Successful young people have existed in every generation, from agriculturalist Eliza Lucas Pinckney (1800s) to Apple co- founder Steve Jobs (1970s). Currently it is the turn for generation Z to make their income in creative ways, this means embarking early on their journey to pursue entrepreneurship as a means to leave their footprint in the world.
About the founder:
Buhle Gotsha, a 17-year-old young black man born and based in KwaZulu Natal south Africa who is currently completing his matric, is amongst the generation Z of young entrepreneurs in south Africa. Gatsha is the founder of Erricsson Dorra luxury watch company.
What sparked the idea of a company & when was the company founded? Erricsson Dorra was founded in August 2021, the idea of starting his own watch line was inspired by his brother’s love for fashion which he inherited “my brother introduced me to fashion, he used to own very nice and unique items of clothing”.
The first idea he had in mind was to start a clothing brand, throughout the marketing process he then realized that there are a lot of clothing lines, so he ought to come up with something different in the market , Gatsha then infused his love of fashion with innovation.
What is the inspiration behind the name of the brand and what it represents? Trust is won more easily when one puts their own personal touch in naming their brand, it makes it the front and center of the brand especially if essentially stands by what it does and what it represents. The feeling of family and sense of value is important especially in the -ashion and innovation industries. The name Erricsson Dorra is a blend of the names of his parents, eric (father) and Theodora (mother) and him (son) which is the reason why there are 2 Ss in his father’s name.
What are the challenges you have faced so far in entrepreneurship? We live in rapidly changing times, especially for businesses ,where they have to adapt to different marketing channels (web and social), decide what to invest in and utilize new technologies, things that were barely imaginable to our grandparents’ generations.
One of the hurdles Gatsha faced when he was getting the business of the ground was not knowing where to start in terms of how the watch making industry works and the process of manufacturing these products, self-motivation and research is what got him through this challenge.
He has also taught himself how to handle discouragement when it comes to dreaming big. We live in societies that make us doubt who we are and what we are capable of. When the society casts doubt on your skills while also making you doubt yourself even more it might be discouraging, the key is understanding why people prefer to discourage others in the first place, this will shed some light on what precisely is behind it.
What has been your brand/business highlight/s since inception? "Seeing the product comes to life was the first, and also seeing people wearing my brand. On top of that Erricson Dorra has made appearances on different media publications and radio interviews and that is encouraging".
And other than your brand, which other Mzansi brand is your favorite? “Okay, I do not own the product yet, but my favorite brand (besides mine) is Dopper shooz which is owned by one of the youngest entrepreneurs Utlwanang Mmeti. It is my favorite because I feel like I relate to the story behind the brand. I love the way it inspires young people to fetch their dreams.”
What Buhle does besides pushing his brand: “I usually work out, building my body is important because I believe that physical strength comes with mental strength”