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02 January 2020 | Story Valentino Ndaba | Photo Anja Aucamp
Glolooks
Refilwe Xaba, the founder and CEO of Glolooks.

Refilwe Xaba, Senior Assistant Officer in Entrepreneurship Development at the UFS Centre for Development Support, is the founder and CEO of Glolooks. This Bloemfontein-based company manufactures and supplies an organic, natural hair product range.

When she first developed the products, they were for personal use. Xaba evolved from an intrapreneur to an entrepreneur. She innovated a personal solution into a booming business idea. It was only in May 2016 that she decided to go into business, following growing interest in the way she maintained her hair. “I officially started in-depth research in October 2015, after years of making concoctions for myself.”


Business and books

Xaba reckons that a research background is beneficial for growing a business such as Glolooks that has a huge technical aspect. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Entrepreneurship with a focus on marketing and is planning to use her business as a case study.

Her undergraduate, honours, and master’s studies, which she completed at Kovsies, contributed to equipping Xaba with skills to grow her business. She believes in balancing education and business. “I have always been commerce-orientated. If there is a problem to be fixed, I fix it. However, people are at the centre of my heart.”


Growing Glolooks

In 2019, Glolooks opened a salon in Westdene, where customers can receive a holistic experience above and beyond merely purchasing the product. Xaba says this is one of the ways her business is being innovative when it comes to creating relationships with customers.

News Archive

Former student receives medal from Economic Society of South Africa (ESSA)
2009-10-12

Dr Meshach Aziakpono, a former Ph.D. student of the University of the Free State (UFS), was recently awarded the Founder’s medal of the Economic Society of South Africa (ESSA) during a prize-giving function that coincided with the society’s biennial conference held in Port Elizabeth. The Founder’s medal is awarded to the best Ph.D. thesis in Economics completed at a South African university. Dr Aziakpono completed his Ph.D. in Economics in 2008 with a thesis entitled “The Depth of Financial Integration and its Effects on Financial Development and Economic Performance of the Southern African Customs Union Countries”. His supervisor was Prof. Philippe Burger (left), Chairperson of the Department of Economics at the UFS and his co-supervisor was Prof. Stan du Plessis (right) from Stellenbosch University. The photo was taken last year during the Chancellor's Dinner held on the UFS Main Campus in Bloemfontein.
Photo: Lacea Loader

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