Engen The Making Of (TMO) is again for season 2, that includes ten fearless entrepreneurs will compete for his or her share R800 000.
The contestants will face fast-paced, industry-specific challenges—conceptualising, designing, branding, costing, and pitching services or products in simply 4 hours. Groups compete for R100 000 per episode, with one finalist claiming the last word prize.
For contestants, it’s a crash course in execution, resilience, and enterprise development. For viewers, it’s a ringside seat to the realities of entrepreneurship.
We meet the ten fearless entrepreneurs competing in Engen The Making Of 2025, who additionally share their enterprise classes learnt alongside the best way to this point:
Katlego Tshuma, Neta Studio:
Katlego is the artistic pressure behind Neta Studio, a design enterprise fusing African heritage with fashionable furnishings and objects. He first made waves by profitable Nando’s Sizzling Younger Designer expertise search together with his “Sangu” bench in 2020.
Katlego cites collaborating in TMO as pushing him to look past creativity, and embrace construction, financials and pitching. It’s given him confidence to steadiness his creative integrity with enterprise practicality.
Says Katlego: “Development lives within the stress between what you already know and what it’s a must to study rapidly.”
2. Mlungisi Nkosi, The Mlungisi Nkosi Maths & Science Centre:
Centered on STEM schooling and accessible studying, Mlungisi’s equips learners with Maths, Science, coding, robotics and entrepreneurial expertise, getting ready them for each tutorial success and the roles of tomorrow. His YouTube channel additional makes STEM accessible to hundreds.
Participating in Engen TMO has helped him refine his imaginative and prescient, see obstacles as alternatives for innovation, and to method challenges with a solution-oriented mindset.
Says Mlungisi: “Probably the most impactful recommendation I acquired was to concentrate on fixing actual issues, not simply presenting polished ideas.”
3. Yumna Monier, Wild Plum Growers
Yumna is reimagining meals and wellness with Wild Plum Growers, an organization cultivating unique and medicinal mushrooms whereas producing wellness merchandise and working a retail retailer.
With roots in each finance and farming, she joined TMO to refine her focus and scale her model. Competing has taught her to establish blind spots, adapt rapidly, and develop with goal and group in thoughts.
Says Yumna: “The guts of your online business — your story and your ‘why’ — is simply as necessary because the numbers.”
4. Koketso Ramatlho – Angela Care
Koketso based Angela Care after discovering pure cures that helped her son’s eczema, creating a variety of soaps, butters and oils now offered in eight international locations. Her model celebrates indigenous African substances like Moringa and Baobab.
TMO has examined her creativity and buyer focus, whereas additionally educating resilience. She sharpened her presentation expertise, technique and teamwork.
Says Koketso: “The expertise pushed me to suppose in another way — not simply as a enterprise proprietor, however from the client’s perspective too,” she displays. “I learnt that dropping a problem doesn’t imply you’ve failed — it means you’ve discovered one other method to develop. I’ve realized to be gentler on myself and to see each setback as preparation for one thing larger.”
5. Priscilla Frost, Cleansing Squad
Priscilla turned private challenges into goal with Cleansing Squad, a cleansing and waste administration firm creating jobs and more healthy areas. She began the enterprise whereas nonetheless working in company, pushed by household tasks.
TMO has taught her to be extra structured as a enterprise proprietor, strengthen her planning, technique, teamwork and collaboration expertise, and to be intentional in the whole lot she does.
Says Priscilla: “Getting into the competitors was about stepping out of the shadows. It has challenged me to be extra seen, converse up, and consider in my concepts.”
6. Tshiamo Mdhladhla, Obriani Stylish
Tshiamo leads Obriani Stylish, a vogue model with boutiques throughout Gauteng, North West and the Jap Cape, persevering with her father’s legacy whereas creating jobs and expertise improvement.
With an expert background working for large firms, viewers will see her swap the CEO’s chair for a team-player function — navigating creativity, teamwork and technique in a high-stakes atmosphere the place adaptability is the whole lot.
Says Tshiamo: “Engen The Making Of jogged my memory that technique drives outcomes, however collaboration enriches the expertise. The present has challenged me to adapt, pay attention and study in ways in which has pushed me outdoors my consolation zone.”
7. Refilwe Xaba, Glolooks
Glolooks is an African-inspired magnificence and wellness model that gives each an grownup and kiddies’ haircare vary, and is already proving profitable in main retailers.
A PhD candidate researching girls in enterprise and an energetic advocate for empowerment, becoming a member of the present was greater than a funding alternative for her — it grew to become a platform to show the facility of perseverance and imaginative and prescient.
Says Refilwe: “TMO challenged me to confront my limits, sharpen my decision-making, and collaborate with sturdy personalities. Most significantly, I considered it as a platform to not solely increase capital for my enterprise, but in addition to reveal the facility of committing to at least one’s imaginative and prescient, persevering regardless of the strain and constructing significant relationships.
8. Slondiwe Motshabi, Complete Manufacturers
Slondiwe stepped away from her company job as a course of engineer to present rise to Complete Manufacturers, a branding and company gifting firm devoted to serving to organisations strengthen their relationships with workers, shoppers and communities.
For Slondiwe, entrepreneurship has all the time been about greater than revenue. It’s about which means, legacy and utilizing her abilities to empower others. By way of The Making Of, she has sharpened her concentrate on technique, creativity and management, discovering that alternatives broaden while you belief your self and present up totally.
Says Slondiwe: “Engen TMO confirmed me that I can’t afford to doubt my creativity. If I wish to scale my enterprise, I can’t keep on the technical degree — I need to lead with imaginative and prescient.”
9. Mbuso Mafuyeka, Pc Guardian
Mbuso based Pc Guardian, a enterprise providing tech repairs and IT assist by way of his customized Comguard App. The platform permits shoppers to ebook companies, order components and handle tickets with ease.
On TMO, he realized easy methods to adapt rapidly and lead with problem-solving, giving him contemporary confidence in his means to scale each his app and his entrepreneurial journey.
Says Mbuso: “It taught me to see challenges as alternatives. It pushed me to adapt rapidly, keep centered and sharpen my problem-solving expertise – all of which I’ll use going ahead in my enterprise.”
10. Rodney Louis, JR Prodigy Enterprise (JRPV)
Rodney combines creativity and sustainability in his firm JR Prodigy Enterprise, which helps municipalities and companies handle and preserve water programs, particularly in underserved communities.
On TMO he was challenged take a look at his concepts underneath strain, and transfer past simply his “cool concepts” to concentrate on technique and real-world affect. His journey is proving that technique, sustainability and goal can move collectively.
Says Rodney: “As a substitute of simply constructing issues, I started asking: How does this serve individuals? What’s the real-world affect?”
Watch their journeys unfold on Engen The Making Of
These entrepreneurs are proving that South African enterprise is daring, numerous and resilient. Observe their tales on Engen The Making Of 2025 and see who rises to the highest.
Engen The Making Of Season 2 will launch on Thursday, 9 October, and airs on Fb and YouTube on Thursdays at 19:00. (https://themaking-of.co.za/watch-now/).
