“For our own success to be real, it must contribute to the success of others” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt
Becoming an entrepreneur can be both exciting and intimidating. The journey may appear daunting, but with the right strategies and mindset, young entrepreneurs can improve their chances of success. Simphiwe Ndlovu is an exceptional example of a young entrepreneur who dreamed of success and had a drive for success, which led to him owning one of South Africa’s most successful young entrepreneur businesses.
Besides growing up from a business background that many young people tend to inherit what has already been natured and brought to a successful thing, Simphiwe opted to pave his own path from a young age for the sake of “venturing on his own space, and being his own boss”.
Having talked to Africa Talk Construction in what was an amazing interview Simphiwe highlighted some of the important aspects of being an entrepreneur and shared his background with us:
The first question was, How his journey started?
Well, I think business has always been my thing also growing up from a business background really played it’s role, I was raised by my grandparents & my grandfather was a taxi owner I spent most of my time with him in the taxi Rank & in his office every after school and I was fortunate enough to learn business ethics from him. At a very tender age I had already started looking for opportunities to make my own money so that I don’t depend on whatsoever money I got from home and that taught me how to make money on the side, I always had a side hustle, back in high school I sold everything from sweets, to clothes inside the school premises and I’d always get myself into trouble or having my stuff confiscated due to unlawful conduct, but that never stopped my drive, I learnt how to solve problems & that became a strong business ethic over the years.
Even though my grandparents had seen my passion for business they always wanted me to stop selling in the streets & go to school, get a job be employed but I couldn’t I enjoyed the freedom of being my own boss, I just had that drive In me.Selling had it’s own challenge’s over the years sometimes clients would pay late, some wouldn’t pay for the items taken on credit and I stopped selling totally due to the fact that I was running losses and I just lost interest and wanted to try something new, I was exploring.
As an entrepreneur I had to think of a service I can supply that nobody else does so that I can come up with a unique approach & I saw a gap in the community at that time there were no mobile car washes & I started a mobile car wash business in my community with just a bucket & car wash material I could make real money, a few months later I had started receiving a large volume of cars to be washed and I was forced to look for a spot that I can operate from and I was advised to approached the local councilor and confront him about it, I explained to him what my business was all about and what I intend to do for the community but I need help to secure a spot I can operate from and have a business address, this could also help me secure funds from an investor or development agencies and I eventually got the spot at a desserted area in my community, cleaned it up and opened a car wash business that employed 2 young people, a year later in 2018 my business started to growing and I hired 2 more young people and had 4 employees, I then got an opportunity from the local councilor to study with Old Mutual Junior achievers SA enterprise program seeing my potential as a young business man they registered me onto the program and I received scholarship to study business management, I was excited about the opportunity to study, I knew it was the perfect opportunity for me to grow my business.
As time went by I officially registered a cleaning company “Clenas cleaning services” as my first company while still studying, saved up some money for marketing & branding the company coz I knew that’s where my sales would come from. From the car wash business I ventured into upholstery cleaning, we had clients bring their mats, sofa’s, carpets, car seats to the spot and the business was growing, and later we decided try the corporate world because we needed a stable income to grow the business, and we got our first contracts within a year after registration our clients were Maponya motors they had 2 dealerships Soweto Volkswagen & Toyota dealership which, at that time I was the only youth owned business offering car valet services in Soweto.
My team grew from 4 employees to 14 in the year 2019 and I had started servicing government departments as well such as Baragwanath hospital. I had 6 working full time at the dealerships and 4 at the car wash. 4 part time employee’s doing house calls for carpet cleaning, business was doing well until covid hit and business got affected and I fell into depression & couldn’t focus. I was forced to sell some of my equipment to pay off debts and that is how I took a break from the cleaning industry & decided to venture into something I’m passionate about.
2. What impact does he wish to make in Africa as a business man?
I had always had love for media & Entertainment when as a kid and as soon as I could focus again, I started a media & communications company “Africa Royal Communications” which is now rebranding to “Sims Media & Communications” at “Sims media” we do Public Relations, Marketing, Business development & events management.We are a 2X globally nominated company.1. Nominated at the Global startup awards Africa for “Startup company of the year Southern Africa 2023″2. Nominated for the founder of the year awards 2023 FOYA as “Social founder of the year” and made it to the finalists top 10 against 8 countries in Africa and was awarded a certificate of achievement.So far we have worked with local & international clients such as MTN, Concerts SA, Sambro, Soweto International film festival, Soweto fashion week, Soweto Festival Expo, South African Construction Awards, Construction Journal Magazine, Miss hotlegs Ghana, Zanzibar International fashion festival, Annual show fashion week Cameroon, Imbumba group, Sollywood SA, SADMA Awards, Gugs FM, Jozi Media, Taxi Magazine, Revona Magazine, Style scape arts academy Zimbabwe, The supply magazine Botswana, Glam’s make up Italy & more we believe that “Africa Royal Communications” is a company with a potential of further growth and we are dedicated to making this dream work for Africa.
My dream is to inspire more young business owners in Africa to be purpose driven “Start a business with a purpose” not because you want fame or the benefits of having a business let that come as a bonus but never let it be your prime focus, give yourself time, give your business time to mature. My belief is that African businesses can grow to create a positive impact in the world, enhance enhance their reputation & brand image to improve their overall business performance through corporate social responsibilities. These are compelling reasons why we should prioritize social impact. Sustainable business growth, enhanced reputation & access to global markets.Â
3. What toughest challenges he had faced on his journey?
The greatest challenge is always “starting” yes it may look easy to start a business but before you actually do it, a business is like a child it needs attention, it needs nurturing and I think that’s why many starts up fail it’s really hard to remain consistent in pursuing a dream, no steady income, having to deal with losses at the beginning stage, doubt, failure, finding the right people to work with, time management, high competition, slow growth and still overcome those situations to challenge the status quo.I think a lot of business ideas die at the beginning stage due to the above mentioned, and entrepreneurs should really give themselves time to overcome challenges.
4. What advice would he give to a young entrepreneur?
My advice to young entrepreneurs out there to stay focused & be patient, take time to build your business. Becoming an entrepreneur can be intimidating, but utilizing the right tactics to start off strong can boost your chances of success. I advice young people to find their passion the first step is knowing who you are, what your capabilities are & what you love doing, and then identify your target market it’s very important to know who your business is targeting! Always be ready to make sacrifices, find a mentor, plan your things & always arrive on time to meetings or earlier it shows good character. Also find good people, be a good judge of character. While you may be a solopreneur in your early days, you will need to work with good people as your company grows. It’s crucial to work with people that are cultural fit, surround yourself with people who share your character and values.
5. What does success mean to Simphiwe Ndlovu?
I love the joy people get when they reach a certain goal or goals so I love helping others succeed. Their feeling of accomplishment and relief is something I can resonate with. They have poured their heart and soul into something and they got their desired outcome. That is a feeling I will always enjoy seeing others experience, so for me success is seeing other’s achieve.
Article By Samkele Mchunu
