If I had another opportunity to go back, I would not hesitate!

Mohlolo Maebela | Maebela Legacy Networks

My brother and I saw a business opening and went for it. We were IT technicians at the time and wanted to start our own company. We had the technical skills and, in theory, understood what it took to run a business but we lacked business sense in general. We started out in 2011 and worked hard but we weren’t doing as well as we could have been doing, probably because we didn’t understand how to make the business work for us.

Our major challenge in the earlier days was finance. We needed to deliver certain equipment to clients but couldn’t afford to purchase it. We also had to pay someone else to do our business admin and this took away more of our cash flow.

Things turned around for Maebela Legacy Networks when we joined the Raizcorp programme. We were suppliers to SENTECH and they nominated us as beneficiaries. Since then, I cannot emphasise enough the value we have received, both personally and from a business perspective.

First and foremost is the business acumen which we have gained. Our overall understanding of business has improved. We now know how to approach it and how to sell. The sales knowledge gained has been invaluable. The programme has helped us to define our USPs and to achieve what we wanted to achieve. The changes have been powerful for the business.

During my time with Raizcorp, we won one large contract and this will now be renewed for another two years, thanks to the good work we have done. There are another two on the horizon which we have won more recently.

Apart from the benefit to Maebela as a company, the personal benefit has been immense. I lost my wife during my time with Raizcorp and the support I have received from my guides has been very important. Business and work are always interconnected and I was always able to talk to someone which was marvellous. They were confidential and patient which went a long way to helping me at the time.

To me, the ARIZE programme is so much more than just a “school”. It is more of an individual development programme and it caters for my individual needs. I would like SENTECH and Raizcorp to know that it has really made a difference in our lives and if I had another opportunity to go back, I would not hesitate!