Nhlanhla Gxaleka, entrepreneur and winner in our 2019 Annual Business Summit, Existing Business Category, offers his tips on how to increase your chances of winning in this year’s competition.
As a young boy growing up in Orange Farm and accompanying his grandfather on numerous construction jobs, Nhlanhla Gxaleka’s interest in construction quickly grew. This passion was natured throughout his time at South View High School from where he matriculated in 2009, and as he pursued a higher qualification in Business Management. Years of dedication and hard work finally paid off and Nhlanhla, now 29, is the proud owner of Gxaleka Investment Projects, established in 2017. Since then, he’s been using his experience in construction and his academic background to grow his business from strength to strength.
Nhlanhla has been awarded several business funding opportunities, including the Discovery, Raizer Babuyile and National Youth Development Agency business support initiatives. He employs five young people from the local community. One of his many successful projects is the construction of a three-room house in Diepsloot. “My unique business model is a mixture of due diligence, keeping constant and clear communication with my customers, and allowing them to audit and check on the projects regularly,” Nhlanhla said. “Our prices are reasonable, but we do not compromise on the quality of our service.” Currently, the business is worth over R129 000 including all investments.
As a result of the national COVID-19 lockdown, the company’s income suffered. Luckily, construction projects have resumed as the country moved into level 3 of lockdown on 1 June.
Last year, Nhlanhla garnered the top prize in our Existing Business Category at the Annual Business Summit, scooping R6 000 worth of mentorship support. According to Nhlanhla, the competition helped him believe he can achieve anything in life and gave him the confidence needed to grow his business. This year he is focusing on sales and marketing in order to improve the visibility of Gxaleka Investment Projects, and plans to expand his services in Orange Farm and greater Johannesburg.
Nhlanhla’s advice to the new participants is to prepare properly, understand their business, practice their presentation to improve their confidence, and believe in their dreams. “I’m grateful to Afrika Tikkun Services for supporting my journey,” he said. “Afrika Tikkun Services is the best!”
Want to follow in Nhlanhla’s footsteps? Hurry! Competition entries for Annual Alumni Business Summit 2020 close on the 5 June 2020.
