“I want to own the biggest company.”
By: Thandiwe Kubere
Many people struggle to pursue their dreams and remain focused on their goals. But there is a way to overcome obstacles and make dreams a reality. Moutsoe Mohlalisi, in his twenties, has ventured into multimedia production, a business he started from scratch with just his savings and following his keen eye for opportunities.
He is now a Managing Director for Media Lab Multimedia Production (Pty) Ltd., which is a production company established in January 2023 and officially registered in October of the same year.
The company specializes in creating promotional content for brands and organizations. It renders services such as radio advertisements, voiceovers, design and marketing, and more. The company has just branched into sports and has an entity named “ML Sports,” where the heartbeats of the sporting world are captured. He aims to establish two more entities from the Media Lab Network by the end of 2024.
Mohlalisi revealed that he is currently the only employee of the business, but that would soon change due to the support of CAFI. He stated he loves challenges, and this is the reason he does everything in the company without getting overwhelmed, but this is not for the long term.
He was born and raised in Qalakheng, Mohale’s Hoek, by a single mother, together with his younger brother. He explained that his love for media and story-telling started way back in his youth and was triggered by his grandfather’s exceptional photography skills. “I have always been fascinated by cameras, even at a young age. My grandpa would also make my cousins and I tune into Lesedi FM every evening, listening to “lipale” (translated to short stories), and that affected my current work positively because I always want to tell a story in every project I do,” he said.
Mohlalisi grew up like any other black child from the village. He mentioned his mother did all she could to provide for them and take them to good schools. He traces his best moments at school to when he won a few science project awards until he became the chairperson of the club in his final year. When asked why he did not venture into science instead, he said, “I predicted that the world was evolving into digital marketing and multimedia. It is very important to observe the evolution of the world because that sets one on the right career path,” he said.
Furthering his studies, he went to Limkokwing University of Creative Technology. His bittersweet moment was when he was elected to be a content producer for LEAWA film production, but that did not happen. Thereafter, he was fortunate enough to be hired right after his internship because his supervisors liked his work. He was smart enough to save and partially buy equipment at that time, such that when his contract ended, he had the equipment he needed to kick-start his journey as an entrepreneur. A way to success takes time, dedication, and effort. “I always tell everyone that I endeavoured into entrepreneurship because of hunger; I had lost my good-paying job in December 2022. I had enough saved up to buy basic but essential tools to start my business. Running a business is not easy; I had to do more pro bono work just to build my brand portfolio,” he said. It was still the inception stage of Media Lab, but at the time, he did not see the potential or the magnitude of the business. “One morning I’m at RSL for a tax clearance certificate, and I pick up a newspaper and see an opportunity CAFI is providing for young Basotho entrepreneurs. I apply, present my business, and get accepted,” he mentioned.
He declared that one of the major aspects of the business is that it aims to empower and hire as many women as possible because the industry is seemingly male-dominated. “I want to own the biggest media company in Lesotho, then Africa, and lastly, the rest of the world. My company is all about women’s empowerment, hence our logo. Our mandate is to employ women, preferably in the following departments: 1. content specialist; 2. script writer; 3. text editor,” he said.
He encourages people, especially the youth, to grab all the opportunities before them and work hard with outmost dedication while they still can.