Matsiki Mosima | Mororo Trading & Projects

Programme sponsor: Vergenoeg Mining Company

When Matsiki Mosima found himself unemployed he decided to take his fate into his own hands. Drawing on his years of experience as a site engineer, in 2017 he started Mororo Trading and Projects, a company specialising in building and civil construction as well as plant and mining equipment hire.

Like many entrepreneurs, Matsiki admits he struggled in the beginning, “I didn’t know which platforms to use to get jobs and I battled to find the right opportunities. When I did get a job, I usually had to let the opportunity go because I didn’t have the cash flow to see it through.”

In 2021, Matsiki was selected for a life-changing Vergenoeg Mining sponsored business-development programme powered by Raizcorp, which gave him access to extensive entrepreneurial learning and one-on-one guiding. “I learned so much, like how to put the correct business processes and systems in place, and that it’s imperative to always be marketing yourself – sell, sell, sell!” he emphasises. The real value of the programme was evident in the way Mororo Trading and Projects grew.

This year, Matsiki started a new programme, again sponsored by Vergenoeg Mining, and the business’s turnover has improved by 45%. He adds, “The experience has been priceless and has helped me in my entrepreneurial endeavours – it wasn’t until I started on the first programme that my company really took off. The impact on my business has been immense and I’ve learned the importance of knowing every number – I now know how to read an income statement, understand the financial position of the company and have even put together a finance strategy. I currently employ three people and we’re about to sign our biggest contract yet, which is worth over R1 million!”

Another big change has been to Matsiki’s confidence, he explains, “When I started out as an entrepreneur, I had no confidence in myself but over the past two years I’ve gained a lot of self-awareness and dealt with my thoughts of doubt and fear.”

His advice to aspiring entrepreneurs is to know that the journey they are undertaking is one of growth and possibility, and that there will also be dark days when they’ll consider throwing in the towel. But, Matsiki says, the important thing is to keep going!

In a thank-you message to his sponsor, Vergenoeg Mining, who’ve sponsored him on two programmes, he says, “For everything you have done for us in the past, and everything you continue to do at Mororo Trading and Projects, we are so incredibly thankful and we look forward to a prosperous future together.”