Getting to the Next Level: Erasmus’ Story
Erasmus Pisi, 44, has been a Kandua Pro for 9 years. He says his happiest memory is the day he got his business registered.
Why did you join Kandua?
I joined Kandua even before I even registered my own company. I was working for another company at the time. The other guys who were close to me — the plumbers and the builders — they were working for themselves. I was thinking about following in their footsteps. When I found Kandua online, I said “OK, now I need to register this business.” That’s the year I left the company I was working for.
What impact do you think Kandua has made on you?
Kandua gave me exposure. Before that, my marketing was poor and I did not have a good way of knowing what work I would be doing this week or the next. Now with exposure and with the lens of Kandua, I can choose to buy leads that I see and have more control.
Most of the jobs now come from [Kandua’s partnership with] Leroy Merlin. I’m becoming more busy and I’m now exposed to the corporate world, because I do lots of jobs in big guys’ houses, chiefs’ houses. With Kandua, I moved some steps up.
How many people work for you?
It depends on the workload. I’ve got four guys that are on the payroll but if the need comes, I can hire up to 10.
Can you tell me about your upbringing? Where are you from?
My father was a builder on a mine in Rustenburg. That’s where I was born and I grew up, though my father was not a South African but a Zimbabwean. And his boss was Erasmus. So I’ve got the name of my father’s boss, because he was the one who bought everything for me when I was young.
I went back in 1982 to my father’s family in Zimbabwe. All the houses in the village — my father was the one who had built them.
When I was in school, I did not want to be a builder, but because of my father I was always involved in building. I did business administration and worked in accounting for more than 10 years, but on weekends, I was coming back to do the welding and plumbing with my guys. So that was already in me, doing something in building and renovation. I grew up in an environment where you become a builder.
Do you have kids?
Yes, I’ve got 5 kids — I’ve got one boy, the rest are girls.
Do you want your kids to follow in the builder footsteps?
Of course. The two girls — they always say, “We want to go with you. Where are you working today? What are you doing?” They always want to go with me on the site. But they are girls. I don’t want the girls to do that (laughs).
What do you do for fun outside of working?
I like soccer. If there is no soccer, I just watch the animals. I like animals. If I’m not busy, if there’s no soccer, I can watch the animals or just highlights from soccer (laughs).
What is your happiest memory?
My happiest memory — I do not lie to you — is the day when I got my business registered. Because with that I said “OK, now I can challenge [myself] — I can do much better.” Because I’ve got Kandua. That day I even celebrated myself. From that point I said, “I’m now a real man.”
Check out Erasmus’ business profile on Kandua here.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
