By Katlego Sekhu
Theo Baloyi founder of premium sneaker brand Bathu joins Tbose on My Top 10 at 10.
The businessman has become a topic of discussion after it was revealed on Somizi’s reality television that he offered him R1 million rands as a token of thanks for contributing to the success of Bathu.
Somizi turned down the money as he wanted to “earn it.”
Opening up about how the rejection made him feel on My Top 10 at 10, he says “it was an affirmation of the kind of person Somizi is.”
He adds: “It was a genuine sense of gratitude but then again it aligned with the values because it’s something that I would do depending on the context.
I knew me and Somizi aligned in our values.”
Theo says at the time, influencer marketing was “dominating” but he didn’t want to make it a commercial transaction.
“I thought about it, I didn’t send it to make it a commercial transaction. I genuinely wanted to not put any mechanics on it. I looked at our finances and that was what we could afford at the time.”
On why he wanted to gift Somizi the money
“I believe that the intention behind giving has to come from the core more than anything else,” he says.
“When you look at how I got to work with Somizi, I approached him and for him to believe in our brand that much and a year later the business grew so much to a point when our shoe used to be known as a Somizi shoe.”
Theo realised “the impact and the influence” which he could not match in any way and between him and the higher power – “there was that level of gratitude that could not be matched or quantified.”
On giving
Theo, who constantly gives back through his business says when they give away shoes, “we are not saying that the clients can’t afford it. We are addressing some of the social ills in the country.
“We are trying to align it with our brand promise and be socially responsible as well. My point is when you give you need to make sure your intention is clear,” he told My Top 10 at 10 with Tbose.
