Nonhlanhla Mbokazi, CEO & Founder of Zinhlero Enterprise (Pty) Ltd
How did Rhiza Babuyile assist you?
Being part of RB has taught me that business isn’t only about registration but also about the hard work needed to make it a sustainable success.
I learned about the importance of compliance in growing a small business. I now understand that business learning is a norm as it enables my business to use the SWOT (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats) analysis to see what we can improve on.
We won a pitch to Discovery for The Best Business Enabler. With our prize money, we bought equipment to help with the day to day running of the business.
What skills have you acquired from attending the RB programme?
Writing a business proposal; sending a professional email; basics of business marketing; personal and business branding; financial basics and the importance of keeping the financial records of a business; business compliance and sustaining and growing the business.
How has your business grown?
When we started with the business incubation we were struggling. Soon we started looking at different business opportunities and the skills we have. With God’s grace, Zinhlero Enterprise is doing really well for a small business owned by a young black woman from the dusty streets of Orange Farm.
We offer different services under one roof; we are a construction, landscaping and gardening company. We will soon be offering catering services once we get our health certificate. For now, we cater for less than 50 people and also hire out plates, cutlery, glasses and chef dishes.
We bought land in KZN Msinga and will soon be venturing into farming and running an NPO with two dedicated people. God blessed us with people who have helped us to grow; we now want to be a blessing to others and make a difference as Aganang Foundation.
What are your future plans?
To never stop learning. To keep improving our services and acquiring more skills and knowledge. To embark upon new opportunities and never take opportunities given for granted. To grow the business and sustain it. To attain qualifications that will take me to higher places and that will open those big opportunities. To help people and be a blessing as I also got help to be where I am today. I have learnt that the business world is a lonely place, particularly if you have no one to help you. We all need a helping hand because no one makes it alone.
How has the COVID-19 crisis affected you and how did you deal with those challenges?
It affected us financially because for a few months we didn’t have monthly revenue and weren’t able to grow the business much. We couldn’t offer our services anymore due to COVID-19 and some businesses closed down.
On a brighter note, we had the opportunity to learn more about our business as there were a lot of business webinars helping us get through this difficult time. We got two certificates during lockdown and started embarking on new opportunities. We got to learn and do things we always wanted to do and are now reaping the fruits of our efforts.
