19 May 2016

Some of the richest people around the world were born with silver spoons in their mouths. Some of them started off with nothing and through hard work, dedication and a bit of Lady Luck’s tough, they inched their way to the very top and realised their dreams. 

One such hard worker is 39-year-old Catherine Onkabetse, whose tale is nothing but an inspiration to many. 

Through her never say never attitude, she has proved that it is possible to overcome just about everything in life. 

Starting off a business with no external funding to becoming one of the renowned beauticians in Gaborone, Onkabetse had always wanted to ‘climb the fence’ and go beyond what life could offer her. 

The moment she ditched her professional career as an IT Technician she never had any idea that it was the beginning of yet another journey. 

“People come to Bowl of Cherries for the full experience,” said Onkabetse of her spa, which is located in Gaborone West’s Phase 2.She explains that people from all walks of life are welcome to visit Bowl of Cherries for all their beauty needs. 

It is at this place where one is afforded a good refreshing time.Onkabetse proudly relates the uniqueness of her beauty spa, where no client ‘awaits’ their turn. 

“I make appointments with my clients and I work with them on a one on one basis unless it’s a company booking like the one I have with clients from LEA, whom I sell the full package experience, which includes full body massage and facials,” she said.Onkabetse is one of the few young people who felt the white collar job was not for her decided to quit her job at once to focus on her passion for beauty. 

She pursued her studies at Mc Bernard School of Black Hair and Beauty Wedding in 1997 and followed with a refresher course at Shanaz in 2010. However she did not kiss her professional job as an IT technician goodbye to as she now does it part time. 

As a woman who believes in the power of using her hands, she is also involved in the catering business. She is also good with gardening as evidenced by the beauty in and around her compound. 

“I am someone who truly believes in professionalism, that’s the reason I felt I had to be educated about what I want to do. I started practicing in 2013 in my spare bedroom and hard work really did pay as by the December 2014 I had laid a foundation for my spa. 

By 2015 my spa was complete and fully furnished, I did not get any funding anywhere, the monies that I made in between the two years while I was operating in my spare bedroom helped me to produce a fully equipped spa,” she proudly narrates her success story, adding, “It would be a blessing to get more funding from government”.Onkabetse noted that many people desire to be their own bosses, but they do not know where to start. For her a spa has proven to be an effective business of today, but sadly many people are completely clueless as to how to operate a day spa.  She said for a spa to run effectively, firstly staff must be certified and the location has to be in the heart of the market with equipment that is up to date.“

My advice is not only to the aspiring beauticians, but to all those who want to penetrate the business world; I say find passion in whatever you do because there is no how there can be success with no passion. Involve God in everything you do and maintain the belief that you are the best among the rest,” she says.At the moment the Lecheng born and a proud mother of two girls is working alone in the spa, but is looking forward to employing other aspiring beauticians as the business grows. BOPA