#WIB – Q&A With Pumla Vilakazi CEO Of Sasopsbiz

1. Can you please tell us more about your business?

Sasopsbiz is a social enterprise that supports SMMEs to build and maintain profitable and scalable businesses through:

Providing affordable and flexible workspace( i.e: factory, office space, farm, etc.)
Business advisory services and consulting
Training, mentorship and coaching
Incubator and or accelerator programmes

Our business structure is as follows:

Sasopsbiz Pty Ltd – has the following:

Business Centre

SASOPSBIZ has a fully equipped accessible, co-working space, flexible for small business. A client can choose from any of the following combinations:

Prime and convenient business address and local telephone number
Professional receptionist on site to receive customers and take phone calls.
Message service – messages emailed directly to you in real time.
Mail receiving and sorting.
Secretarial support services – typing, printing, binding, scanning, photocopying, assisting with travel arrangements, minute-taking.
Record keeping.
Use of a private, fully serviced office.
Use of private, fully meeting rooms.
Canteen.
Printing and photocopying facility.
Reception and welcome area to receive your clients.
Wifi access when on site.

The business centre has a reception area manned by a professional receptionist. It has the following facilities.

Closed Offices

These are furnished offices that can be rented on a need basis, ranging from an hour to years. Each office is equipped with a desk with drawers, a cupboard. Clients renting for a period of over six months get discounted rate for business advisory services, financial statements and use of meeting rooms. An office can accommodate one or two people of the same company depending on needs.

Co-working Space

The business centre offers a more affordable office space which is in the open plan. The clients can rent the open plan desks with a computer, free Wi-Fi and access to a telephone for a period of one hour to years as in the closed office. There are different packages designed to meet the needs of our clients in this space. Currently, there are 8 desks in the open plan space.

Training Room

Two training rooms are available for hire. Currently, there is a thirty seater and twenty seater training rooms. These rooms can also be used for training should it be necessary. Flip charts and markers from part of the package but clients can request additional material. We have hosted a number of businesses, Seta contracted service providers , churches, etc.

Business Advisory Services

SASOPSBIZ also offers a holistic business support service with the following services offerings include :

Strategic planning
Business Plan development
Company registration and transaction advisory services
Procurement and bids preparation
Human Resource and Payroll Administration
Preparation of financial statements
Tax Matters
Secretarial Services
Business administration
Compiling of Profiles
Application for Funding
Mentorship and Coaching

Business Academy

SASOPSBIZ has a training academy that offers short courses that equips individuals in vocational and entrepreneurial skills. It also offers accredited business management skills, workshops, and seminars.

We are an accredited training provider with the following Setas:

FP&M Seta
LG Seta
Services Seta : New Venture Creation

Sasopsbiz Foundation

Sasopsbiz Foundation is a social investment vehicle of Sasopsbiz Pty Ltd. It is a registered NPO involved in a number of programmes that seek to move previously disadvantaged communities/ individuals from the periphery of the economy into the mainstream economy. It does this through a holistic approach that pursues economic, environmental and social goals of development. Currently there are two programmes under the Foundation.

Phakamisa Girls Economic Empowerment Programme

The aim of the programme is to develop a cadre of economically active, independent and self-sufficient girls and young women who will contribute to the economic development of the country.

The programme has three interventions domains to address economic challenges faced by girls and young women. These interventions include:

Social Empowerment
Entrepreneurship
And Job readiness

To implement these interventions, Sasopsbiz Foundation employs the following strategies

Establishment and running of Hand Up Girls Squads(HUGS) : Sector specific HUGS with a president and a committee are established as vehicles for networking, collaboration and sustainable development.
Training and Workshops : Sasopsbiz conducts various training and workshops to teach valuable life skills like business management, job readiness, social issues, etc. These are run by external or internal facilitators who are experts in the field.
Peer Education Programme : Sasopsbiz implements a peer education programme to promote positive life skills such as leadership and communication and to decentralize knowledge to the communities. To date we have 6 peer educators
Mentorship Programme : Sasopsbiz vision for mentoring is for a vibrant, effective and sustainable mentoring network that supports HUGs socially and economically and help them to survive and grow. We have appointed 5 mentors from various fields.
Business Pitching Sessions: As part of growing the skills base of HUGS, Sasopsbiz runs business pitching competitions where their ideas are pitched in front of a panel.
Seed Capital : Sasopsbiz shall raise funds offers minimal seed capital to successful Hugs who want to start a business or to scale up their businesses. This is in a form of a grant to support a business in any sector. To qualify, Hugs must participate in a selection process .
Business Advisory Services : Sasopsbiz offer business advisory services to HUGs with a business incl. company registrations, business plan development. Tax matters, etc.- at a budget that would be determined using a formula that takes into consideration programme budgets.
Access to workspace : Hugs have been given access to the available office space and boardrooms. This is a limited service that would be dependent on availability and frequency.
Employment – Sasopsbizlooks for opportunities to place Hugs in employment. It also trains them on job applications, partners with companies to get them to participate in learnership programme. Trains them on basic computer literacy. Offers them space to apply for jobs.
Graduation : Participants to this programme are exited through a graduation process. Only those that meet the criteria will graduate. However, if a person has been a HUGS they will always remain a HUGS even after graduation and will participate in other HUGS programmes.

Sasops Furnlab

Sasops Furnlab is a furniture incubator based in Pietermaritzburg. The programme is funded by SEDA through its Import Substitution and Localisation Programme. It offers existing and start up SMMEs from township and rural areas an opportunity to professionalise and scale up their operations through:

Access to the factory
Technical and business training & mentorship
Access to expertise
Access to markets

Our main aim is import substitution and localisation through:

Coordinated production
Product support chain
Coordinated market supply
Forming of strategic support alliances

We have a fully equipped furniture factory and we recently graduated 25 our first cohort of furniture incubates. Because of lack of funding we are currently employing a commercialisation strategy which includes:

Cut and edge
Furniture making
Carpentry and Upholstery training

2. When, how and why did you start your business?

The business was registered in February 2017, but opened its doors on the 08^th of June 2017. I have always felt privilege that I was able to escape poverty through a number of opportunities that were presented to me along the way. I was raised by hard working parents who believed in education. I was a KEEP student, a KwaZulu Education Enhancement Programme that nurtured and moulded selected learners from Grade 8 for future impact

I am a South African Race Relations bursary Awardee which paid for my university education. All these opportunities conspired to put me in a position where I could get a better life for myself and my family. However, most young people today struggle to get employment even after working hard to get education. I felt that I needed to contribute to changing the status quo. I believed that if we can get more of them to start thriving businesses and not just wait for employment we would be able to deal with some of the ills of our society.

I also believed that we should start by teaching them practical skills. It is for this reason that Sasopsbiz was named SA School of Practical Skills(Sasops). I started by running Poetry of Hands when I was still working- a concept that I started with a friend to encourage people to use their hands to get out of the trap of poverty. I then decided that I was not going to renew my contract and would go into full time business. I coopted my partner who was still working and we opened doors in 2017.

3. What is your role in the business?

I am the Chief Executive Officer of Sasopsbiz and its subsidiaries.

4. Where did you study and what did you study?

My first degree was Social Work at UNITRA, then I did Marketing at UnISA. My highest qualifation is a Masters degree in Policy development from UKZN.

5. How did you finance your business?

It was self-funded.

The NPO has managed to get funding from Women’s Voice Leadership SA (PGEEP) and from SEDA(Sasops Furnlab). From January 2023 the NPO will also not have any funding as the Seda funding was for 3 years , but was reduced to 1 year during the implementation of the programme. Funding remains a challenge for us an organisation.

6. Describe your average workday, if such a thing exists.

No two days are the same. As a small business with a lot to do with little resources, we find that it is a difficult balancing act between working in my business and working on my business. You will find me slaving away on my computer to finish work for a client, whilst also writing a proposal to pursue new opportunities. Also, I have to stand in front of a class and teach, and then rush to a an important stakeholder meeting. I sleep very late.

7. How do you balance your home life and your work life?

For the past 5 years, I don’t think I have managed to so that very well. I am grateful that my son goes to a school with flexible boarding facilities and I am able to use them if need be. I am also grateful that I have a very loyal and committed helper who understands that I am still trying to build an organisation.

My son is also a very goal oriented and independent person with an impeccable work ethic. I guess I am just lucky to be surrounded by these people. However, I make sure that I attend most sporting events, school activities that my son is involved in. I spend time with him at home. I also like working from home, rather than at the office most of the time. My business partner is also very supportive in this regard.

8. What drives you and inspires you?

I am a very passionate individual by nature. I love love love my people. I think South Africa is one of the best countries in the world. I think this country has immense possibilities and that if we all come together to strive towards a common goal, we have potential to build one of the best economies of the World. I love happily ever after. I love stories with a happy ending. The Prince charming stories are my go to movies and books. I am inspired by stories similar to my own where people are able to surmount challenges and become the best that they can be. I am flipper. I would buy an old set of chair, revive it and paint it yellow to give it life again. So these stories make me believe that with the right support people’s stories can change.

9. Where and when do you have your best ideas?

Anytime. Anywhere. Ideas always come to my mind. Sometimes I have to stop myself.

10. Where and how do you market/advertise your business for sales leads?

We have not been able to afford marketing for a long time. We have mainly relied on social media. However, we feel that our target market is not necessarily on social media, but on mainstream media. The people that we support might be on social media, but the companies that pay for our services are not necessarily there. We would like to expand our channels of communication and to position ourselves differently. We have engaged the services of a marketing company to assist us with this.

11. What is next for your business?

We would like to expand into other local municipalities within Umgungundlovu District and then move into other areas within the Province and beyond. We would like to secure off take agreements with big companies to stock products produced by our incubatees. We would like to open a skills centre that focuses on practical skills needed by the economy.

12. What advice would you give to female entrepreneurs hoping to start their own business?

Start. Conditions are never going to be perfect for you to start. If you don’t start, you will always wonder. Also, attend courses that would help you to run your businesses. There are number of free courses out there. Do not forget to network. Bathi your network is you net worth.

Contact information:

Sasopsbiz

1^st Floor Main City Building

210 Langalibalelele Street

Pietermaritzburg

033 897 5560/033 307 0898

061 518 0959/ 076 499 6137

pumla@sasopsbiz.co.za/pumla@atlanticfellows.org/agromanna394@gmail.com

Social media links:

Sasopsbiz

Facebook : Sasopsbiz

Twitter:@Sasopsbiz1

Instagram : @Sasopsbiz

Foundation

Facebook : Sasopsbiz Foundation

Twitter : @SasopsbizF

Instagram : @Sasopsbizfoundation

Furnlab

Facebook : Sasopsfurnlab

Instagram : Sasopsfurnlab

Youtube : Sasopsbiz youtube channel