Passion into Profit: Tenacity

I have a strong passion for getting back up after being knocked down and thriving, being better than when you fell. I faced a challenge in 2016 that set my family and I back. After crying and praying, I knew that I had to get up and do something to get my family out of that pit, so I began exploring different business ventures and as the saying goes in Deuteronomy 28:12, "God blesses the works of your hands." I sold make up and tie-happy socks packages until a friend recognised my ability to edit and proofread. I took that seriously and started researching everything about it. Then, I put myself out there, marketing, and soon enough, I was working with 3 publishing houses and a reoccurring client from a prominent, world-recognised non-profit organisation. What I'm trying to say is that, sometimes, you just have to start with what you have and allow God to do the rest.

To prove my point, I am featuring a tenacious business woman, who has fought against all odds to start and grow her business. Her name is Mpho Mpatane and she is the Managing Director of Phepha Solutions Group CC. She is a small farm town girl from the Free State, who is the last born of 5 children and is proud and grateful to still have her parents as her business mentors and support structure. Mpho is an award winning business woman.

Phepha Solutions Group CC is a 3 year old manufacturer and supplier of custom made and general PPE, PPE accessories, corporate uniform and gifting. 

1. Share a short profile on yourself and your business.

I am a highly driven, giving and motivated serial entrepreneur. I love imagining things and seeing them become tangible products. This is a very funny one because I don't consider myself to be a creative and yet, some beg to differ with me. I am at my ultimate best when I see others grow from being around me. I believe that if you don't gain anything or grow from being in my network, then we should part ways, reason being that life has shown me that it is such a short journey itself. It is truly important to seize every moment that we live in and the opportunities that come our way. 

2. What made you decide to go into business instead of being employed?

I worked in corporate for just over 8 years, but by then I had reached my ceiling. I was not as challenged as much as my mind needed to be. You see, mind is always working. I have actually had to learn meditating just to help it to calm down and relax so that I can get at least 6hrs of sleep. On the other hand, I have never seen my mom or dad wake up early in the morning to go to work. I always saw them get up and get ready to go open the supermarket or my dad take the truck and go to the farms to buy the freshest and healthiest vegetables and fruits to come back home and sell in the dusty streets of Monyakeng, Wesselsbron. I was raised by entrepreneurs, so I can safely say that I suckled entrepreneurship from my mother's bosom. LOL.

So, the freedom to imagine a solution or add value to an existing product or service and it ends up being able to being a tangible product is one of the things that keeps me focused. 

Entrepreneurship is very interesting. One day people love your product or service, the next they have moved on to something else. It's very funny because this line of work requires one to be very patient, focused and resilient. In all honesty, the thought of being able to help others while I make money out of it, is what drove me to become an entrepreneur. It is exciting when a client comes back to give you positive feedback. Not so exciting when its not positive though. That is when as an entrepreneur you will start asking yourself questions about how you can make it better and you start developing something better from then on.

3. What top 3 three challenges (not limited to 3) have you faced during your time as an entrepreneur?

- The first one is being a single young woman because you become the focal point and people tend to forget about your offering or the business that made you knock on their door in the first place. Over the years, I have had to learn to think like a man and still act like a lady.

- I have had to give up business and walk away from a partnership because our values were not aligned (and I discovered this when we were already on the road to success).

- I lost a child to a drowning accident while awaiting substantial funding injection and that experience nearly killed me. It took me over 5 years to even start talking about the experience.

- I have had to bear my family members, friends and former colleagues' ridicule about the path I chose to take. For 4 straight years, I had nothing to show for this "business" that I kept talking about. My peers were prospering and reaching great milestones while I was still talking about my dream and plans of making that dream a reality. I have had to endure being without an income for over 4 years while I was building something from scratch, my only beacon being my belief in it's viability.

4. How have you turned your passion into profit?

My passion for woman empowerment is what actually turned my passion into real profit for me. I started off by focusing on woman specific PPE as our differentiator. The fact that I am a woman myself and I did not have the flexibility or comfort of wearing work wear that is made to fit my body structure, was an issue that I wanted to stop complaining about and to actually do something about it. Also, I always referred to my business as "we", even when it was still a one woman show. I always knew that the vision that I had would grow into a job creation opportunity for other women and yes, men as well. You see, over the past 3 years my constant prayer has been, "God bless me enough to be a blessing unto others." I believe that he did just that by ensuring that this small farm town girl's dreams becomes a reality, because today, I have a team of women whom are now blessing their own families

5. What advice would you give someone who is struggling with the notion of starting a business?

I would honestly say that they are not ready to start. This entrepreneurship journey is often called the road less travelled because it is not an easy one to take. However, a person can be apprehensive in the beginning because of fear of the unknown. A salary can provide a shield of protection or stability for a person for a long time. It is nice and easy to stay in your comfort zone because it's nice there. 

So, my advise would be to get your mind ready. Read as much as you can. Befriend entrepreneurs and learn from their mistakes. Most of all, once you know this is the journey you want to take, just do it! Start where you are and with what you have. You can learn on the job, especially if you are young. If you are matured, reading, doing research and learning from others' business journeys can be your best route to take because having an open mind plus your lessons learned, and your own wisdom that is harnessed over the years of your life, will serve you well in the long run.

Thank you Mpho for taking time out from running your empire to share with us your words of wisdom. To the reader - I hope this motivates you to keep going, keep trying and keep pushing. With vision, planning and execution, you are sure to be prepared when an opportunity presents itself.

Cheers.