Please share some background on yourself and how the business was started?
Matshego Brenda Moduka is a 46-year-old born and bred in Bloemfontein.
She was raised by her grandmother and passed her matric in 1993 at the age of 17.
She started her tertiary studies and dropped out at 19 as she had a baby.
It took someone to assist her in getting her first job in training.
She grew in the training space.
In 2016, she registered her own company and Atlega for Woman Projects Enterprise received its first accreditation in May 2018.
Our core business is training and development, but we also have a clothing and textile wing where we produce in the circular economy way.
We use offcuts to produce our products but we also make products from material that we buy.
What is the name of your business?
Atlega for Woman Projects Enterprise
How old is your business?
The company was registered in December 2016 and we received our first accreditation in May 2018 and our first project was in January 2019.
What is your core service?
Our core business is that we are an accredited training company, our primary Seta is merSETA, also registered with Services Seta, ETDP Seta and Agriseta.
How did you manage your business during the pandemic?
We already had new projects when the pandemic started. For the unemployed, we used WhatsApp for group discussions.
We had to put training on hold until July and resumed some work under Covid protocols.
What makes your business unique?
We are the only training company that has a manufacturing department, and also land to produce.
We aim to train our learners and also get them to do practical in our own space.
If someone wanted to copy your business model, how would they start?
They will have to get accreditation and also get all the machinery worth more than R500,000.
What are some of the biggest inhibitors your business faced before getting off the ground?
Market penetration was the most difficult part, we still struggle to get business as they prefer using well-known businesses.
The advantage now is that we are part of different networking spaces like the business chamber where we are getting exposure and recognition.
Do you have any tips for budding entrepreneurs or new business owners?
Start with what you have, reinvest in the business as much as you can.
Business is risky and needs one to apply faith and believe in your vision.
Appreciate every step of development, it does not matter how small.
Get into a type of incubation programme to learn more on how to be compliant as business, how to control finance, business management and sourcing funds.
What are some of your biggest challenges in day-to-day business operations and your particular industry?
Delayed payments is the biggest hindrance.
What is the best advice anyone gave you on success?
In whatever I do, I should put God first and invite him in all of my plans.
How do you measure or define success in your business?
I started with only one accreditation, two qualifications, one Seta.
Now we are accredited with four Setas. For the 2021 financial year, we trained 279 people in different skills.
What are some of the best practices that have made your business successful?
Get subject matter experts for training even if it means paying more and less profit.
Understand my team and allocate them where they can optimise their performance.
Appreciate my team. The power of collaboration is important with fellow entrepreneurs.
I would rather have a half loaf and get repeat business over the years as we will be giving quality work.
What kind of advertising do you do?
We use social media like Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and LinkedIn.
We also have a website. We use networking sessions around the country. We also use newspapers and info-com with the business chamber.
What is your company’s vision?
To give employed and unemployed women and youth the skills needed by industry and also to upskill them in a way that they can turn into entrepreneurs for financial independence.
What is your target market?
Lower-level employees with an aim for them to be developed for the work environment, also unemployed women and youth who need to be skilled to start their own SMEs.
We train them in a technical skill like sewing, welding, millinery, business skills and digital marketing as a package.
What have some of your highlights been in running your business?
Being part of the SAB Fetola Tholoana Programme, being part of the Standard Bank Basali Programme, getting all the accreditations, receiving our machinery from different funders, starting our clothing and textile wing and getting great responses and employing 10 people on a project basis.
How important is social media and an online presence for your business?
It is quite important as we are building our brand and credibility by being associated with well-known businesses.
How many people do you employ?
At the moment it is three permanent, five facilitators, one moderator, two assessors on an ad hoc basis, one seamstress, eight general workers, one milliner and one milliner assistant.
Do you have any plans for expanding the business, and how would you go about this?
Yes, we have now started a programme in the Debe rural areas of Qonce with a welding programme with an intention of having more training.
I am planning to have two other branches in the rural area and one in Bloemfontein.
How did you acquire funding for the business?
Business-to-business do pay for services. We also source funds for training from Seta discretionary grants.
What is the biggest lesson you’ve learnt from your business journey so far?
Entrepreneurship is a lonely road, it is best to collaborate to ensure better and greater performance.
What have been the greatest challenges and advantages of running your business in a city like Gqeberha?
In Gqeberha, penetrating the market was the most difficult part, also building the networks was also a process.
I have been in the training space over a period of time and at least I understand the industry well and what type of training is in demand.
What would you say are the three key traits of a successful entrepreneur?
Learning, agility, discipline
What would you say are the key traits of a successful employer?
Leading by example, listening, gratitude
What do you wish people knew about your industry?
It is not easy, you continuously learn, be agile and share information for others to share with you.
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