Setilo & Sons Lintel Manufacturing founded by Tsesebe Setilo is among the five-led businesses that received funding of M198,500 through the Bacha Entrepreneurship Project (BEP), which seeks to enhance their operations and foster growth.
BEP is a collaborative initiative by the Basotho Enterprises Development Corporation, Revenue Services Lesotho and Standard Bank Lesotho, to empower youth with business funding.
Setilo & Son Lintel Manufacturing Company, which was established in 2022, manufactures lintels, horizontal structural element that spans an opening of a window or door and supports the structure above it.
So, with the funding Setilo intends to expand the business, increase production and close the gap encountered during construction.
In an interview with theReporter this week, Setilo said he saw a call on interested people to apply for BEP on social media and submit their proposals and business plans. Without hesitation he applied and was at first announced in the top 15 and later moved to top five where he ultimately won.
“I was expecting this win because comparing my business with others, it was the only construction company that manufactures lintels locally; and by the way they are in high demand.
“I am really happy to have been among the winners because I will be able to buy proper machinery which will enable my team to produce on time and meet our target demand. What sets our business apart is that our lintels are affordable, cut transport costs because they are local, and we are able to make any designs according to the customer’s desire,” he noted.
Born and bred in Khubetsoana Mafeteng, Setilo studied Accounting and Enterprise Resource Management in Botswana.
Growing up in a broker business family has been one of the inspirations for him to venture into a business.
At some point he met his friend in Bloemfontein, South Africa, who was in the construction business and the two established a business which inspired the eventual establishment of the concrete lintel company back home.
“In 2022, the idea of manufacturing concrete lintels was conceived, taking into consideration that there are no such businesses here, despite their importance. I conducted extensive research about lintels and I was convinced that, with the ever-growing number of houses being built, a lintel manufacturing company would be lucrative and sustainable.
“I also realised that they are easy to make because of their small size; one bag of cement makes 10 lintels, meaning I could actually make a lot of money. I had also noticed that most people imported them from neighbouring South Africa. I decided to change that since we have a lot of resources which are easily accessible locally such as sand, water, crushers and it does not even require a lot of capital,” Setilo indicated.
However, he pointed out that their main challenge remains failure to meet their demand, hence the need for expansion. In the light of this, plans are afoot to purchase a bigger machine and produce on a larger scale.
