LIMPOPO – Armed with nothing but perseverance and an eye for ‘the perfect shot’, Thembani Mabunda followed his heart and opened his own business doing something he is passionate about – photography.
When Thembani, a humble man from Malamulele, learned the company he was working for was going to lay off staff in 2013, he did not wait to see if he would make the cut.
Instead he resigned and started a business with a friend where he worked for two years before he opened a digital photography studio called Purple Leaf.
“I have been in love with cameras and photography since I was child. I used to take pictures of everything in the house using my dad’s camera,” he explains. He says working as a corporate travel advisor in the past fanned the flames of his photography passion as he was constantly exposed to grand images caught on camera.
“Most of the time, we would hire photographers to do the ground work when we had to visit a site and this is what instilled the business idea in me to start up my own photography company. So when I heard about the retrenchment news, I took it as an opportunity for me to do what I love the most,” he says.
Mabunda’s company specialises in photo shoots for corporate entities, individual photo shoots and video production for events such as weddings, among others.
“Our aim is to provide a solution to anything related to digital photography by ensuring we meet our customers’ needs,” he explains.
Armed with a national diploma in tourism from Tshwane University of Technology (TUT), Mabunda is also able to market his company. For aspirant entrepreneurs, he advises that they first further their education in order for them to be better equipped to run a successful business.
“Education is very important, without it you might not be able to sustain your business even if they give you funds to start it,” he concludes.
thoko@nmgroup.co.za
