#WIB – Q&A With Saskia Hill Owner Of MCS Debt Recovery
1. Can you please tell us more about your business?
A. MCS Debt Recovery is a contact centre which was established in 1995. I was fortunate to take it over in 2009. This company specialises in debt collection in South Africa. Our clients include banks, retailed, tracking services and telcos.
Connect BPS was started 3.5 years ago after seeing the need for overseas companies to outsource to South Africa. Most of our clients are in the USA, so the contact centre is open for 22 hours a day. We provide a variety of services (sales, QA, customer services, data reporting, collections, back office, answering services, recruitment). We have worked on some interesting projects (inbound for a UK company for a vehicle class action law suite, we assisted a USA client with the recruitment of agents to roll out a contact centre to assist with appointment making for the vaccines and currently we are assisting a Canadian client with answering the many calls for support related to Hurricane Ian in Florida).
Elula is a start-up payment company which is still in its infancy and keeping us busy.
2. When, how and why did you start your business?
A. I’ve had a number of businesses which I have bought and sold over the years, including a bread/milk home delivery service and importing wedding bubbles from the US!
I had worked for corporate companies in both the UK and USA but the entrepreneurial passion was always present and I decided to return to South Africa and start my own accounting practice in 1999.
MCS Debt Recovery : In 2009, one of my clients requested a valuation on his contact centre business as he was emigrating. He suggested I purchase it! It was totally out of my comfort zone, but I took a leap of faith and sold my accounting practice and purchased the contact centre.
Connect BPS : A few years ago, I noticed an increase in demand for offshore companies to outsource to South Africa. Fortunately, the clients overseas like our neutral accent and the professional manner in which the staff handle the calls. We have completed some interesting projects for both the UK and USA. This company is growing and I am grateful travel is open again to visit our clients and attend conferences.
Elula : Being in the debt recovery business, we realised there were some frustrations with regards to payment methods, as a result, we entered into a joint venture with a development company and founded Elula.
3. What is your role in the business?
A. On paper, I’m the CEO, however, I am involved with all levels of the operations and not scared to “get my hands dirty”. I meet with the management team regularly. The clients know they can contact me personally at any time and I’d be happy to assist them. Fortunately we have a great team working together and that makes all the difference.
4. Where did you study and what did you study?
A. I decided to take a gap year after school and I’m so grateful I did as I changed my career path! I was going to study hotel management. I went to work in a hotel for a few months and quickly realised this was not the career I wanted to pursue. After saving some money, I went travelling overseas and returned to register with UNISA. Sadly there was no funding for full-time University, but that didn’t stop me!
I initially registered for a BComm with accounting and computers major. I was fortunate to then find an accounting company advertising for articled clerks (to work full-time and study part-time through UNISA). I am grateful I got the job and then completed my articles while I studied a BCompt (Hons) in the evenings. As a result of doing this simultaneously, I qualified as a CA(SA) in 5.5 years rather than the usual 7 years.
5. How did you finance your business?
A. I paid the deposit using the sale of my accounting practice and then made an arrangement with the seller to pay him monthly (for the balance of the purchase price).
6. Describe your average workday, if such a thing exists
A. After recently attending an EO (Entrepreneurs’ Organization) RLA (Regional Leadership Academy), we were given tools to start our day on our positive note. Before checking our phones, we are applying a 10-10-10 strategy (10 minutes thinking of what you are grateful for, 10 minutes reading inspirational books and 10 minutes writing positive thoughts in your journal). These positive thoughts set a positive tone for the day.
I have always been a planner (and my family will concur!)
My typical workday starts early, sometimes with a sunrise beach walk with a friend, or taking children to school.
If I am in the office, my first meeting will be with the Senior team for a high-level business review and strategic initiatives. Thereafter, I meet with the individual Team Leaders to hear first-hand of any challenges or opportunity areas I can provide guidance on. In between, I review the finance reports. I also block out time for innovation and strategic planning, it’s an important aspect of the business that I need to allocate time for. There are also requests for supplier meetings and potential new suppliers often request meetings too, so I need to filter the “Urgent and important” versus “not important and not urgent” to plan a productive day.
If there are no client meetings, then I schedule periodic check-ins with industry associates and friends. This normally takes the form of a coffee catch-up. I have found my network to be invaluable for knowledge, best practices, support and encouragement which all entrepreneurs need.
As we have two different operations, namely MCS Debt Recovery (South African) and Connect BPS (offshore), I also ensure I spend time meeting with the nightshift manager to ensure I am always up to speed. As a lot of our communication across both companies is via whatsapp groups, the day doesn’t end there and I will attend to the messages on the groups and when needed attend the online meetings with our offshore clients (USA hours) in the evenings.
If I’m travelling to visit clients, then my day usually starts early, I like to be prepared for each meeting and then travel between clients. The client relationships are vital to the business.
It all sounds good on paper, but you can be assured it is not plain sailing like that every day!
7. How do you balance your home life and work life?
A. I previously found difficulty with this, however, COVID has done me a favour in this regard. I’ve realised that it’s okay not to be the first and last one in the office! I do try work at home now on some days (especially during school holidays) so at least then I am still around my family. With the advanced planning, I also try attend sport matches and school functions, even if it means catching up on the workload later in the evening when they are asleep.
Having 3 kids at 3 different schools and at different educational levels requires a lot of planning and I am fortunate to have an incredibly supportive, hands-on husband.
Again, being an EO member, has been instrumental in ensuring I spend more time with my family. They keep reminding us that we only have 18 summers with our kids. With my daughter now being 18 years, I can concur how quickly those years pass us by.
With friends, I make an effort to contact them and catch up over coffees or breakfasts (after school drop-off is always a good time), or a sunrise beach walk is always great too.
Balancing work-home life is something that needs a constant check-in and conscious move back onto the right track! With the world around changing at such a fast pace, I am always looking for different ways to make everything work in a harmonious way.
8. What drives and inspires you?
A. I am inspired by people who have worked hard to gain success despite their circumstances. Many people (including our own staff), have come from difficult childhoods or tragic circumstances and despite these adversities, they pushed forward and succeeded. Despite their “failures” they continue to persevere. The human spirit is amazing and I am always in awe of how much we can overcome. We have so much to learn from these stories. In this regard, I am my Mom’s biggest cheerleader having heard and seen what she has overcome and kept a positive mindset at all times. I am so grateful for the knowledge she has passed on to me.
Acquiring knowledge also drives me, I am constantly learning. I learn so much from travelling, the Entrepreneur Organisation, industry organisations, mentors and other entrepreneurs. Providing my children with opportunities to explore their purpose and ambitions is also a key driver.
9. Where and when do you have your best ideas?
A. Usually when there is a problem / crossroads in a path. I love solving problems and I guess, together with my team, we can discuss pros/cons of each issue and come up with a few solutions.
10. Where and how do you market/advertise your business for sales leads?
A. For the SA business, it is a fairly niche market, so we generally know who the clients are to meet with.
For the offshore business, the sky is the limit, so I find the best way is to attend very selective conferences. I always contact the attendees ahead of time to set up meetings while I am there. Fortunately we also get referrals from our existing clients.
Linkedin is also a good source for research and business development, but it is time consuming and using a professional for this is advised.
11. What is next for your business?
A. Our focus now is to grow the businesses. For Elula, as it’s in its infancy stage, it requires more marketing.
For Connect BPS, we have some exciting plans underway and hopefully we can announce this in the new year.
12. What advice would you give to female entrepreneurs hoping to start their own business?
A. The only limits we have, are the ones we set for ourselves. We are gratefully in an era where we can do absolutely anything we apply our minds to regardless of whether we are men or women. I think it’s important as women that we stay true to our authentic selves, embrace what makes us different from men and still strive to make our mark as entrepreneurs. There are so many resources available to research the sector you want to be in, be knowledgeable so that the risks you take are educated risks. Know your value proposition and what differentiates your services or products.
Give thought to who your target market is and how best to reach them. Industry organisations and government SME one-stop shops are a great resource for information and guidance in terms of legalities and other compliance requirements. I encourage you to join other female entrepreneur groups as there are always women wanting to share their journey, we can all learn from each other.
The quote I talk about the most when given an opportunity is “Your network is your net worth”. Spend time on building and maintaining your relationships. Not only with your family and friends, but also with our staff, clients, suppliers and competitors. I was once told by a good friend, that relationships are like a bank account, the more your put in/deposit your time, the easier it is when you need to make a withdrawal in times of hardships. Having been through a disaster myself, I can truly vouch for this.
For more please visit: MCS Debt Recovery