BUSINESSWOMAN AND WOMEN IN MINING PROGRAMME BENEFICIARY BELIEVES “DIFFICULT DOES NOT MEAN IMPOSSIBLE”
One of the twenty beneficiaries of the Seriti-sponsored Women in Mining programme, designed and executed by Collective Value Creation (CVC), is Johannesburg based Brand and Communication Specialist, Tebogo Rametse, a BTech degree holder in Public Relations and Communication Management at Tshwane University of Technology (TUT).
Tebogo launched the Aineo Group (Pty) Ltd in July 2018 because she came to realise that there were not many people in her area of speciality within the mining industry, as it requires an extensive understanding of the legislative requirements, safety regulations and community dynamics. She decided to fill the gap and “monetise my time and skills” together with two part-time employees.
Five years later this Pretoria-born and bred woman has become a major player in the fields of strategic communications, corporate identity, brand management as well as event management with a specific focus on mining companies.
The Women in Mining programme, launched in May 2022 has so far delivered on many of Tebogo’s expectations and she specifically values the training so far it has assisted her in changing her pricing methods and her company’s positioning which has had a positive impact on the bottom line. She says she now understands how to maximise on social media and other platforms.
Also read: Women in Mining – Bridget Seroka participates in Seriti’s programme
Guinevere Thomas, Brand and Marketing Coach/Consultant has the following to say: “It was such a pleasure to work with Tebogo on the marketing and branding of her business due to her knowledge and expertise in the field. As a result, she was able to better position her business, aligned to her brand ethos.“
Tebogo confirms that she now sees opportunities in areas she would have overlooked and appreciates the power of using technology to gain exposure. “On a personal level, I have built more confidence and I now take more shots when opportunities present themselves. I have also learnt how to pitch my business to prospective clients in a concise and impactful manner.”
Tebogo started her career with an internship at the firm Junxtion Communications where she learnt the trade of the public relations field. Over the years she took up positions at TUT as a junior lecturer; at De Beers in Limpopo as an employment equity coordinator; communications coordinator; communications manager at Toyota and communication specialist at BHP Billiton. Prior to the demerger of BHP Billiton to South32, she took up the role of brand and events principal, managing the brand transition from BHP Billiton to the South32 Africa region.
She loves the freedom of being a business owner which enables her to work for and with a variety of people, ideas and projects. Although stressful at times, she enjoys being in control and sharing her specialised knowledge with her clients.
She has the following advice to other women who wants to start a business: “Just go for it as there is always a need for your type of skill somewhere. Arm yourself with knowledge and make the best of all networking opportunities. Know where every rand in your business goes, and get a professional to help you to be SARS compliant for example. Build a network and partner with other professionals in your space and remember to always exceed expectations; in that way, you would be building a good reputation, something that cannot be quantified but will always work in your favour. People always remember excellence and failure alike, therefore, be remembered for excellence.”
Commenting on the Women in Mining programme which will run until the end of 2023, she says that she is learning to think bigger and to consider no idea as useless. The ladies are also taught self-care and Tebogo is taking this to heart. She makes a considerable effort to connect more with her own spirituality, praying and meditating as well as consulting with people who may need spiritual solutions and alignment.
She also enjoys family time with her husband and two sons, listening to Afropop, Afrobeat, Rock, House Music and Amapiano as well as reading comedy fiction and health-related literature.
And when she retires from the public relations and communications scene one day? “I would like to have a retreat for business people where they can connect with their African spirituality, cleanse the body, mind and spirit in a holistic way.”