THEO BALOYI

tsoga o phande theo baloyi

walk your journey - theo baloyi

Bathu Shoes founder and entrepreneur, Theo Baloyi, was recently awarded Top Empowerment’s Top Empowered Young Achiever of the Year for 2020, in the midst of his pro-African sneaker brand’s major success story – and this is only the beginning! The Bathu story is more than just a story of sneakers. It’s a story of claiming your purpose in life, staying true to who you really are, and pursuing your dreams and doing something you are actually passionate about. His is a story of walking your destined path. His narrative is truly an inspirational tale of diligence, detailing how believing in yourself despite all obstacles could lead to unprecedented levels of success.

BEING IN THE CORPORATE SPACE EXPOSED ME TO WEALTH BUILDING AND MY VISION IS TO BUILD THAT WEALTH.

Born and raised in Gauteng, Theo lived with his uncle in the township of Alexandra, whilst pursuing a BCom Accounting degree. Upon receiving his accounting qualification, and landing a job with PwC, Theo then moved to Dubai, achieving financial security for himself and his family following his father passing. During his experience in the Middle East, the award-winning 30 year-old accountant began his entrepreneurial journey, detecting a gap in the sneaker market. Through an international lens, a void in the market could be seen, there was a need for an authentic African sneaker brand ─ and Theo made it his mission to tell an authentically honest African story through his new venture.

Today, Bathu is a well-loved brand. Theo’s concept was ingenuous: create a sneaker business with distinctive and modern flair, with all shoes produced locally, which would ultimately become as popular as any other global sneaker brand. “We penetrated an industry that has been dominated by international footwear brands for years, and we have managed to create a brand that is pro-African with a world-class look and feel”

Brand New day,Brand new Hustle