Province: KwaZulu Natal
District/Branch name: Downstream Aluminium Centre for Technology
Business Name: Grenn Stone Boiler Makers (Pty)Ltd
Business type: Welding
Background
- Sekhosana Moses of Grenn Stone Boiler Makers is a virtual client who runs his business at his home in Ngwelezane, he has built a small shelter that serves as a workshop, it is the size of a double garage.
- Grenn Stone Boiler Makers was established in 11 October 2011
- Mr Sekhosana manufactures gates, burglar guards and he does a lot of maintenance and welding services for local companies.
- Mr Sekhosana was a walk in pipeline that came enquiring about DACT because he had seen had seen an insert about the centre aired on the 1KZN news. He then found out where the centre was and came in. Mr Sekhosana was already trading informally at the time but he saw that he lacked a lot of skills and knowledge about his business.
- Mr Sekhosana relied on his memory to remember all his clients that have not paid or clients who have not paid outstanding balances. He would find himself working on a loss; he would complete a lot of jobs but get a very low profit at the end of the day.
- Mr Sekhosana only worked with his sons, he had to teach them all he knows about welding and that somehow limited him on the growth of his product line and efficiency of his business.
- No business plan
- unskilled staff for that business type
- his clients were his neighbors only who sometimes would not pay in time or not pay at all because they didn’t understand his pricing
Intervention / Solution
- Mr Sekhosana was taught the simple principles of pricing his products and was given a financial pack to get him started and to also encourage him to continually use these simple tools that made a huge impact and difference on his sales figures.
- He was booked for pricing and costing workshop where he learnt a great deals about keeping his financial books in order interms of the importance of keeping record, how much this system can help save you money and why it is important.
- Mr Sekhosana now has an invoice book, a receipt book and a quotation book, using this system helps him keep track of his profits and for references, the quotation has help a great deal in the pricing and has solved a lot of issues he had with his clients, they are now confident in purchasing his product, because he shows then through the quotes that he does as to how he got to the total cost.
- Mr Sekhosana has secured a contract with Sugar Fields a local bakery in Empangeni K Z N; they supply bread to local stores. He is refurbishing an industrial gas oven; he will also be responsible for the installation and the monthly service thereafter. It is a four meter oven and bakes a 1000 loafs of bread at a time. (please see photos below)
- The marketing material for his business has really helped the growth of his business; his business is now more professional, he is now able to approach big companies and leave his business cards where he sees there is a client potentiality.
