How R68 Can Become A R25-Million Business Edward Moshole started a business in 1999 with just R68 in his pocket. Today he has a company that not only has a turnover upwards of R25 million, but is also on the cusp of expanding to the next level. Here's how he's turning clients into partners.

Vital Stats

• Player: Edward Moshole
• Company: Chem-Fresh
• Established: 1999
• Visit: www.chemfresh.co.za

In 1999, Edward Moshole was a cleaner with just R68 in his pocket, but he noticed a business opportunity.
Good quality detergents and disinfectants could make a tough cleaning job much easier, so he started buying quality products in bulk and selling them to his fellow cleaners. He wasn't satisfied, though. He wanted a business that made and sold its own products. So, he tackled the long and arduous process of creating cleaners and detergents that could pass strict regulations and compete with the best products on the market.

It wasn't easy, but he kept at it. In fact, he only got his first real breakthrough in 2006 when a supermarket agreed to start stocking his products. Today, his Chem-Fresh products can be found all over Africa, and he counts Pick n Pay as one of his main clients. How did Moshole manage to turn R68 into an empire? Here are his rules for building a large and sustainable operation.

1. Find the right clients

"Very early on, I identified Pick n Pay as a must-have client. I could see that the company was changing its strategy — it was starting to move into townships and rural areas, places where it hadn't been operating until then — and I thought it would be the perfect place to sell Chem-Fresh products," says Moshole. But getting in wasn't easy.

"As a small business, you don't get to sit down with decision-makers. Becoming a supplier to a large retailer is a difficult process. It took me years to get a foot in the door, but I didn't give up. I just knew that Pick n Pay was the right company to do business with, so I kept at it. I refused to take no for an answer.

"Today, Pick n Pay operates more like a partner than a client. Thanks to my partnership with Pick n Pay, I've been able to scale Chem-Fresh quickly and access a distribution channel that allows Chem-Fresh products to be sold all over the continent. Once you have the right clients, you gain instant clout and reliability."

2. Own the manufacturing process

When starting out, entrepreneurs often have little choice but to buy other companies' products and resell them. It's not necessarily a bad thing — it can be a successful strategy. However, it can eventually limit your growth.

Firstly, buying and reselling products places a cap on your margins. When you own the manufacturing process, you can increase your margins, since making and selling products tends to offer wider margins than merely buying and reselling.

That said, you have to keep in mind that this is only true when you operate at a certain scale. Making and selling something in small quantities can often be more expensive and time consuming than simply buying it from a supplier. You need to crunch the numbers and make sure that the expense of a manufacturing facility is actually worth it in the long run.

Secondly, it allows you to keep control of the quality of your product. "The secret to any great brand is consistency," says Moshole.

"People should know what they can expect from the brand, and one of the best ways to ensure this is to have total control of your product. If you make it yourself, you're in charge of the quality."

3. Be willing to diversify

Some companies can grow while sticking to a very specific niche, but most have no other option but to diversify. Although Chem-Fresh started out selling just one or two products, Moshole soon started to expand the range. The company now has more than 100 products.

"Generally speaking, you can only capture so much of a market. Sometimes it makes sense to actively try to grow your market share, but it's also a good idea to diversify. Not only does this open more revenue streams, but it also protects the business against market changes. So, if the sales of one product slows down, another speeds up and everything evens out," says Moshole.

But the important thing is not to stray too far from your comfort zone. Chem-Fresh now has a large product range, but it has stuck to an industry that it is knowledgeable about. The company has built a name for itself within a specific industry.

4. Build a strong foundation

"Don't wait too long to start thinking about the long-term life of your business," advises Moshole. "The stronger the foundation of the business, the easier it is to grow it, so you need to implement the right systems and processes early on. If you don't, the business will fall apart without you.

"You will always be very involved at an operational level. You'll be so busy with the daily grind, that you'll never be able to take a strategic view and focus on building the company. So, you need the right systems and the right people. You need to know that the business can keep going without you. If you do this, you will be able to grow the company while others deal with the operational demands."