Tshepo Jeffrey Makinta | Pablo K Trading

Programme sponsor: Thungela

“This programme has helped me to get out of my comfort zone, to identify the gaps in my business, to grow my capabilities and to take the company to the next level.”

I started my business as a side hustle in 2015, when I was working for Eskom, and resigned in 2018 to run it full-time. Pablo K Trading (Pty) Ltd. is a building, construction and engineering technology company focused on providing innovative products and solutions for the mining, civil, agricultural, resources, land development, and environmental management sectors. We are based in eMalahleni in Mpumalanga and have recently opened a second branch in Limpopo, with plans to expand to the Eastern Cape and North West provinces in future.

I came to the Thuthukani programme through trying to find out how to get registered on the Thungela supplier database. I was on the company’s website to find that information when I came across the advertisement to join the Raizcorp programme. I thought “Why not? I want to develop my business – I haven’t reached the ceiling yet.”

So, I applied and was accepted, with Thungela as my sponsor. I’m enjoying the programme and hope to continue with it – it’s shown me that I was in a comfort zone and challenged me to tap into the capabilities that were hidden in me.

Accelerated success

The programme is very demanding, and so is my business, so balancing the two is challenging. Sometimes it feels like sleeping under a small blanket – if your head is covered your feet are open. But it’s worth it because I’m getting what I was hoping for – accelerated growth and help with systemising my business and putting the right structures in place.

For example, I have been able to address financial compliance issues, which means I am better able to access funding, and I’m using Sage instead of Excel for quotations and invoicing, which has improved my record-keeping and reporting.

I’ve had psychological, financial, strategic and marketing support, which have all been helpful. I’m getting bigger contracts now (I’ve had two recent contracts of R12 million and R23 million) and I’ve increased my revenue. For the first eight months of 24, we are sitting at R12 million, which is more than

a 500% increase from our monthly averages in 2023. I’ve also been able to appoint 10 permanent employees.

I am using all the tools the programme has provided me with and I’m seeing the impact. I’m in a very positive space right now.

The programme is pushing me, and I want it to push me further still. I want to operate like Bidvest – to expand into all the provinces of South Africa and even beyond, and to operate in different divisions and industries so that if one area is struggling, the others can sustain it.

Advice for other entrepreneurs

Being an entrepreneur is not easy. When you start, it’s about the money and being better off than the person with a 7-to-4 job. But it takes commitment, time and training to make it work. My advice to other entrepreneurs is that you need to be self-motivated, but you cannot do it alone. Seek out training and mentorship and keep learning.

You also need to set goals and communicate them, as well as how you’re going to achieve them, and to plan for the rollercoaster. Business will go up and it will go down and you need to know what you’re going to do in both cases and to be prepared for the times when you are in the minus side as well as in the plus side.

Seek help; explore; do a lot of research; talk to people. Those are the things that will help you to get to where you’re supposed to go.

A message for my sponsor

I want to thank Thungela for believing in me and spending the money on my business. My plan is still to do business with them and to repay their investment in my company through providing them with quality services in their business.

I also want to thank Raizcorp for the quality of the programme. Everything is relevant and current, from the learning material to the examples used, and I feel like they are invested in the success of my business.