Linda Nungu | Hyacinth Trading

Programme sponsor: Shell LiveWIRE

The reason I became an entrepreneur is simple: I didn’t want to work for a boss. I’ve always wanted the flexible schedule and financial freedom that entrepreneurship can offer because I didn’t have that growing up. We struggled financially and my parents, who did shift work in the medical industry, couldn’t dictate their working hours so weren’t able to spend as much time with me as they’d have liked.

As it turns out, I did end up working for a boss, but it was only for a few months just after I graduated as an electrical engineer. I’d met someone through church who needed help with their business so I agreed to help out at their recruitment firm. I ran my own business offering electrical maintenance services on the side and jobs started trickling in, although I was working mostly as a subcontractor.

As I was new to the industry, a friend offered to put me in touch with a contact of hers, a Mr Mabunda, a senior engineer working in Ekurhuleni and I asked him to mentor me. He showed me how to put a tender together properly and helped me enormously in other ways. I lost count of how many tenders I submitted but it took me three years to land one. I couldn’t believe it when it finally happened – I had to pinch myself! I was so excited I didn’t sleep that night.

I grabbed the opportunity with both hands; I was on site from Monday to Sunday and worked around the clock. I didn’t want to disappoint anyone, or for anything to go wrong. Back then, mine was just one of two women-led engineering companies in Ekurhuleni so I felt like I had to crack it – to prove it not just to myself but also to all the people who said it couldn’t be done. I also felt like I had the eyes of young women in our community on me – I needed to show them it could be done. And I did. But, although work was coming in, I had problems with clients paying me – I sat with a book of debt for over three years! I knew there had to be a way to turn things around. I needed help putting better business structures in place and with accessing markets.

I was at one of my lowest points when I applied for a Shell LiveWIRE programme, powered by Raizcorp, online. Obviously, I was thrilled when I was accepted onto a Comprehensive Enterprise Development programme in 2023 and was matched with Shell as my sponsor. I committed to learning as much as I could from the structured programme, as well as working one-on-one with my Raizcorp guides to improve my finances, sales and marketing and strategy.

After seeing me successfully grow my business, two women in my community approached me for advice on how they could start their own electrical engineering companies. It’s not an easy industry to break into and I benefited so much from having a mentor, so I gave them advice on how to enter the market and coached them through the one-on-one interview process that’s required to work with government departments. We’re still in touch today – we have a WhatsApp group where we continue to motivate and support one another. I believe it’s important for women to help other women, especially in male-dominated industries.

As I near my graduation, I can’t believe how things have changed over the last year. I’ve invested in proper business systems and structures, my turnover has increased by 87% and my net profit is up by 8%. Not only do my numbers tell a better story, I can actually see the progress I’ve made in the way my business operates.

Some of the biggest changes, though, have been in me. One of the first things I learned through the programme was that if you aren’t in a good space, your business won’t be either – that has turned out to be true. I’ve realised my own worth and have more confidence in myself and my business skills, which have positively impacted Hyacinth Trading. And things just keep getting better.  I’ve recently secured a lucrative contract with a property developer to perform electrical installations in new properties and I’m working on growing my private-sector clients.

My advice for aspiring entrepreneurs

I know it’s a cliché but my best advice is to follow your dreams and believe in yourself. If I had believed in myself more, then I’m certain I’d be further in my career than I am today.

A message for my sponsor

First and foremost, thank you Shell LiveWIRE for this life-changing opportunity. I still find it surreal that you chose to invest so much in me and I hope you will continue to do this incredible work helping other entrepreneurs.