Mr Black Like Me

HERMAN Mashaba, entrepreneur and founder of the African hair care brand, ‘Black Like Me’, opened up during a  Forbes Africa Titans event about his rise to success.

Mashaba came from an underprivileged background, and has worked his way to becoming one of South Africa’s wealthiest entrepreneurs.

His remarkable story began in a small village in Hammanskraal in Gauteng. Refusing to settle for a wasted future, his determination and hard-work saw him establish the first black owned hair-care company in South Africa. 

“I found the demand for the hair-care product and I knew it would be a gold mine! I took the chance because I believe that you only live once, I was pro-active so I put together a good team and the ‘Black Like Me’ empire was born”, said Herman.   

“Herman Mashaba is one of the truly great African entrepreneurs of our time. With him there are no frills or wasted words, he held the audience spellbound”, said Chris Bishop, Managing Editor for Forbes Africa. 

When asked about what he would do as president, Herman responded, “Education would be my priority and main focus area. Education is key to our growth,” said Herman. 

Mashaba’s life was no easy one, he struggled against apartheid, with its demeaning laws, and against his competitors, to grab market share for his business. In the process, Mashaba learnt lessons that few business schools teach today.

“The greatest risk to any business is political instability. We have to try to make our country the best it can be. Luck, hard-work, discipline and integrity is what it takes to succeed”, he said.