inBUSINESS Issue 15

ENTREPRISE
The Spick and Span B&B that Aims to go countrywide
Words: Ononofile Lonkokile
There is something about
being a devout Christian
that makes it relatively easy
for followers of the Messiah
to overlook challenges and
focus on achievements.
Malebogo Nshakazhogwe of Desmelima
Bed and Breakfast is a case in point
because she was undaunted that four
competitors were already operating in
Mmopane when she set up shop there
last February.
Instead, she fit in almost immediately
and was soon cultivating camaraderie
among the competition, bringing all of
them around to view one another as
colleagues rather than rivals. With one
thing leading to another, they were soon
referring clients to
one
another in the
event of
a
client
arriving at a fully booked establishment.
“Working together makes the
load lighter,” says the 37-year old
who speaks of being inspired by
her husband, Desmond, who is a
businessman of several portfolios. “We
consult a lot across many issues.”
Aft of this, Malebogo (“Yes, you have
my permission to call me that. Even
Lebo.”) decides to show me around her
enterprise and I am ushered into a piece
of Heaven on earth. The environment
is truly Mmopane, this small but
cosmopolitan village whose natives are
BaKwena, BaLete, BaHurutshe and
BaKgatla, among others.
A touch of the Biblical Babel is fast
coming to the village because of
its proximity to, nay, contiguity with
Gaborone, although it is decidedly
without the hubbub of the capital
city. Upon being told that this B&B
was transformed from a residential
house into this fabulous affair, I
think ‘transmogrify’ is closer to what
happened here.
“We added a few touches to the
house,”Malebogo says, maintaining a
rather ill-suited humility. “My husband
played a very instrumental part in the
refurbishing. We wanted it to look and
feel like a home because we don’t
want you to miss your home when
you are here.”
Located at Mmopane’s Block
1 neighbourhood, Desmelima
has three bedrooms made up
of one executive room that
is much bigger and more
elaborate than the two others.
The asking price for the executive room is
P410 per night and P360 for the standard
rooms. There are plans to add two more
bedrooms because it is a good business
move and there is ample space in the yard
that should be put to good use.
An outstanding feature about Desmelima
is that the rooms are named after women
who inspire Malebogo. There is Victoria
Osteen for the executive room, then
the larger-than-life Winfrey Oprah and
Joyce Meyer for the standard rooms. The
bedding in each of the bedrooms is white
with a dash of pink, a colour that forms
part the Desmelima logo.
Malebogo emphasises that the sheets
are washed in disinfectant and changed
every day. The fully-fitted kitchen is of an
open plan to accommodate the guest
who prefers self-catering. Except for
continental, breakfast at Desmelima is
gratis.
“We fully understand the importance of
marketing, hence the free breakfast ,”she
explains.
“Marketing is what got
me where I am now.
We do it through social
media and that African
telegraph of lore – the
word of mouth.”
After the brainstorm of setting up a B&B
hit Malebogo in 2011, she went around
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www.inbusiness.co.bw | Issue 15 | 2017