'You reap what you sow'

MOSSEL BAY NEWS - There's nothing better than being given an opportunity in business - a chance, a foothold.

And it is important to be grateful for that step up the ladder.

Stephanus Cloete
Business owner Stephanus Cloete came to the Mossel Bay Advertiser, saying how fortunate he had been to be able to hire a container at one of the entrepreneur's hubs in town. The hubs, started by the Mossel Bay Municipality, offer tenants the affordable rental of a container in which to operate their business.

There is a hub in town, in Market Street, below the Bayside Centre; one at D'Almeida; one at the Thusong Centre in Bill Jeffery Road; and one off Mayixhale Road in KwaNonqaba.

The hub below the Bayside centre is called the Bayside Mini Market, while the other hubs are called Beehives.

For five years Stephanus, who sells health care products and consults clients on health, was based in KwaNonqaba, at the Highway Superette, but when Shoprite was built in KwaNonqaba, he lost his premises.

Stephanus was advised by a tenant Annette Basson, at the Bayside Mini Market, to contact Sharion Louw of the municipality's Local Economic Development and SMME Development Department to enquire about hiring a container at the hub.

Selling door to door
After Stephanus lost his premises in KwaNonqaba he was living in a tent at the Correctional Services caravan park and he was selling door to door, carrying his products in a red cooler box. During the interview with the Mossel Bay Advertiser, he gets out the red cooler box, with a little laugh, as he reminisces.

"I also used to sit outside the OK in Dana Bay, at a little table, selling my products."

It is six years ago that Stephanus started renting a container. It proved to be the boost he needed for his business. Now he has moved out of there to a larger, proper brick-built premises in town.

"I was told back then that Sharion provided a good service. At that stage the hub did not even have a name and I approached the municipality and suggested we call it Bayside Mini Market and that name was accepted."

'I was so blessed.'
Stephanus said: "When I moved out of the Mini Market last month and into my new premises, I thought: 'I was so blessed at the Mini Market and I hope the next person to hire the container I had, is equally blessed.'"

Interestingly Stephanus is a generous businessman and so are the other two entrepreneurs' hub tenants the Mossel Bay Advertiser interviewed.

"You reap what you sow," Stephanus says. He always has samples of his plant-based products in gift parcels for people to try and gives them out freely. Annette Basson was the one who recommended to him that he rent a container at the hub. She had her own business and container that she rented then, but she has since joined Stephanus in his business.

Drew Groenewald
Heidi Dreyer speaks of the generosity of Drew Groenewald, who owns a tyre fitment business at one of the entrepreneurs' hubs. Heidi works for Drew. "He will take his tyres off his own car to help someone," Heidi exclaims. "And he always gives people a second chance. I ask him: 'Haven't you learnt your lesson with this person? He took you for a ride.'"

But Drew says to her: "People do change their ways."

'Never holds a grudge.'
"And he is right," Heidi says. "Some people do change for the better. Drew never holds a grudge."

Drew buys tyres from people who are upgrading their tyres to more expensive ones, such as mags, and then he sells the second hand tyres. "He really helps people in the community," Heidi says.

"People are desperate. They have to take their children to school and go to work themselves and they can only afford second hand tyres."

She explains that he has five people working for him, doing tyre fitment. "We are busy all day," she says.

Dave Belelie
Upholstery business owner Dave Belelie says there were times when he thought he would have to close up shop, but the Lord always kept him going. He is also based at an entrepreneurs' hub. For 25 years Dave worked for other upholsterers in town, during which time he gained much knowledge of the industry.

Now he has his own business, with a dedicated full-time staffer and he uses the services of a part-time woodworker and others to assist him further. "I prayed for many years to be able to own my own business," Dave says.

"Much of what I do is spiritual work, not business related," he says with a broad smile. Dave says every day is different. People come to him for prayer. Sometimes they are in a tight spot, for example, they need a funeral and burial for a family member, but they do not have money, so churches will not help. "I try to assist where I can," Dave says.

Outstanding work
Dave and his employee work long hours on projects which range from re-upholstering a fancy, remote-controlled lounger for an elderly person, to creating couches and corner units for trendy furniture and decor stores in Mossel Bay. The fact that their furniture is bought by the smartest shops in town is testimony of how outstanding it is.

Dave has assisted many people who have come to work for him. "I wondered why so many people would work for me and then leave. They would come to me with addictions and personal problems and I would help them and they would move on, improve their lives and work somewhere else.

"Then someone told me that is my calling, to help people and give them an opportunity, so they could move on and do better."

Dave is also grateful to Sharion Louw from the municipality who gave him the opportunity he needed, when he started hiring his container at the entrepreneurs' hub. "Sharion has been outstanding, tremendously supportive," he says.

Bjorn October, Sharion Louw and Gwen Harding of the Local Economic Development and SMME Development Department at the municipality.