The Story of Theo Baloyi
The Story of Theo Baloyi
Theo Baloyi, a South African entrepreneur, is the founder and CEO of Bathu Shoes. He was born on March 22, 1989. He launched his own shoe brand in 2015 after working as a Senior Associate at PwC in Dubai. In 2019, he was recognized in Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list. Theo was actually born in Ga-Rankuwa, which is northwest of Pretoria. His family, including his parents Tshidi and Solly, and his sister Goitsimang, later moved to Phake near Hammanskraal, where he spent his childhood. After finishing high school, he went to Alexandra, Johannesburg, to live with his uncle while pursuing his accounting degree.
Career
He left his accounting job at a top multinational firm to start a sneaker business. Now, his business is listed among the top 100 most admired African brands. He’s won awards like Young Entrepreneur of the Year and Top Empowered Young Achiever of the Year. Recently, he received a Pioneer Award at the London Global African Awards and was named Young Business Leader of the Year by Forbes Africa.
Despite the incredible success of his popular shoe brand, Bathu, Theo Baloyi decided to go back to his roots and venture into selling fragrances. He recently opened the third store of his newest business, Avenue Exchange, in the prestigious Diamond Walk of Sandton City. This business is actually based on his initial experience of selling fragrances while studying for his accounting degree in Alexandra township. Although he had to put the fragrance business on hold to pursue Bathu, his desire to create a cosmetic boutique based on his experiences in Alexandra remained strong. He mentioned that their goal is to offer affordable, luxurious, and high-quality products to fill a market gap.
When naming the business, he combined the concept of energy exchange during sales with the street names in Alexandra, resulting in Avenue Exchange. The stores can be found in Pretoria and Sandton in Gauteng, with a third location in Venda, Limpopo.
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