An entrepreneur’s journey from EntreprenHER trainee to trainer

Makgabo Moremi's entrepreneurial journey came full circle in 2025 when she stood before a room of fellow entrepreneurs in and officials in Botswana, sharing her story of how she went from an entrepreneur receiving training to becoming facilitator of the very program that transformed her life.

The cleaning chemicals businesswoman from Blouberg Municipality in South Africa had always dreamed of working with chemicals. Despite her passion, a high school teacher's backhanded compliment nearly discouraged and derailed her ambitions. "She said I could be anything in life, except a chemist," Makgabo recalls. Years later, after spending nine years in banking customer service, that dream refused to die.

In 2017, she took a leap of faith and registered BCF Chemical and Cleaning Services, initially operating as a reseller. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, she began manufacturing hand sanitizers from her garage - her first step into production. As the pandemic eased, she expanded into dishwashing liquid, detergents, and car wash products.

But having passion and technical knowledge wasn't enough. "I knew about chemicals, but I didn't know what I was doing in terms of business," Makgabo admits. The turning point came in October 2021 when she was introduced to the EntreprenHER program, supported by UN Women and the DeBeers Group, implemented in South Africa by the Blouberg and Musina Municipalities.

Through the programme, the International Labour Organization’s (ILO) Generate Your Business training in 2021 and the Improve Your Business training in 2024 restored her confidence and equipped her with essential skills. "I learned how to conduct market research, how to segment my market, and understand what my customers need," she explains. The program taught her to separate manufacturing costs from operational costs, a crucial lesson that had previously eaten into her profits. She learned to price products correctly, develop business plans, and pitch to investors with confidence.

The transformation was remarkable. She moved from her garage to a rented store and expanded her product line from one to six items. She secured external funding twice and built a small team. Her improved time management skills helped her balance motherhood with entrepreneurship, and she began sharing financial management lessons with her family.

But Makgabo's vision extended beyond her own success. As founder and chairperson of Blouberg Entrepreneurs, she regularly shared the skills she acquired through EntreprenHER with fellow business owners. The organization grew from fewer than 100 members to nearly 400, organizing training sessions, exhibitions, and pitch competitions.

In 2025, Makgabo broadened her horizons, stepping into a new chapter by applying to the EntreprenHER Training of Trainers (ToT) programme through a highly competitive recruitment process. Her selection into the 2025 intake marked the beginning of an intensive four-month journe. A journey that demanded discipline, resilience, and unwavering commitment. She strengthened her technical knowledge on business growth, facilitation, and assessment competencies, culminating in her certification as an International Labour Organization (ILO) Start, Generate and Improve Your Business facilitator, a credential recognised internationally.

For Makgabo, this milestone was deeply personal. Having once sat in the room as a trainee herself, she returned in a new role, this time equipped to guide others. It was a powerful full-circle moment that brought her to tears, affirming not only how far she had come, but why her journey mattered. Today, Makgabo draws on both her lived experience as a micro-business owner and EntreprenHER alumna, together with her globally recognised SIYB Trainer certification, to support micro and small business owners in her community. She translates complex business concepts into practical, relatable tools, helping others build sustainable livelihoods, just as she once aspired to do herself."There's still a young girl out there who doesn't know what a manufacturer is, who has big dreams but feels they're impossible because of her background," Makgabo reflects. She named her company after her daughter’s initials, envisioning a future where the next generation has the exposure and opportunities she had to fight for.
 

Furthermore, Makgabo received her first cross-border engagement opportunity, exhibiting at the EntreprenHER South-to-South Conference held in Botswana in November 2025. This marked the first time she expanded her business beyond South Africa’s borders, enabling peer-to-peer learning with regional entrepreneurs and opening pathways for business growth into new regional markets.

Today, Makgabo dreams of expanding BCF Chemical and Cleaning Services into a full-fledged plant with warehouses across provinces and beyond South Africa's borders. But equally important is her mission to empower entrepreneurs in rural and disadvantaged areas, ensuring they too can access the knowledge and support that transformed her life from a discouraged high school student into a confident business owner and trainer.