For 15 years, social enterprise Taking Care of Business has helped thousands of single mothers start their own businesses and take their lives out of poverty, all through the power of the circular economy.
South Africa (25 May 2025) — South African social enterprise Taking Care of Business (TCB) is celebrating 15 years of impact thanks to the power of collaboration and the circular economy.
Many individual good news stories have come from the TCB programmes detailing entrepreneurs who were able to triumph over the clutches of poverty thanks to the skills and opportunities TCB offers.
TCB works by teaming up with retail partners who contribute excess or dead stock to the social enterprise. From there, that stock becomes a lifeline for impoverished people, mainly single South African mothers.
Different programmes are up for offer, namely Resell, Repair and Remake. In each programme, participants learn important life and business skills to run their own businesses!
Leveraging the circular economy in this way means that landfills are no longer a first resort for dead stock while people are uplifting in the process. Additionally, the approach to competitors acting as partners (competitor collaboration or ‘co-opetition’ has helped provide a shining example for retailers to see the efficacy of teaming up for the betterment of communities.
Having sustained this effort for 15 years and to the point where 7800 informal entrepreneurs have generated over R559 million in profits is a huge achievement not just for the founders, Tracey Chambers and Tracey Gilmore, but also for South Africa at large.
“We are proud of all we have achieved, but mostly we are grateful to all our partners for their ongoing support without which none of this would be possible, and to our participants who work hard to eradicate poverty in their families. It has been a journey that we could never have imagined when we took that first step. Making change is hard work, but it is worth it. When we take care of small businesses, people can take care of their families and live with dignity.”—Tracey Chambers.
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