Startup Story
Nondumiso Leshaba is a distinguished Chartered Bookkeeper and the visionary Managing Director of LemonSalt (Pty) Ltd and BlueDenim (Pty) Ltd in South Africa. In both her companies, Nondumiso has been instrumental in shaping their strategic direction. Her dynamic skill set, which ranges from policy writing to graphic design, has enabled her to lead with a unique perspective. Nondumiso's ability to craft comprehensive policies ensures that both LemonSalt and BlueDenim operate with efficiency and compliance, while her flair for graphic design brings a creative edge to the company's branding and marketing efforts. LemonSalt (Pty) Ltd was established in 2019 and registered in 2020. BlueDenim was registered in 2025. The businesses employs 7 people.
LoA spoke to Nondumiso Leshaba about her entrepreneurial journey to date, her resilience in overcoming challenges in life and business, and her vision for the future.
What does your company do?
LemonSalt provides affordable professional services, especially targeting the 72% of SME's that are operating outside of formal structures. By informal structures we mean that they are non-compliant in some way, and lack the funds or ability to access the essential financial services every business needs to grow. These services include Bookkeeping, Accounting, Tax advisory and Planning, Payroll, CIPC Compliance, PAIA Compliance. BlueDenim provides professional commercial and residential cleaning services, buildings and facilities management. We take pride in everything we do and that guarantees customer satisfaction.
“LemonSalt provides affordable professional services, especially targeting the 72% of SME's that are operating outside of formal structures.”
“A mentor of mine once said, "When you are given 10 hours to chop down a tree, use the first 8 hours to sharpen your axe." It brings me joy and satisfaction to see each blow to the tree make an impact.”
What inspired you to start your company?
My story doesn’t begin in a boardroom or with a big idea pitched to investors. It starts with a brush cutter, a dream, and a betrayal that could’ve crushed the strongest of spirits. In 2016, left with nothing but the determination to survive after my abusive husband took everything—including the very tool we had used to make a living. I faced a brutal reality. Alone and penniless, I took the only job I could find, earning a mere R10 a day. When that too became unsafe, because the owner made sexual advances towards me, I walked away, choosing dignity over desperation. But hardship couldn’t dim my light. Soon after, I secured a part-time job earning R2,500 a month. Modest, but it was the beginning of rebuilding my independence. A year later, my hustle paid off—the role I was working in became permanent, and my salary jumped to R12,500. With a stable income, I was able to rent a beautiful flat and began completing my accounting qualification. Things were finally falling into place. Until, they weren’t.
In 2019, an executive at work—threatened by my rising potential—had me fired without cause. It wasn’t just a blow to my finances, it was a gut-punch to my hard-earned stability. I had just used the last pay check to send money to my family back home. I was getting remarried in six months, with no salary and a wedding to plan. Yet, I refused to surrender. From that place of heartbreak and hustle, LemonSalt was born. I began cleaning friends’ homes, doing laundry, washing windows, even maintaining gardens for anyone willing to support me. At 4am, I'd be on street corners selling vetkoeks and scones—some days, the only sale would be a kind-hearted shop owner who bought out my entire batch, whether they sold or not.
LemonSalt became my reminder that I matter, that I can take care of myself. Three weeks after remarrying, life gave me another nudge: a job as a Payroll Specialist at a well-established cleaning company. This income would become the seed capital that formalized LemonSalt into a registered business. From that point on, the slow but steady process of sharpening my axe began—refining my skills, building my brand, and preparing for the opportunity I knew was coming.
Then came the pandemic. In 2020, as COVID-19 brought the world to a halt, LemonSalt’s cleaning services saw a sharp slowdown. Yet, my brand quietly grew stronger. Rooted in dignity, consistency, and authenticity, LemonSalt began to evolve. By 2025, it blossomed. Now joined by a brilliant tax specialist and fellow professional, LemonSalt has transformed into a dynamic and growing accounting firm. The cleaning services continue under the newly registered BlueDenim, a company soon to be part of the LemonSalt Group—a symbol of how reinvention can go hand-in-hand with resilience.
What makes your business, service or product special?
In South Africa, there are more than 3.2 million SMEs and 72% of them, 2.6 million, perform outside of formal structures. They lack the resources to afford professional and essential financial services. While the industry of Accounting, Tax and Finance is quite an exorbitant industry, LemonSalt provides all these important services at affordable, tailored rates for each SME. The aim is to help these SMEs become structured, compliant and in a better position to grow
Tell us a little about your team
Our team is made up of a prudent operations director who helps steady the company; a licensed Tax practitioner who believes in and advocates for transparency with clients; and a visionary managing director who is a pioneer of integrity. With collaboration, all these values that each individual brings to the table - integrity, transparency, and prudence, it makes us a dream-team, a force to be reckoned with.
Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And, do you come from an entrepreneurial background?
My mother has always been an entrepreneur, always looking for new ways to make money. I guess I get the "hustling" spirit from her. There was nothing legal that my mother was not willing to do in order to care for us. She had more than 3 side hustles going at a time, even with a job. She even founded an NPO that focused on HIV/AIDS training programs that helped stabilized the country at a crucial time in history, when there were rising infections and baseless stigmatizations.
“Providing jobs for unemployed young graduates, the multitude of unemployed semi-skilled individuals, knowing that I play a small part in their growth, sends me to sleep with a smile on my face.”
What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?
My goal is to build a multi-faceted empire. Today LemonSalt Financial Services and BlueDenim Professional Services are registered. Soon, LemonSalt Coffee and Protein Bar, BlueDenim Architectural Designs and Leshaba Holdings will be born, all to be part of the LemonSalt Group of companies.
What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?
A mentor of mine once said, "When you are given 10 hours to chop down a tree, use the first 8 hours to sharpen your axe." It brings me joy and satisfaction to see each blow to the tree make an impact. Providing jobs for unemployed young graduates, the multitude of unemployed semi-skilled individuals, knowing that I play a small part in their growth, sends me to sleep with a smile on my face.
What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?
Step forward with confidence. Never wait for permission to own your space. Leadership isn’t about being the loudest in the room—it’s about clarity, resilience, and knowing that your expertise deserves recognition. You are capable, you are worthy, and you are more than enough to break barriers and shape industries.
Trust your vision, embrace challenges as stepping stones, and always remember: the world needs what you bring. Lead boldly. Lead unapologetically. Lead with purpose. Never stop sharpening your axe!
Find out more
Email: info@lemon-salt.co.za
Website: http://www.lemon-salt.co.za
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/16nEeiJrST/
Twitter: https://x.com/LemonSaltC29924?t=YxZw75QVsa1TRbA6BvF0yw&s=09
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lemonsalt_financial_services?igsh=MTJla2h4YjZub3ljaw==
Why LoA loves it…
Every SME needs the support of specialist business advisors and service provides, such as book-keepers, accountants, tax specialists etc, and that’s where Nondumiso Leshaba and her business, Lemon Salt, is making its mark. She understands at first hand all the challenges and hurdles experienced by SMEs and has created a business offering that specially focuses on helping SMEs to get their administration and accounts in order. Nondumiso has a bigger vision too, to build a multi-faceted business empire that is growth oriented in sectors where she has identified growth gaps. Definitely an entrepreneur to watch over the next few years! — Melanie Hawken, founder & ceo, Lionesses of Africa