20/10/2025
They laughed when he left corporate. Now he owns one of Africa’s biggest sneaker brands.
Theo Baloyi had a good life.
Steady job. Decent salary. Working at PwC in the Middle East.
From Hammanskraal to international corporate life — he’d made it.
But something didn’t sit right.
He wanted impact, not just income.
So he left. Everyone thought he’d lost it.
“Who leaves PwC to sell shoes?”
“Do it as a side hustle.”
“Be realistic.”
He didn’t listen.
Theo came home to South Africa with a simple idea — build an African sneaker brand that could compete with Nike and Adidas.
Not just imported fashion — homegrown excellence.
He started small. Selling sneakers out of the boot of his car.
No investors. No fancy offices. Just belief.
He called it Bathu — meaning “shoe” in township slang.
People laughed.
Nobody thought a local brand could compete with global giants.
But Theo had something they didn’t understand.
He knew South Africans wanted something that represented them.
Designs inspired by local culture. Affordable. Stylish. African.
One store became two. Two became ten.
Today, Bathu employs hundreds. Operates across major cities. And collaborates with some of the country’s biggest names.
Theo turned a risky decision into a national movement.
He proved that believing in your own ideas is the ultimate advantage.
That purpose beats a paycheck.
And that the next global brand might just come from your township.
He left corporate comfort and built an empire from the streets up.
So ask yourself — what dream are you dismissing because it doesn’t sound “practical”?
What idea feels too small because it started in your backyard?
Sometimes leaving the system isn’t a failure.
It’s freedom.
Because when you stop chasing approval and start chasing purpose, you build something that matters.
Think Big.
