Last
week I was invited to a business breakfast courtesy of Santam to hear about
successful local businesses from Durban.
Image caption: The owners of Durban’s Most Loved Local
businesses, Kirk Maddocks, Samkelo
Ngcobo, Nondumiso Mkhize, and Anwar Essop. (Image: Rogan Ward).
What
do a fast-food takeaway shop, fitness boot camp, carpet and upholstery cleaning
service, social media marketing company and beachside massage service all have
in
common? They’ve all topped the list of Durban’s most loved local businesses by
successfully turning their clients into lifelong fans.
Five
of Durban’s most loved local businesses have been selected based on nominations
from residents in a recent radio poll.
They
were formally announced on 10 April by
Santam, South Africa’s largest general insurer, at a Business
Breakfast which honoured local entrepreneurs.
With
many of Durban’s well-known entrepreneurs in attendance, the breakfast focused
on building longevity of Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) by shining a
spotlight
on opportunities that create an enabling environment to assist SMEs to thrive.
“SMEs
are responsible for 60% of the labour-force in South Africa, and the impact of
that is significant. Not just in terms of job creation but also, very
importantly, as the
providers
of the products and services we’ve all come to rely on. Entrepreneurs need to
safeguard their livelihood and Santam has a critical role to play here.
Businesses rely on us to help manage the insurance related risks that will help
keep their doors open and their fans coming back for more. It’s a
responsibility we take very seriously,” says Gerald van Wyk,
Head: Business Development at Santam. “We’re passionate about empowering and
supporting entrepreneurs. Beyond insurance, we’re continuously creating
platforms to connect and showcase the SMEs that play a pivotal role in our
economy and are integral in the communities in which they operate.”
The
selection process for Durban’s most loved local businesses was conducted with East Cost Radio. Listeners were asked to call in and nominate the local
business they simply could not live without.
Nominations
were submitted and winners chosen from the large number of
entries,
carefully selected by the team based on each businesses commitment to
delivering exceptional service and standout quality products, going above and
beyond
what
was expected of them, and endearing themselves to the local community in a way
that turned their customers into lifelong loyal fans. To celebrate these
success
stories,
the five winning businesses also received certificates of commendation from
Santam.
The winners were:
Health & Fitness Invasion
Nominated
by: Ayanda Mbuthu
A
company that helps people to look and feel good about themselves in the name of
fitness.
Jollyz
Xpress
Nominated
by: Shaheed Essop
Jollyz
Xpress is a fast food takeaway situated in Prince Umhlangane Road.
Nondz Beach Massage Experience
Nominated
by: Sibonokuhle Maduna
“She is the first black woman I know to give such a great
experience to the community by giving massages at the beach.”
KB Carpet & Upholstery Cleaners
Nominated
by: Ettiene Potgieter
“KB Carpet and Upholstery Cleaners has been around for many
years. ‘’
iNCO Creative
Nominated
by: Tiffany Esau
A
social media marketing company that takes pride in every client.
Renowned
author and entrepreneur, Mike Saunders,
was the keynote speaker at the breakfast event and shared key take outs from
his book The Five
Year Mark, a
collection
of his lessons learnt while establishing his own business.
Saunders
says that SMEs are very close to his heart as they bring value to people in the
forms of self-worth and employment.
His
four tips for entrepreneurs starting out on their journey were:
· Chart
your own course. Don’t get caught up in best practices. Best practices are best
practices because everyone does them and you’re not going to stand out in the business
world if you do what everybody else does.
· Focus
on your output. If you cannot produce anything for the market then you don’t
have a business.
· Be
willing to pivot to what your clients want. You constantly need to listen to
what your clients and your market want, and then meet those needs.
· Learn
how to delegate.
This
edition by Fred Felton | Twitter @fredfelton
