Packaging information his trade
Former Herald business editor says keeping up with current trends is vital as a communications specialist
HIS experience as a journalist, coupled with a passion for communication, has proven to be Ed Richardson’s recipe for success – but 18 years after founding Siyathetha Communications, he is still a lifelong student.
How was Siyathetha started?
I am a journalist by training, a graduate of Rhodes University.
After a journalistic career which included working on newspapers, trade magazines, radio and television, I identified an opportunity to apply this understanding of the media and communication to establish a public relations company in the Eastern Cape.
At the time I was business editor for The Herald and Weekend Post.
How did you acquire funding for the business?
My house bond.
Once you had funding, what was the first step in actually launching the business?
Ensuring that the accounting system was in place.
A business is only a business if it has customers, and customers are only customers if they pay you.
You have to make sure that you can bill (and receive payment) from day one.
What is your core service?
We research, collate analyse and package information.
The packaging ranges from Facebook posts and media releases to socio-economic and marketing research, the writing of business plans and putting together large tenders and proposals.
More recently we have started producing training modules.
Journalism teaches you to ask the right questions and how to write for a particular audience. My academic background in research helps in the compilation and analysis of research questionnaires.
Why did you choose the name Siyathetha?
It translates into “we are talking” – which is what we strive to do – to help our clients talk to their staff, their suppliers, and their customers and other external stakeholders.
What makes your business unique?
Our uniqueness is the breadth of services we offer, all built on the journalistic process of unashamedly asking stupid questions and then analysing and packaging the responses for a particular audience.
If someone wanted to copy your business model, how would they start?
Identify your passion and what you are good at, and become a perpetual student to ensure that you continue to adapt to the ever-changing marketplace.
Outsource or employ people to do the stuff you’re not good at – in my case it is the administrative side.
What were some of the biggest inhibitors your business faced before even getting off the ground?
As with all businesses, the problem is acceptance in the marketplace.
I had the advantage of a public profile due to my three-year stint as business editor, but people put each other in boxes.
People who know you as a journalist do not necessarily see you as a communications specialist.
Perhaps the biggest inhibitor is a personal commitment to taking the plunge and voluntarily joining the ranks of the unemployed.
Do you have any tips for budding entrepre- neurs or new business owners?
You need the full support of your family, or you will end up sacrificing what is really important. Be prepared for at least two years of extremely hard work before you even know for sure you have a viable business.
Don’t be afraid to pull the plug before losing too much money. Businesses fail all the time, but real entrepreneurs learn from their mistakes, dust themselves off and get on with exploiting the next opportunities.
What are some of the best practices that have made your business successful?
Striving to be honest at all times, partnering with other people and organisations which share our values, staying current with communication and research trends – all so that we can deliver the best possible product and service to our clients at competitive rates.
What are some of your highlights in running your business?
We’ve been involved in some of the biggest investment projects in the Eastern Cape, including the lobbying, rollout and marketing phases of the Coega IDZ, the opening of the Boardwalk and the establishment of the Baviaans Mega Reserve.
Right now I am involved in the background in the “whites talking to whites about racism” initiative and other Transformation Christian Network projects.
What have been the greatest challenges and advantages of running your business in a city like Port Elizabeth?
The positive is that it is a great place to live and to bring up a family – if you are privileged to be among the pitifully small minority who have decent work.
The negative is that it is a city of wasted opportunities because in the Eastern Cape we are way better at focusing on how badly off we are than on the tremendous strengths we have – and we have not had visionary and inspiring leadership right across the board.
. . . Journalism teaches you to ask the right questions