Tracey Chambers was a highly successful corporate executive in South Africa, working at Woolworths in a high-powered finance role. Yet, despite her professional success, she found herself unfulfilled, questioning the purpose of her work. A journey of self-reflection led her to a radical decision—she left her corporate career in search of a deeper purpose. This journey ultimately led her to co-found Taking Care of Business (TCB), an initiative dedicated to empowering unemployed women through entrepreneurship.
With a mission to break the cycle of poverty and dependency, Tracey and her co-founder, Tracey Gilmore, designed a programme that equips women with the mindset, skills, and resources to become self-sufficient. At the core of their work is a commitment to scaling deeply, ensuring women gain not only financial independence but also the confidence and agency to change their own lives. As Tracey put it, “We set out to help unemployed mothers, and for us, that is still the perfect profile of an individual to support.”
South Africa has long grappled with high unemployment rates, particularly among women from disadvantaged backgrounds. Many of these women face systemic barriers, including a lack of education, limited job opportunities, and deeply ingrained social norms that discourage self-employment.
Historically, entrepreneurship was not widely seen as a viable career path for women in South Africa. During apartheid, Black South Africans were systematically excluded from business ownership, and those legacies persist today. Women, in particular, often face an internalised belief that they are not capable of running businesses.
Retailers also struggle with an excess of unsold merchandise. Previously, surplus stock was either discarded or donated inefficiently, leading to wasted resources that could otherwise serve a meaningful purpose.
Taking Care of Business (formerly The Clothing Bank) was founded in 2010 to provide an innovative solution to these intersecting challenges. The initiative collects excess merchandise from South Africa’s largest retailers—including Woolworths, The Foshini Group, and others—and provides it to unemployed women who are trained to become micro-entrepreneurs.
Tracey and her team focus on a holistic approach to empowerment, offering not just business training but also life skills, financial literacy, and personal development. The goal is not just to give women a business but to transform their mindset so they believe in their own ability to succeed. Tracey explained, “We realised early on that just providing resources wasn’t enough. Many of the women lacked confidence, and we had to work on transforming their belief systems first.”
