Planet Lemonade
From a Product and a Dream to Supermarket Shelves
The Starting Point
When Nthabiseng joined the First Youth Programme, she already had something many aspiring entrepreneurs struggle to develop: a product she believed in. What she did not yet have was a structured business around that product. Her company was not registered. Her product had not been formally tested. Planet Lemonade was not available in retail stores, and she did not yet fully understand the systems and financial discipline required to operate and grow a formal business.
The Support
Through the First Youth Programme, Nthabiseng received entrepreneurship training and business-development support that helped her move from having a product to building a structured enterprise. The programme exposed her to the practical foundations of running a business and helped her understand the importance of formalisation, business systems and financial management.
She was supported to formally register her company and strengthen the structure around the business. She also developed a better understanding of pricing, positioning and financial management, giving her greater confidence in the numbers behind the business.
The Transformation
Today, Planet Lemonade has moved from a childhood idea to a market-ready local brand with products available on retail shelves. Planet Lemonade products are currently available at Square Mart, Namatota at Mowana Park and Phakalane, and Mr Veg in Block 3. The business has also developed the capacity to fulfil Government Purchase Orders, opening additional opportunities for market expansion and revenue growth.
What Her Story Demonstrates
Planet Lemonade demonstrates how practical entrepreneurship support can help a young entrepreneur build the systems and confidence needed to move into formal markets. Nthabiseng did not begin the First Youth Programme with a fully structured company. She began with a product and a dream.Through training and business-development support, that dream became a registered enterprise with products on retail shelves and the capacity to pursue institutional markets. Her story demonstrates that youth entrepreneurship support is not simply about teaching young people how to start businesses. It is about helping them build businesses that can survive, compete and grow.
