THERE is hope beyond the bad news and the high petrol price, said the newly appointed president of the Durban Chapter of the Entrepreneurs’ Organisation (EO), Denzil Steyn.
He said South Africa had much to celebrate and if its entrepreneurs were to all retreat, the country would not go forward. He said the country needed entrepreneurs who were bold and carried that hope.
Steyn took over the mantle from Clinton Holcroft, the chief executive of Serco, one of South Africa’s leading truck body and trailer-building companies.
For Steyn, entrepreneurs now needed the support of an organisation such as EO more than ever before.
“We are not going anywhere as individuals and as businesses if we don’t have hope, and that hope is going to come through a supportive and energetic environment. I want to make sure that members feel like they have a strong foundation, that they have a voice. That way, we can feel confident to be able to invest and move forward with those plans that have been in the back of our minds for the past few years,” he said.
EO is a global, peer-to-peer network of more than 14 000 influential business owners with 199 chapters in 61 countries. It is open to entrepreneurs with businesses that turn over more than $1 million a year.
Since its launch in 1987, EO has encouraged entrepreneurs to grow by expanding interests and learning leadership skills from fellow members who challenge their perspectives and question their presuppositions as well as via interaction with experts, mentoring and networking.
Steyn started his business, Intellisec, which installs and services CCTV, access control and fire detection systems, 14 years ago from a room that he rented from a friend who had a scuba diving shop in Kloof.
The fledgling company had three clients and one technical team and contracted in when needed.
He said it was not an easy journey. “I sold my vehicle to fund the business and rented a vehicle from the technician we had contracted in. By the grace of God and through hard work, the business was sustained and grew to six branches in South Africa and two across the border servicing over 650 clients, primarily blue chip companies, with either national roll-outs or large turnkey projects. We employ some of the most talented people in our industry,” he said.
His three key pieces of advice for fellow entrepreneurs were: surround yourself with smart and experienced people who want the best for you and are willing and brave enough to tell you to stop when they see you are heading into impending danger; build people, systems and cash to support the business you plan to be in the future; and serve your employees, customers and suppliers well.
“As an organisation and as forums within EO, we all feed off each other. We help create a positive outlook in what can possibly be seen as a fairly gloomy business environment,” he said.
“What we’ve seen in EO is definitely functional anxiety. This is driving EO members to be that much sharper to look at the small things that they possibly just left before and work out how to be leaner and roll with the punches.
“As Durban entrepreneurs, we are world-class. We’ve had to be as we’ve had so much thrown at us. That’s why we want to assist members to realise the benefits from that functional anxiety that we all have naturally,” Steyn said.
BUSINESS REPORT