Lucia Maluleke | Luckat Projects
Lucia Maluleke | Luckat Projects
Founder of Luckat Projects, Lucia Maluleke, established her business to address the hygiene and maintenance challenges faced by corporates, real-estate companies, home-owners associations and private property owners. This need fortunately coincided with her personal passion for cleaning and maintenance. Today, Luckat Projects meets its clients needs by providing services that include deep cleaning, plumbing, painting and electrical. Lucia was motivated to start the business “to make a difference in people’s lives by creating employment, and at the same time improve my financial stability.”
“The reason I entered this industry was to take advantage of the low cost of starting a cleaning company,” says Lucia. “It required minimal start-up costs. There was no need for me to rent an office immediately or pay utility bills or buy a vehicle. Even the start-up equipment was at a low cost.”
She goes on to say managing this type of business did not require extensive experience. “All I needed,” she remarks, “was motivation and determination.”
Before joining Octodec’s Pre-Prosperator Programme, Lucia’s business was still operating on a fairly informal basis. She found it difficult to price her services, had minimal systems and processes in place, and was struggling to attract new clients. She also felt intimidated by the financial aspects of the business, which were very unfamiliar to her. All this meant that she was not comfortable pitching the business to potential clients.
Over the course of the programme, Lucia’s confidence grew immensely. She also produced Luckat Projects’ first income statement and balance sheet. During her final simulation panel on the programme, the panellists commended her on her performance when she presented her financials. She cites her newfound confidence, as well as the introduction of formalised systems and processes to assist with lead generation and pricing, among others, as the most significant benefits of the Octodec P3 programme. Impressively, she reports a 50% increase in turnover and profit. She believes that she is now better able to manage the money coming into the business, and is working on hiring more staff.
When asked if she has advice for other aspiring entrepreneurs, Lucia says, “If you have a dream, go for it and do not let anyone discourage you.” She also advises would-be entrepreneurs to equip themselves with information, and attend business seminars and programmes that will help them to run successful businesses.
Lucia is extremely grateful to Octodec, saying, “I would like to thank Octodec for giving me a life-time opportunity and believing in me. You have given me a skill I will use for life. Without you, I would not be where I am today. With the skills I have learned from Raizcorp, I am on the right track to run a successful business.”.