By Sizakele Nduli
A Soweto woman’s love for carpentry has seen her go from being unemployed to running a thriving business. When COVID-19 kept people indoors, Zandile Khumalo from Pimville discovered her passion for carpentry while browsing online. Khumalo told Vutivi News that not long after that, she got in touch with the manager at Kodza Loghomes for a chance to learn all about woodwork. And much to her surprise, she was given the opportunity to learn and earn simultaneously.
“For the business to kickstart, you need trackable references that will speak on your behalf so you can get clients who won’t feel they are being taken for a ride after they’ve paid for a service. “At the time, I was working under Kodza, so because I was always present at work, the manager actually agreed for me to use the work we’ve done as references,” Khumalo explained. In 2022, Khumalo established her company, Libolethu Wendy’s, which specialises in Wendy Houses of all sizes, log cabins, decking, electrical fittings, ceilings, and cladding. She also now employs 14 people who assist in everyday business operations.
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On the costs of her products, she said they started at R6,000 and were based on the size of the structure. Khumalo also mentioned that navigating her carpentry business was an extreme sport. Marketing was also a challenge, as she sometimes could not attract clients. “Sometimes you don’t get work at all. You might be called in for quotation meetings, and… nothing comes out of it,” Khumalo said.
But despite finding herself on the brink of giving up, her workmanship speaks for itself. “Clients can trust us, and some that we’ve worked with don’t stop spreading the good word about us,” she said, adding that Libolethu Wendy’s always delivered the best quality.
Although learning on the job was possible, Khumalo found that using online resources, collaborating with other carpenters, and maintaining hope during tough times was a recipe for success. She also admitted that running a business is no child’s play. “You can’t just wake up one day and decide you want to run a business. You need to plan, have a drawing board of your dreams, missions about the business you want to venture into, have a vision, draw up a SWOT analysis, and plan just so you can have a successful one,” Khumalo advised. One of her favourite projects was working with the Kasi Hero Foundation, a non-profit organisation in Soweto, to build a storage room.
