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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.
Workshop looks at new communities in the Free State and Gauteng
2013-11-08
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At the PARI workshop were, from the left: Laura Phillips, researcher at PARI, Prof Ivor Chipkin, CEO of PARI, Prof Corli Witthuhn, Vice-Rector: Research and Dr Tania Coetzee, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Political Studies and Governance.
Photo: Hannes Pieterse
08 November 2013 |
The university, in cooperation with the Public Affairs Research Institute (PARI), recently presented a workshop on new communities in the Free State and Gauteng. A variety of subjects, which explored the anthropology, sociology and history of the two provinces, were debated at the workshop. Discussions were held on the challenges faced by new communities, with the socio-economic and religious aspects of new communities coming under scrutiny. Environmental issues and responsibilities also came under fire and speakers agreed that individuals need to get involved in the community and that they should do something to address the housing and food shortage in South Africa.