When Allegro Dinkwanyane needed a name for her company, she followed Oprah’s example and wrote her name backwards: Orgella. The company specialises in public relations and marketing services for the entertainment and lifestyle industries, corporate brands, artists and events.
Dinkwanyane has been a journalism intern with the BBC, a sports presenter on UJFM radio, and a marketing and social media manager with Trace TV. She founded Orgella at 21 while she was a journalism student. It now houses eight entities, including an online entertainment magazine and Orgella Helping Hands, a charity that provides food and clothing for the homeless. She’s also mother to an 18-month-old son, and her mantra is
“Prioritise, prioritise, prioritise!”
While her proudest moment was creating a business that employs young people and offers internships to students, her biggest mistake was hiring people out of empathy who weren’t really qualified. “This slowed down the whole team and I’m glad I went through that experience in my early years,” she says.
Other problems she overcame include getting financial support and “as a young black female entrepreneur you face … challenges that range from sexism to being told you are not qualified enough”.
Forbes Africa honoured her in its 2017 30 Under 30 list, and as her companies grow, she hopes to inspire others by her resilience. “I want to inspire people to be independent, to value themselves, to chase their dreams, use their voices wisely and live a life of purpose.”