START AN ONLINE STORE IN SECONDS WITH THIS APP

In South Africa, there are few platforms that allow small business owners to take full control of their businesses. As a result, Elton Fasser founded Fassernate, an app that helps small business owners set up an online store where they can sell their products.

But it was not easy for Fasser to take Fassernate to the next level when he tried to launch his tech business. This dream was not realised until 2017 due to financial and resource constraints. In March 2022, the Fassernate app was released. And in only three months, it has reached an incredible 1000 downloads.

Throughout his career, he has worked for a wide variety of large corporations. With more than 25 years of experience in Information Technology. In his opinion, very little is being done to build and transform businesses into sustainable enterprises. We had a chat with Fasser and filed the below interview.

Could you please tell us a little about your career background? I began my professional career at South African Airways. I was one of the first non-white employees in the computer department. This was way back in apartheid state years. It was very challenging. You know, all these challenges you face in life end up molding you into what you are today. I must say, it was a very pleasant experience. You know, it definitely taught me good life lessons, and then I was supposed to hit up the Y2K operations. Unfortunately, I was involved in a political riot, I ended up getting shot and it took me another two years to actually start walking again.

And one could say that’s where the “never say die” attitude comes from because I completely believe that I would walk again. Despite the fact that it took me two years, I succeeded. After that, I worked for a medical IT company called Meditech. That was my introduction to medical IT.

Before Fassernate, what was your life like?

I never went to varsity, I did not receive any formal training. Almost everything I do is self-taught. In the beginning, I used Bill Gates and Steve Jobs as both excuses and inspirations. They were both varsity dropouts. To an extent, I guess, one should feel embarrassed about not being able to afford to go to university. And I used to constantly tell people that, you know, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs both ended up building big businesses without having any formal qualifications.

In your opinion, how should transformation be approached? My first observation is that our government hasn’t done enough to help transform the way we do business and move small and informal businesses forward into a digital world.