Hlamalani Baloyi-Netili set out to solve a problem she understood intimately: access to quality eye care that treats people with time, respect and intention. Today, Spectacle Hut is a growing optometry group with 20+ branches across South Africa and a workforce of more than 60 employees, the majority of whom are women and young people. The business spans townships, regional malls and previously underserved communities, places often overlooked by premium healthcare providers.

■ Born and raised in Shitlhelani Village in Malamulele, Limpopo, Baloyi-Netili is the fourth of seven children raised by a single mother. Her upbringing was defined not by abundance, but by community, resilience and structure.

“I grew up in a big family environment, grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins – there was always love, even when resources were limited,” she recalls

That environment shaped her understanding of responsibility early on, and later, how she would think about leadership, staff and service.

Choosing the harder path

Early in her career, Baloyi-Netili made a decision that would define her entrepreneurial journey: she chose private practice over the security of public-sector employment.

“I’ve never been comfortable with routine,” she says. “I didn’t want to stay in one place doing the same thing every day. I wanted to explore what more could be done in my field.”

That desire for exploration translated into a differentiated approach to optometry. Spectacle Hut would be a designed experience, combining modern equipment, curated frame selections and unhurried patient care.

“I care deeply about the spaces we create,” she explains. “The instruments we use, the frames we stock, the time we spend with patients. That experience matters.”

It became the blueprint for every new branch.

The risk that changed everything

The leap into entrepreneurship came with a deeply personal risk. To open her first practice, Baloyi-Netili used her mother’s stokvel savings as startup capital.

“At the time, she didn’t fully understand why I would leave the stability of hospital work,” Baloyi-Netili says. “But she trusted me with everything she had saved.”

Her mother, who worked for years as a cleaner, domestic worker and construction labourer before securing permanent employment at Malamulele Hospital, remains her greatest role model.

“She taught me how to stretch very little into something sustainable. How to save and stay disciplined.”

That lesson would later define Spectacle Hut’s growth strategy.

Growing without shortcuts

Like many founder-led businesses, Spectacle Hut did not scale with external funding or institutional backing. Growth came through constant reinvestment, personal financial sacrifice and a refusal to stall while waiting for validation.

“I kept putting money back into the business,” Baloyi-Netili says. “Even when it meant sacrificing personally. I’m not patient with funders, I just keep moving.”

Each new branch followed the same logic: prove demand, build with intention, replicate excellence.

The result is a business that has expanded steadily – without losing its original promise.

Leadership through impact

Today, Baloyi-Netili leads a team of over 60 employees nationally. Employment, for her, is a responsibility.

“I want the people who work with me to grow,” she says. “To build homes, buy cars, educate their siblings, further their studies.”

She actively encourages continuous learning and upward mobility, believing that business success is incomplete if it doesn’t translate into improved lives.

A long vision

Spectacle Hut’s growth is not driven by hype or rapid scaling for its own sake. It is driven by access, dignity and consistency – bringing quality eye care to communities that deserve more than bare minimum service.

Baloyi-Netili’s advice to young women mirrors her own journey:

“Believe in your dreams, even if no one else does. Rest when you are tired, but don’t give up. And don’t neglect the people you love and those who support you on either side of the process.”

For a founder building steadily, intentionally and without shortcuts, the vision remains clear: keep seeing further and bringing others along.

This article was originally published in November 2021 by Director Woman: Fastrack, the Pad Me Up Issue.