Dreaming Big: Clifford’s Story
As Clifford Ndhlovu’s business started to grow, it was hard to go from doing everything himself to trusting others to get the job done right. But now he’s able to delegate and doesn’t miss out on business anymore.
Clifford, 50, has been using Kandua since 2020 to find customers for his construction and furniture-making business.
How did you get into construction and furniture-making?
I was working for different companies, making furniture and doing construction. The companies were not doing well so I decided to quit my job and do my own thing.
I registered the company and it started growing — today I’ve got eight people working for me. I like Leroy Merlin and I used to buy materials there every now and then, and that’s where I came across Kandua.
What does a normal day look like for you?
I’ve just come from a work site — it’s a customer that I got in 2020 through Kandua. I’ve been doing work for him ever since. He has also introduced and referred me to his friends — I’m doing work on their houses too.
What impact has Kandua made on you?
I managed to learn a lot and gain a lot of clarity. I know that every month I’ve got something that I get from Kandua. My customers also keep on coming back because of the quality of the work I do. Quality is important to me — if I do a quality job, I know that I’ll get more clients.
What’s your home life like?
My eldest, a son, is 20 years old and I’ve managed to get him involved in running the business. So I’m transferring the skills to him. My daughter is 17 and doing grade 9. I want to introduce her to the business, especially on the admin side, because I’m very busy.
Skills transfer is really important to me. I also try to transfer skills to my friends who work with me: so that the business goes well and they know what I want; even if I’m not there I know they will do a proper job. I want to work with other pros who are also part of Kandua so that we transfer skills to each other and uplift each other.
What is your biggest challenge right now?
My biggest challenge is administration. If I can learn more about how to administer the business, that would be very good for me.
And what’s the biggest challenge you have overcome already?
Learning how to supervise and run sites. I used to do things on my own and be very hands on. But now because I have trained people, I have started to delegate. Teamwork is very important for me now. I’ve expanded more and I’m getting more knowledge as I go on.
Was it hard to make that transition from doing everything yourself to trusting others to do things?
It was very very difficult. Especially if you’re used to working in a company. Because coming from a company and then starting a business, is a challenge because you are used to working hands-on in one place and focusing on one project only. So I used to do that and I used to lose a lot of business because of that.
What are you most proud of?
I’m proud because I’m not scared to venture into big jobs now. The experience that I gained, and the things I got from Kandua has helped me a lot: the small website, and the system of making quotations, because it speeds things up and my quotations are more presentable.
When you send a quotation that comes from Kandua to a client, even if they are not Kandua clients — my private clients — they start learning more about Kandua. Because Kandua is a trusted site — so they will learn more about Kandua and trust me to do the business.
What is your goal for your life or business?
I will be very happy if I can see my business growing to have branches nationwide or even going international. That is my biggest goal.
What is your happiest memory?
It was the time when I received my registration for my company. Then I knew that I am now a boss and a director.
Who is your biggest role model?
My biggest role model is a guy I met over 10 years ago when I was doing small jobs and who is still part of my life. He used to have a company called Big World Mobile, and now has another one called Panda. He showed me a lot and he has supported me through my business for a long time.
What about him inspires you?
He’s his own boss. And the way he works — he spends most of his time at work. From 4 o’clock he’s up; he’s working till late. I think he spends most of his time, maybe 90% of his time working. So I learned that for me to succeed, I must work also like him, spend most of my time at work, and make sure my clients are happy at all levels. I would rather not go for entertainment and make sure that my clients are happy.
See Clifford’s business profile on Kandua here.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
