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02 January 2020
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Story Valentino Ndaba
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Photo Anja Aucamp
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.
Rector addresses Humanities Faculty Forum
2009-10-23
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The Faculty of the Humanities at the University of the Free State (UFS) recently held its 2009 Faculty Forum on the Main Campus. The Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS, Prof. Jonathan Jansen (pictured), delivered the keynote address in which he lamented the dearth of intellectual debate at the university. His address was focused on ‘the scholarship of teaching’, which he said should be deeply anchored in knowledge and in what it means to be a student. He also said the majority of the 25 NRF-rated scholars that the UFS has advertised for will be placed in the Faculty of the Humanities to make this faculty the strongest in the country. He encouraged the faculty to strive for ‘extraordinary things’. The Forum creates an opportunity for interactive engagement among colleagues in the areas of teaching, learning and research.
Photo: Mangaliso Radebe
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