A Dialogue with Young Business Leaders – Meet Tlou, Dineo and Sithembiso

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  1. How did you generate your business concept?

I was inspired by an article I read on the high unemployment rate in South Africa as well as the opportunities provided by the hospitality industry. Thus, upon completing my matric studies, I decided to venture into hospitality by establishing a business that sells scones and all types of cakes to people in my community – Sithembiso

  1. What was your mission at the outset?

My mission was to create employment for young people given the high unemployment rate as well as the fact that some people don’t have the privilege of enrolling for tertiary education. Thus, I took it upon myself to employ low-skilled youth and help them acquire all the necessary small-scale business skills such as interacting with customers, calculating profit and production costs while growing my business – Sithembiso

  1. Do you use the services of a professional accountant or attorney?

Not really, my wife deals with most of the financial, marketing and legal functions of the business given her qualifications and expertise, which is a bonus for me. This has made me realise that having a support structure such a good wife and a successful relationship with them is crucial to business success also – Sithembiso

  1. What inspired you to start a cleaning business? Do you still feel the same way?

I saw a gap between the number of small and big businesses providing cleaning services. My strategy was to establish a small black female-owned cleaning business and cater to low and middle-income earners. Although the business was stressful at first, it taught me many lessons about life and has also served as motivation for many young women out there who aspire to venture into business – Dineo

  1. What are the five key steps that you took in launching your business?

The first step was to do a lot of market research to understand what I was getting myself into. The second step was to register the business with CICP. From there I had to find all the associations that I had to register with to be able to provide services. The fourth step was to learn from other people who are in the same line of business and the last step was to find the motivation and persistence to keep going. Starting a business comes with a lot of challenges and requires a great deal of courage and faith that the universe is working in your favour – Dineo

  1. What do you attribute your business success to?

I attribute my business success to my support structure and surrounding myself with like-minded people. A business doesn’t operate on feelings but actions, so getting the job done has always been key for me regardless of the circumstances – Dineo

  1. How can one register a business in South Africa and how much does it cost?

It costs R175 to register a business in South Africa. From the R175, only R50 is used to reserve the business name and the remaining R125 is used to register the business. The Biz portal was launched last year to facilitate the registration of businesses. On average, it takes 10 minutes to register a business in South Africa with CICP – Tlou

  1. Cape Town is the epicentre of Covid-19, how is this affecting your business?

Covid-19 has had a minimal impact on our business since most of our services are provided remotely via our E-commerce website. Fortunately, Covid-19 allowed us to be more creative and avoid unnecessary duplications that we were not aware of. Also, businesses that offer physical contact services are now cornered to think outside the box including how to communicate with and still offer the same degree of service quality to clients –  Tlou

  1. There is a rise in the number of sole proprietors. Is this form of ownership good for business? 

Well, it can’t be a one size fits all answer. It depends on the size and nature of the business. Since I’m operating a small business, being a sole proprietor has made decision making much easier and quicker and also improved the service turnaround time. On the downside, however, your ideas and capital are limited – Dineo

  1. Does your company help the community where it is located?

Yes, we take youth who are in Grades 11 and 12 and teach them small scale business skills during school holidays. Also, when there is a funeral nearby, we contribute a bucket of cupcakes as a way of giving back to the community- Sithembiso

  1. What steps have you taken to deal with crime?

We make use of the free services of the patrol guard in my community. Also, we avoid selling our products at Johannesburg hotspots. It’s not easy to prevent crime, but it’s necessary to be aware of it. Starting a business is all about taking risks, including the risk of stock theft – Sithembiso

  1. Have you ever turned down a client?

Yes, a couple of times mainly due to unimaginable demands. When clients make too many orders in a short period, it’s never easy to meet their orders and some orders, unfortunately, have to be turned down than to make false promises to the client – Sithembiso

  1. How do you personally define business success?

Well, for me business success is not really about making enough money. For me, business success is about identifying problems in society and solving them. It has more to do with adding value and looking beyond what you are given. The satisfaction doesn’t come from the paycheque but from the satisfaction that my clients get – Tlou

  1. What book should every business owner read?

I recommend the book by Alan Knott-Craig, titled “13 rules for being an Entrepreneur”. The book is straightforward and very insightful – Tlou

  1. If you could speak to your younger self, just starting, what advice would you give him/her?

I would advise my younger self to believe in himself. I always had potential, but I never believed in my potential. I started my company very late and I believe had I started it long ago, I could be far by now. The moment I believed in myself, everything fell into place. The problem with not believing in yourself is that you will always be a slave to someone – Tlou

I’d say to myself, just start. It doesn’t matter how much you have, just believe that everything will fall into place and work out for your good – Dineo

I’d tell myself to save first and spend later – Sithembiso

  1. What motivation can you give to young women who aspire to be business owners?

I would advise them never to sell themselves short regardless of the circumstances and to always keep their values and morals attached to the business. They should never forget where they come from and they should not always expect the good out of people – Dineo

Guests Bios

Mr Sithembiso Lesedi Shashu is the CEO of Sitsha’s Bakery and Tasty Chefs at Work. Sitsha’s Bakery sells scones and all types of cakes in Soweto and surrounding Johannesburg areas and the business owner can be reached on +27735778661 for orders and deliveries. The business has pages on Facebook and Twitter

Ms Dineo Motsoko is the CEO of Sineo Cleaning Services and La Flor Hand Care. Sineo Cleaning business provides cleaning services to low- and middle-income earners. The business owner can be reached on +27813195954. The business has pages on Facebook and Twitter as well as a website: www.sineocleaning.co.za

Mr Tlou Ledwaba is a Chartered Accountant by Profession and the CEO of Bright Path Business Consultants. The business provides services in the areas of financial statements, monthly bookkeeping, business plans and business advice. The business is based in Cape Town and Johannesburg and the owner can be reached on +27761815634. The business has pages on Facebook and Twitter as well as a website: www.bpbc.co.za

Host – Baneng Naape (bio can be found on the website)