value and unlock opportunities through enterprise development, skills training and personal development.
He employs students and wannabe entrepreneurs, which gives them the opportunity to gain the necessary experience and skills to pursue their own businesses. In partnership with the TLT Foundation, a global philanthropic organisation, Kwazini teaches personal and leadership skills to underprivileged youth.
“This equips them for life after high school where they need to know who they are and how to find economic opportunities,” he says. Kwazini also hosts small groups at his home to help them navigate the challenges of growing up below the poverty line.
- BA, Clinical and industrial psychology (UKZN)
- Postgraduate degree in marketing and supply chain (UKZN)
- Selected to become a One Young World Ambassador (The Hague, Netherlands) after being identified as one of the most outstanding young leaders in the world.
- Africa Idea Trophy Award (JHB, South Africa) for compelling business solutions in the largest African markets of Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa.
- Unilever Future Leaders Award (London, UK).
Growing up in the township of Umlazi, I watched my late grandmother selling ‘iziqeda‘ (flavoured ice block) from the kitchen of our home. In retrospect, that daily exchange of 10c/20c/50c for flavoured ice blocks between her and her hundreds of customers kept us just beyond the poverty line. I was fascinated with the idea of creating something from nothing and using it to make a living by sustaining scores of family members. I learned a valuable lesson here: If we apply ourselves enough, we can literally produce remarkable things.
Be more daring and less apologetic for who you are. Be enthusiastic about failure, embrace it every opportunity you get.
A nation of empowered and enabled people who are independent critical thinkers brave enough to confront the status quo and create a better life for themselves. I’d like to see a state that governs well and places the well-being of its constituents above its own interest. I’d like to see a thriving educational and entrepreneurial system that harnesses modern technology to adequately prepare the youth for the future world of work and emerging industries. I’d like to see effective, ethical and decisive leadership across all levels of society and economy.