LISTEN | Boity talks about infiltrating & winning in male-dominated spaces

Boity Thulo is more than just your ordinary rapper. She has infiltrated the entrepreneurial space as a shareholder and director of BTMK Beverages, and she has a perfume and haircare range.

We spoke to Boity about how she has dominated the business space as a woman.

“It's such an empowering moment. These are some things that one can only sometimes dream of. It's also motivating. Sometimes it puts me [under] pressure because it's almost like I'm competing with myself ... I'm also under pressure to beat that level,” she told TshisaLIVE.

Listen to the full conversation here: 

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As one of the most followed artists in SA on Instagram and with so many ventures on her plate, Boity says she is always ready for public scrutiny and has a way to deal with the pressure.

"[Scrutiny is] the nature of the beast, you know that's what it is. You're going to have to deal with scrutiny and people wanting more and more from you and wanting to know more from you ... for me personally, I try as much as I can to control the narrative that I want out there and to give what I am able, willing and comfortable with doing ... keeping myself as a top priority.”

Peace of mind is something she had to remember when she ventured into the beverage industry.

“We thought about different avenues in terms of where in the beverage space we want to tap into ... it's been a lifelong dream of mine and I remember when we sat down, we spoke about options and one of them was either wine or tequila, which are my favourite beverages, and I was like, for the longest time I have never been able to find tasty and well-packaged and delicious ready-to-drink beverages.

“You have to expect the backlash or the pushback from people.” 

Other women who have succeeded in this male-dominated space have inspired Boity.

“I'm inspired, I'm motivated. Not just with Bonang [Matheba] creating her own MCC but also there's [DJ] Zinhle who's also trailblazing in every form of industry with regards to everything that she's doing ... It's incredibly motivating to be around women like that ... it gave me the confidence to take a room that might seem scary or oversaturated.

“Throughout my entrepreneurial journey, what has been motivating me the most is always creating things that I don't find. If I feel like I can't find something, I take that as an opportunity to create it,” she said.