Page 22 - CSERI Annual Review Report 2023/2024

DURBAN UNIVERSITY OF TECHNOLOGY
FROM PASSION TO PROFIT:
NATHI ZONDI’S NELA KAHLE ART AND CRAFTS REDEFINES COMMUNITY EMPOWERMENT THROUGH CREATIVITY
Nela Kahle Art and Crafts is a company founded by Nathi Zondi, that specializes in creative art training, innovation, manufacturing, marketing and supply. Nela Kahle Art and Crafts specializes with community development and empowerment through creative art.
It also provides enterprise development, mentoring and coaching, other services that include product development and innovation, product marketing and warehousing, cooperative gifts bulk manufacturing and supply, material sourcing and supply.
Q. How has DUT Centre for Social Entrepreneurship shaped you as an entrepreneur for your journey to entrepreneurship?
A. Since we have attended the program, we manged to run our company in a professional way with guidance of growth wheel and QMS sessions that was shared with us. Now we know who we work with, what they do, what we need to do and when, we now know how to work according to our timelines. Most of compliances we have, its due to the guidance that they shared with us. We have managed to identify our business risks, implementation of our marketing and sales systems. Now we know how to apply strategy planning well. Being in those programs has shaped our business very well; we can now call ourselves a business.
Q. What have you learnt that you will implement in your business?
A. Our company has received growth in terms of strategic planning, we are now working on starting another branch in Gauteng, this was the result of business marketing skills archived during incubation session. The company has worked on with compliance companies to keep our compliances in order, the QMS session helped us to keep our files in order. Before the incubation, we had 3 workers whom each day we are reporting on duty but without knowing what they do each day, we were paying staff for reporting to work without any duty sheets, now we have 5 staff members who are working on their duties, we have hired staff according to the skills that the company is requiring.
Q. How many employees does the business have?
A. Business has 5 team staff, where 2 are working as facilitators, 1 as student administrator, 1 as shopkeeper, 1 as business manager. The company has managed to achieve a growth in sales turnover of about +R400 000 per annum.
Q. What are your plans to move forward in terms of your business?
A. The company is busy with starting another outlet in Gauteng, this will lead us to start another business venture, we have identified that, creative art is seasonal, they are months where we work on breakeven point, now we are working on launching another branch that will do what we do in Durban, but we are stating this branch so we can able to sustain ourselves while working on new venture. Our plan is to take the skills of furniture upholster and ottoman, we are starting a storage beds, we will focus on designing and manufacturing of storage bed.
Q. What advice would you give to entrepreneurs who wish to follow in your footsteps?
Entrepreneurship is not about generating income or making lot of money, but it’s about creative a sustainable business that will take part in economy, it’s about making different to others and to the world, is about creating opportunities and charging lives. Entrepreneurship it’s a journey with legacy achievement.
Business Owner: Nathi Zondi
Cellphone: 078111089 (Whatsapp) Website: www.nelakahleartandcrafts.co.za Social media: @nelakahleartandcrafts
20 CENTRE FOR SOCIAL ENTREPRENUESHIP RAPID INCUBATOR