It’s Fresh It’s Real It’s www.zoutnet.co.za/makoya
July 15, 2011 • Year 6, Vol.11 * By Ntsieni Tshisevhe
Tel: 015 962 1008
Youth in Business -
Litico Transport & Urban Nanny * Tell us about Litico Transport? LiTico Transport is a company that specializes in the transporting of goods anywhere around the country. What makes us different is that our service is available 24 hours a day at the best price possible for our clients. * How did the business start? With any business one starts by looking for a gap in the market, then finding a way to make your product or service superior to your competitors’, and that’s exactly what I did. * When did the business start and how were the early days? This is our second year running. For the first time in my life I had to manage staff, namely my drivers, and I had to quickly develop a management style and that’s when I decided that I wanted to be more of a leader and not just someone’s boss. * What sort of challenges does your business face? Time management, especially during the festive season and month-ends. One could end up with more loads, and therefore I had to expand my fleet in order to not disappoint my clients. * Who is your target market? Litico Transport targets anybody who needs to get their goods from point A to B. So it’s individuals, people moving houses, building materials and even stokvels purchasing bulk groceries .Currently a lot of our young BEE’s get tenders to supply stationery, computer equipment etc and therefore they need transport, and that’s where Litico comes into the picture. * You also co-own Urban-Nanny with your wife, what are the pro’s and con’s of working with a partner? For us it’s great having a partner who shares the same vision and passion. It comes in handy in the fact that we get to share and exchange ideas and * By Humbelani Chantel Ndou
innovative ways to improve our businesses anytime anywhere as we spend most of you time together. * What exactly is Urban Nanny? Urban Nanny is an up market domestic recruitment agency. We supply our clients with domestic workers, charging a once off admin fee. We target individuals who don’t have enough time, but who can afford to have Urban Nanny recruit their helpers on their behalf. * What’s your take on local youthowned businesses? Our youth are making great strides in the business world, but there is still a need for more training and workshops. We also need more funding as capital is still a challenge, and the majority of our youth don’t have security so they find it hard to obtain business loans etc. * How can we limit our total dependence on government for business? We need to move away from the 3 quotation mindset. We need to ensure that we start sustainable business ventures that target other clientele besides government. In that way, whether or not you are awarded a tender, you are still able to make ends meet. Tenders should be the cherry on top and not the cake! * How did you fund the businesses? Initially we used our savings and bought the first van, after that the revenue from it bought the second, the second bought the 3rd and so forth.
* What staff compliment do you have? In total we have created employment for 7 staff members on our payroll. * Where can people get hold of you? For Litico Transport people can get hold of me on 073 156 4534 and for Urban Nanny Agency the number to call is 084 452 3136.
* Any last words of advice? “Now is the best time to stop dreaming and turn everything into reality. It starts with one step at a time.” * Thanks!
Youth in business -
Avha from Munakisi Professional Hair Salon She is an inspiration to many, and being ambitious is what keeps her going. At the age of 25, the success- driven lady hailing from Maniini block M-east, just a few kilometres from Thohoyandou, has made her dream come true. Avhafarei Hildah Tshikhudo always wanted to be her own boss and she has recently become the proud owner of Munakisi Professional Hair Salon which is situated in Thohoyandou Complex just behind Mvusuludzo taxi rank. She matriculated at Thivhilaeli secondary school and what motivated her to start the beautysalon is that she knew she could do the magic of turning heads. She started out by being a hairdresser in Jo’burg, moved back home and worked at several hair studios such as Exclusive hair salon (Phangami branch), Tshavhudi’s beauty-salon,
David’s salon and Joe’s hair salon. Avha says that instead of roaming around the streets and complaining about the lack of jobs, people should be creative and make it big for themselves and those around them. The salon started a few weeks ago and has managed to create employment for two other hairdressers and a barber. “From a very young age, it was my wish to do something with ladies and men’s beauty,” Avha remarked. She never went to a hair dressing school but it comes to her as a natural Godgiven talent. They specialize in Relax, hair and razor cuts and all extension styles. The salon is accommodative of both males and females. She goes on to advise the youth to take education seriously and be hard workers who never give up before they win. She can be reached on 079 033 3653.