Meet Young Entrepreneur Michael Amushelelo

A motivational speaker, a mentor, a social activist and a young entrepreneur – all at the age of 23. Michael Amushelelo is a young man who people look up to and admire.

Michael is the founder and Executive Chairman of Amushe Inc, a company started after a rough fight and built up by his young mind. He is proof that with serious dedication and determination, you can find yourself on a path to great things, even when there are people out there who don’t believe you can do it. Because if you don’t believe in yourself, who will?

chats with the young business figure to delve deeper into his background and find out more about him…

I was born in Wanaheda where I was raised by my not-so-well-off mother and father. I attended Moses Van Der Byl Primary School and then moved to Concordia College. Like many other children who grew up in Katutura, I did not have so much on the table and this was enough motivation to do something to better my life.

It all started in 2009. I used to sell lollipops for my mother at my high school. That is when I realised that I had entrepreneurial ability. I finished high school in 2008 but I did not have the required points to attend university. This was the turning point in my life as things changed drastically. The way people looked at me changed. All of a sudden people could no longer provide for me like when I was in school. The situation forced me to give life a peace of my mind. This was when I decided that I needed to become financially independent. I started cleaning yards with a cousin of mine. With the profits, I started a mini shop at home. I sold a few daily needs such as airtime, hot dogs, soft drinks, etc. It was new to me but business started picking up.

How did you start Amushe Inc?

In 2010, I got a job at Namib Breweries as an Apprentice Brewer. As a result, I had to partly neglect the small businesses that I ran at home and focus on the new job. I worked there for roughly two years when I realised that there was more to life than just doing what I did at the time. I realised I had so much to give to society. I started studying the economic state of the country and how politics affect our society. This made me ask myself what I could do to provide for my community and the nation at large. I thought of starting a business and as a result, I founded Amushe Inc. As a way forward, I started gathering a team of young people from different professions who had the skills to kickstart things because I did not have a qualification to my name. We then started forming subsidiary companies such as Amushe Construction, Amushe Advertising, Amushe Computer Solutions and started doing consultation work.

The idea was to become a multi-service centre hub. In four to six months we were not making enough money and as a result, the team fell apart. I was then left with this huge ship that I had to captain alone. With the knowledge that I had gained, I then started to focus on small things that I could grasp and began to rebuild the company. Our marketing was right and we made sure we were known everywhere. However, the publicity did not reflect in our bank statements.

In 2013, it was business as usual. Like most small companies, it was all about survival. The important thing was, despite the fact that the business was not making enough money, I kept focused to my goals and my vision. As the saying goes, hard work will always be recognised. At the beginning of this year, I was nominated by Windhoek Lager under the Business Ambassador category. That in itself speaks volumes.

You can be who you want to be. Growing up as a young child, people would always talk about the neighbour’s new car, extensions to their house and all sorts of new things they did. It got to me and I asked myself when people would also start talking about the Amushelelos.

I faced a whole lot of challenges in life. But all in all, it is because of the challenges we face in life that make us better people, and shape who we will be in future. What kept me going is the fact that I was always determined to make it. The key to success is perseverance and staying focused.

As I went through all of life’s challenges, I knew that it was all up to me to get up and make the best of it. I could only get the inspiration from myself. The irony in life is that sometimes when you need inspiration, it is best you seek it from yourself because there is no one in life who wants you to succeed more than yourself. So I had to be my own source of inspiration and strength. I also get inspiration from God because with Him, everything is possible.

The one thing that I could say is that I was fortunate to have good schooling. Education taught me how to read and write. However, the fact that one did not go to school or have clothes should never be the reason one does not achieve their dreams. The greatest people who achieved so much in this world are those who were determined to do so. Despite the fact that I did not have all I needed as a child, this did not stop me from dreaming big.

Dream big. Although we all have big dreams, it is only those who are determined to make it who will make it. Many of us are afraid to fail but I dare you to fail. Failure is the only key and path to success.

People who are successful once failed in life too. Let us stop making excuses. Your situation should not determine who you will become. I have no qualification to my name besides my Grade 12 certificate, you will find a couple of G and F symbols somewhere.

I believe that self-education can be far better than what you learn from school. However, go out there and get educated.

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