Ridwaan Docrat | iSite Internet Solutions

Ridwaan Docrat | iSite Internet Solutions

Programme sponsor: Oracle

Founder of iSite Internet Solutions, Ridwaan Docrat, always dreamed of owing his own business. Prior to starting iSite, he gained experience in traditional employment over a period of ten years but was looking for more freedom.
Established in 2008, iSite aims to eliminate downtime for its business clients by managing their IT requirements while they do what they do best – running their businesses. iSite is an outsourced IT department that provides support services, ensures systems are functioning properly, and manages vendors on behalf of its clients.
Ridwaan describes beginning the business as “scary” with manpower being his biggest challenge. He says, “I needed to employ people but, at the same time, I needed enough sales to guarantee that I could pay them. There was a fear of not making it, and not being able to pay. I was doing a lot of the work myself.”
Ridwaan embarked on the Oracle Fast Forward business-acceleration programme in 2019. One of the biggest key takeaways is that his business now produces proper management accounts. He confesses that while he had previously wanted to produce financials, he simply didn’t know how. His team of guides on the programme encouraged him to produce a full set of management accounts at the beginning of each month. He remarks, “I am now able to analyse and look at details, and see where I am making money, where I am not, and where to improve. I can make informed decisions.”
He describes starting on the programme as quite overwhelming as so much was being unpacked and he was experiencing many realisations about how much had to be done and implemented. “Being able to manage that, prioritise, delegate and break things down has been a big personal growth for me. I am able to do all these things and run a business.”
“My first learning session in Johannesburg was presented by Allon Raiz who said that ‘bumpy is the new normal.’ I knew it was a bumpy ride but, coming from Allon, it gave me a lot of comfort. I knew I was in the right place and on the right path.”
In his time on the programme, Ridwaan has experienced a big improvement in his net profit, and has been making strides in creating his own fully fledged finance department. In terms of human resources, he is starting to get the people component of the business right, and has defined roles and responsiblities in order to place the right people in roles.
“Thank you to Oracle for making this possible,” says Ridwaan. “It’s an opportunity of a lifetime. In one year what I’ve learned and what has come out of this programme would have taken me years to learn by myself. I’ve never seen a programme as practical and powerful. I have no words to describe my gratifude to Oracle.”