Lazola Sigcawu | Reddot Group

Programme sponsor: DSV

“After joining the programme, my revenue increased by 700%, I secured deals with big brands like Toyota and Isuzu and I now employ 346 people.”

I grew up in a family of entrepreneurs. My great-grandmother ran a tavern and I would often help with chores. As a teenager, I also helped on weekends at the spaza shop we ran from our home. I’d serve customers and had to calculate their change, manage inventory, and cash up at the end of my shift, making sure the books balanced.

When I finished school, I studied for a diploma in chemical engineering. I worked for a paper manufacturing company as a technician for a while, but didn’t have the passion to pursue a career in that direction. Instead, I helped my aunt run her internet café and construction company, which led to me assisting my uncle with his car on-wheels logistics business. From there, I decided to start my own business offering vehicle transport and auto logistics and founded Reddot in 2014.

Over the years, we’ve grown from assisting dealerships with delivering vehicles door-to-door, mainly in the used cars market, to operating our own fleet of 10 multi-vehicle carriers and having contracts in place with large Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs). Now, we’re a leading provider of national and international vehicle transport and auto logistics to all parts of South Africa and neighbouring countries.

Asking the right questions

When I first started to approach OEMs, we were invited to tender on a contract for Volkswagen SA, but we weren’t successful. I asked for feedback about why we were turned down, and how we could improve – they suggested we contact Raizcorp and look into their business-development services. So I applied for a programme and was accepted in 2020, sponsored by DSV.

Sharpened strategy

I really enjoyed the programme and benefited from it in many ways – from sharpening my strategic direction to improving my financial acumen. I used to say I was allergic to numbers, but now I can read financial statements and use them to make strategic business decisions.

Although Reddot had been growing before I started the programme, we didn’t have a clear strategy or any data that would help us track things like customer retention. That’s where the programme made a real difference. It helped me implement systems and cultivate feedback to identify gaps or failures in the business, ensuring we would be able to deliver on our promise to our customers.

For example, we implemented proper hiring and onboarding processes to ensure we sourced qualified and reliable drivers. We never used to have team meetings, but now each team has daily “toolbox talks” and we have weekly KPI meetings, monthly management meetings, quarterly review meetings and an annual strategy session. That has all assisted us with clarity and buy-in throughout the business – now everyone knows what they’re doing and where the business is headed.

After joining the programme, our revenue increased by 700% and we secured contracts with Isuzu and Toyota, assisting with transporting vehicles from their plants in Gqeberha and Durban respectively.

Personal growth

The highlight of the programme has been discovering the kind of leader I have turned out to be. Raizcorp often talks about the horse and the jockey – you need both to win races. It’s not just about the horse. The maturity, emotional intelligence and way of thinking I’ve developed as a result of the programme has also propelled my team to the next level. There is a saying that everything rises and falls on leadership – when the leader improves, everyone else is forced to level up too.

Without the Raizcorp programme, I would not have seen the same growth, accountability and achievement over this short space of time.

Advice for other entrepreneurs

If you get an opportunity to join a Raizcorp programme, do it! The one-on-one mentorship is invaluable. It helps grow your business and shapes you into a more confident leader. The other thing I’ve learned is to spend more time working on the business, not in it. You need to be able to view your business from both the outside and the inside to charter a strategy and to get the best from your team.

A message for my sponsor

We currently employ 346 people and, without DSV, we would not have been able to achieve that level of impact within this time frame. We’re tracking our on-time deliveries and quality deliveries with some customers and sitting at 100% and 95% respectively. That’s a direct result of me going through this programme and being able to put in place the right systems and processes.

Thank you to DSV and to Raizcorp for affording me this opportunity. It hasn’t only benefitted Reddot, it has also had an impact on my personal life; my journey as a person and a leader. The things I’ve learned about emotional intelligence don’t only add value to people in my business world, but in my personal space – they make me a better husband and father too.