It’s often said that great business leaders have an inherent entrepreneurial gift and this is certainly true of Khotso Mphahlele. A born entrepreneur he grew up in Atteridgeville embarking on numerous entrepreneurial ventures, ranging from a T-shirt printing business to an online magazine. His passion coupled with determination is undeniable, but the ambitious young entrepreneur struggled to convert his hard work into something that made sense in terms of profit for some years.
Enter emerging black business incubator Shanduka Black Umbrellas whose help and support enabled him to grow Redlife Entertainment, a marketing agency aimed at the lucrative youth market. Mphahlele says that as a young child he had dreams of becoming his own boss. The first sign of what would later become Redlife Entertainment was when he launched a magazine, ‘Take Off’, while still at school. Khotso went on to study IT after school, but the advertising management graduate soon realised that a conventional career path was not for him.
“I never had aspirations to work for a big company. I always wanted to be independent,” Khotso explains about his life-long dream.
Redlife was established in 2008 as an innovative youth marketing agency, run by young people for young people. Redlife’s bold approach to below-the-line marketing has proven to be hugely successful and the agency has during the past few years extended their services to event management, promotions, photography, videography and managing artists. The company has managed to secure several big brands to its portfolio, including Distell, SEDA, Peroni and Phillip Morris to name a few. He has ambitious plans for the future, aspiring to compete with global agency market leaders such as Draftfcb and Ogilvy & Mather.
KASIBIZ MAHALA STAFF WRITER
Very inspiring individual!!!