Sizwe Nzima - Business Isn't Just About Money

Sizwe Nzima(23), is an inspirational business man from the Western Cape township of Khayelitsha. He has started a business called Iyeza Express and the core function of the small start-up is to collect and deliver chronic medication from clinics and deliver it to residents in the local area.

 

This inventive business is addressing the long-standing social problem of overcrowding in public health facilities. Instead of standing in long queues for hours, Nzima’s Iyeza Express collects vital medication from local clinics and delivers them by bicycle to Khayelitsha residents, at their homes.

The idea has proven itself to be a time-saver, a real help to less able people, an eco-friendly initiative and profitable for Sizwe and his colleagues.

Sizwe has two business partners and he says that the group is committed to building the economy and solving social issues. “We are all about social change and we are coming up with business ideas that can change society, help our community and uplift the economy.

“Business isn’t just about making money, but also about bringing about positive change.”

After completing an intensive business training course at the Raymond Ackerman Academy, Sizwe started the company in May 2012 and instantly began addressing the problem of busy clinics, a problem which he witnessed personally.

“I used to collect medication for my grandma for three years and experienced first-hand what happens. I have personal experience of what it was like to actually stand in queues for more than four or five hours to collect your meds. And it frustrated me. Every time I went to the clinic, I got frustrated.”

“I thought to myself that I must do something and that surely there must be a need for a service that would streamline the process.”

Nzima discovered that while there are charities that collected medication for elderly or bed-ridden patients, there was nothing in place for the working person who was being forced to waste working hours queuing for medication.

“These were people who would happily pay for affordable delivery of their medicine, allowing them to save their sick leave – if they get any – for days when they are really ill.

What I’m doing is helping to improve people’s quality of life and life expectancy

“The service encourages people to go to work and stay healthy as they aren’t tempted to stop taking their life-saving medication because they have run out,” he said. “What I’m doing is helping to improve people’s quality of life and life expectancy.”

One major obstacle the business had to overcome was the initial stigma attached to it: Sizwe’s company initially only delivered HIV medication. This meant many would-be customers were embarrassed to use the service as their HIV status would invariably be exposed by the appearance of IyezaExpress on their doorstep. To overcome this concern, Sizwedecided to take on the extra work and began delivering multiple kinds of chronic medication; it was at this point that his business really began to flourish. He now employs six people and caters to nearly 1,000 clients, but his business is already crying out for increased manpower as it continues to grow.

Sizwe speaks of his most exciting entrepreneurial moment to date: “We have moved into a new office, our own office space. I’m going to take a picture of me sitting at my desk. And I’m going to frame it and write a slogan down at the bottom of the picture that says: “I used to dream of working in an office, now I have my own.” The fact that I actually have an office is very exciting for me.”

Sizwe has already gained a place on Forbes Magazine’s 30 under-30 Africa’s best young entrepreneurs list, a compilation of Africa’s best and brightest across real estate, financial services, manufacturing, media, tech, green tech, healthcare, agriculture and fashion. Forbes says of the names on the list: “Together, they represent the entrepreneurial, innovative and intellectual best of their generation.”

The young entrepreneur already has plans in place for further expansion and he is looking to bring his services to other parts of Cape Town and, eventually, roll out on a national basis.

“In order to be able to service a certain capacity you have to have the resources. We went out to the clinics and got new clients signed up every day, up to 25 or 30. In a month we could gain 200 new clients. So numbers were rising rapidly but then we started having late deliveries and some mix ups of deliveries… all because we didn’t yet have the resources to be able to serve that particular capacity. Hence I say: to grow our business we must balance supply with demand.”

“For me, this is a national problem and it needs a national solution. The sky is the limit,”

He reflects on some lessons that he learnt when he started off and the key values that he runs his business by.

“I have learnt that while money and revenue is important, service is even more important. I have also learnt that instead of just chasing new clients and marketing, I must actually make sure that I can manage the ones that I have and can give them a good service, before taking on new clients. They say clients are walking billboards… so for me providing a quality service is important, more than anything else. Because that is the best way to grow the business and gain new clients. The customer is king.”

Sizwe has also announced that he and his partners are looking into initiatives surrounding recycling and youth education on gang membership.

“I believe young people have the power to change the world, if the youth can understand this, they will stop focusing on things like drugs and crime. We can change the world, make it safer and improve our economy in this way,” he said.

The social good done by Sizwe’s business cannot be underestimated. Prior to Iyeza Express, many sickly Khayelitsha residents would wake before sunrise in order to guarantee a spot near the front of the queue for their chronic medication and, even then, many would have to wait up to five hours in the clinic lines. If one were to factor in the compounded transport costs to get to the clinic on top of lost working hours, it would be no exaggeration to say Nzima’s business has had untold economic benefits for the entire community. This entrepreneur and his ideas are truly having a positive effect on people in need and this is refreshing in a time where most entrepreneurs are driven solely by profits and margins, no matter what the cost.

Gracious Success

Think about the above statement before you settle for anything less than success. Realize your success is more than just a personal ambition; it is your responsibility. When successful people help others it is an example to everyone, and so their success rubs off on everyone. You have  a duty and responsibility to become successful for yourself, your family, your friends and everyone who comes in contact with you. Everyone will benefit. Don't be selfish , succeed. The world needs you.

Legacy

“Legacy is not what's left tomorrow when you're gone. It's what you give, create, impact and contribute today while you're here that then happens to live on.” ― Rasheed Ogunlaru

When people pass on, a lot of things get said about them that were not said while they were alive, people who never interacted with you suddenly have an opinion about you and everyone rallies in remembering the kind of person you were....

Whether we like it or not, we are always under the microscope of the world and the many people we run into on a daily basis analyse our character simply by the way we present ourselves, many may argue that the judgement they make is not accurate and the only way you can have a precise opinion about anyone is to get to know them personally but we cannot hide from the fact that what we present to people in public is what we want them to see and we cannot say they are wrong when the make observations that are there for all to see.

We all have something great to contribute to this world but many choose to hide that greatness in their bedroom or showers and ultimately do not live up to the great potential that they possess. We need to have full confidence in our ability to get that greatness out of the door when we leave our homes every morning because it is our responsibility as citizens of change to make sure people see that change we so badly want to portray to the world in us first.

Malcolm X once said “The Future belongs to those who prepare for it today”, the same can be said about our legacy because what we portray to the world today is what the world will interpret tomorrow when we are gone, so the choices we make everyday are a true reflection of how we want to be remembered.

We all want to be remembered for doing good things when we gone, good things we cannot accomplish in our graves, so it is important to dig deep in our hearts today and find that one special gift we have been blessed with, use it to not only better ourselves but all those we come into contact with so that it leaves a long lasting memory on the world long after we are gone.

Keeping It Real With

Rori Matsetela

Put Yourself In A Position Of Power

Your power depends on your perspective. And your perspective is yours to choose.

If you convince yourself that you’re having a bad day, you will indeed experience a frustrating and unproductive day. If you assume that circumstances are allied against you, then you’ll encounter great trouble in getting anything done.

There is a much more powerful alternative. You can choose to adopt and embrace a perspective that will work for you rather than against you.

Think of how you would feel if conditions were perfect, if your actions were highly effective and if everything was going exactly your way. Then, once you imagine how it would feel, go ahead and allow yourself to actually feel that way.

How would you act today if you knew you were going to be completely successful? Go ahead and act that way, and the success will come.

Put yourself in a position of power by choosing to feel the positive influence and effectiveness that you know is yours. Adopt the thoughts, feelings and actions of success, and you will indeed bring success to life.

Naked Ambition - Jackie Phamotse

 

It’s true, I write what I like…

I have been relatively a problem ha ha ha however I have learned the power of growth though my family and personal experience. My Full name is actually Jacqueline Katleho Phamotse, I went to a Afrikaans school and they couldn’t pronounce my names and “Jackie” was born and ever since that I have been known as Jackie, actually I love the name hence I haven’t changed it. 

 

Shattered Innocence means “Broken Purity” something that can not be restored.  I choose the name because of the impact of challenges and the broken society on young people. When people move from their respective homes, especially villages or small towns and they travel to Urban Cities something in them changes and it so happens that most of the people change into monsters. I speak about restoring faith and dreams in the book, but most importantly pursuing your dream at all costs, even after complete failure.  The truth is, we all have a story to tell but understanding where you are going is vital. Shattered Innocence is a novel based on a true story with a hint of merged testimonies. I started writing this book in 2013. The Sandton Lifestyle has intrigued me for years. I am a very ambitious soul and I have an eye for good things, so from a very young age I wanted opulence. I looked at how the rich lived and how the poor envied, but most importantly how they treated each other in social settings.

The wealthy want more than money, social states has become an addiction and ego boost, and the poor feed that void. When the sugar daddy phenomena took rise, back in 2007 a lot of people didn’t care until Khanyi Mbau gave a spin on it…. what she was could have been called a “Gold digger” but the concept of a Sugar Daddy and “Ben ten” trend has taken a whole new life. It's a business, social validation and standard. It’s a job for other women and an ego boost for men.  In Shattered Innocence, I explore the nature of the relationships and the pros and cons of having such a relationship. However, each situation is different and people have their own options and situations on why they date sugar daddies and vice versa. 

Sex, Money and Love go hand in hand in any society, the foundation of adult hood starts with these aspects. When people share their feelings, love stands firm on the outcome of their decision. Its either they love you or they don’t, hence sex will mean different things to many people. Shattered Innocence, creates a 3D outlook on how sex and love could be enemies to humans. The very same things that’s meant to bring us closer together could kill, and destroy us all. Too much of a good thing is bad and in the book, I show you the dangers of using sex for the wrong reasons. Money can buy so many things even a person’s soul.  There are so many things we shy away from and Money in relationships leaves a bitter taste in our mouths, we simply don’t want to talk about it, but when you have a sugar daddy the tradeoff needs to be clear. What you are offering and what he is paying. There is more than a causal relationship, most of the time the Sugar daddy pays for most of your needs and you cater sex and Social appearances where necessary. The lifestyle is costly but what you may lose costs more than someone’s bank balance. Start loving your vision, fight for your passion. I am not my gender nor am I just a dreamer…trust your dream so you live it better. We are a bruised society and no one taught us how to live after apartheid. But that’s no excuse to stop chasing our dreams without fighting for the end result. 

Shattered Innocence is a game changer, it will have you questioning yourself, and the society you live in. Times have changed don’t find yourself at the bottom of the food chain, dream bigger and work in silence.

Smile in Faith.

Love Jackie Phamotse

Twitter @Jackiephamotse

Facebook Page Jackie Phamotse

IG Jackie_Phamotse

Jackiephamotse@gmail.com

Shattered Innonence is available on Amazon Kindle and Kalahari.com /iBooks

Create Your Opportunity

Today is a blank canvas upon which you can create a masterpiece. It’s not just a chunk of time to be endured. It is an opportunity to live, to experience, to learn, to build, to grow and to make a difference. Today is full of ways in which you can move forward. To look at this day with the goal of “just getting by” is an enormous waste of the possibilities which are open to you this very moment.

Right now you’re in a special place, a place filled with opportunity and promise. There’s something you’ll be able to do today that you’ve never been able to do before, and you may never be able to do again. Make the most of that opportunity. Fulfill that promise. Take advantage of the special circumstances while they’re here.

How many times have you wished that you had the world at your feet, that you had the opportunity of a lifetime? Stop wishing. It’s here. It’s called today. To the man who only has a hammer, everything he encounters begins to look like a nail. The world is indeed at your feet. So go where you’ve been meaning to go. Do what you’ve been intending to do. Now is your grand opportunity. Get busy creating the unique masterpiece of today.

Competition Of Champions

The Dictionary’s definition of competition is an event or contest in which people take part in order to establish superiority or supremacy in a particular area.

Any event you take part in should be in line with your passion because that is what will define the attitude you do it with and how well you reach the finish line. Passion is the fuel that drives one’s determination to succeed and has the power to disguise hard work as fun.

There is no doubt that competitions are there to be won, and everyone enters a competition either believing they can win it or hoping that they will win it. The difference between those that believe they can and those that hope is attitude, a competition is not only won by finishing ahead of another person or being on top of a podium after an event because the best victory anyone can experience is beating their previous best.

The point I am trying to make is that life presents a new competition to us daily and that competition is against the person you were the previous day, in order to be crowned a champion there needs to be improvement every day. Even if you ran 5kms in 20mins yesterday and today you run the same distance in 19mins 59secs, you can consider yourself a champion for that day because you did better than you did yesterday and have every right to celebrate and give yourself a standing ovation.

There is no such thing as a small victory, they all count so do not be afraid to celebrate when you reach certain milestones, because the ability to appreciate the so called “small”  victories gives you the motivation you need to continue to push for the end result.

Start a contest against your former self each day and make sure that before you go to sleep, you reign supreme against that person and celebrate the victory like Usain Bolt celebrates breaking his own record at the Olympics.

Keeping It Real With

Rori Matsetela