ENTREPRENEUR
a o t n i g n i v o M Feature
Greater Market ght club r of the upmarket ni Hlogi Makau, owne Donald ivi in Tembisa, tells pr Ca , nt ra au st re d an lar and has grown his popu Makhafola how he come a be the township, to sought-after spot in powerful brand.
Tell us a bit about your background? I’m a 34 year businessman and BCom Accounting graduate from University of South Africa who is positive about life, enjoys reading motivational and spiritual books. I love networking, entertaining people and researching new opportunities. In general, I’m an ambitious and humble person.
Are you in business accidentally or is this what you always wanted to do? Business was always a family way of life. My late father (Daniel Ditshego Makau) used to sell everything from candles to pots, so it rubbed off on me through his mentoring. Therefore, I grew up seeking opportunities to exploit any gaps to fill. My mother instilled education in me, hence, I had to graduate to make them both proud and happy.
What challenges have you come across since you started running the business? My dream was to become a chartered accountant and during varsity holidays I was participating fully in the business. Sadly in 2006, during my honours, my father passed away and as the only son I had to fill in. The challenge was managing a huge staff complement, improve the business, keep the discipline as a young owner and sustain the business in difficult times.
What can you attribute as the main secret to the success of your business? The passion and the commitment we put together as staff and management, keeps the business flowing. We count stock regularly, reduce our operating expenses continually, promote the business with reputable events and promotional companies, take care of our staff needs and continually striving to improve our service and the Caprivi brand.
What is your strength as an entrepreneur? My strength lies in my leadership qualities and being accountable to my family. I’m always taking the tough and best decision suitable for my business. I’m a very open minded person and I am always seeking advice from all of my stakeholders (family, consumers, suppliers and other interest groups). And I also learn from past failures and mistakes.
How far do you want to go in this business? 18
www.spotongmag.co.za
Hlogi Makau,owner of Caprivi in Tembisa.
I want to grow the Caprivi brand beyond my lifetime. Obviously our source of income is still now in retail, and I believe that by having the right team, the brand can explore services, property and distribution. I’ll strive to build Caprivi to become the next Bidvest.
What inspires you everyday to keep going? I believe in God and I keep on praying, and that’s how I get the strength to overcome daily business challenges and my customers give me strength as well. I get excited when they keep coming over and over again because it means we’re doing the right thing and continually meeting their service expectations.
How do you reinvent your business to remain relevant in the market and beat your competitors? I do a lot of research and development, including networking. And we analyse our competitors’ strengths while exploiting their weaknesses. I recently went to Cape Town where I noticed that the standard of business, particularly within the hospitality industry in Camps Bay, is high. So we continuously learn,improve, set the standard high and implement.
What is the most precious entrepreneurial lesson that you have learned in your life? I have adopted my father’s way of doing business; he was humble, disciplined, focused but simple in application and big in dreams!
