Marketing expert connecting companies for 23 years
Gqeberha businessman Andrew Binning has been strategically connecting companies with their target market for 23 years.
His love for people and project management led Binning to start Inkanyezi Events Organisers.
The company prides itself in achieving measurable results for its clients.
Please share some background on yourself and how the business was started.
I am born and bred in Nelson Mandela Bay.
After graduating, I worked for Damelin College as a student co-ordinator, as well as for Scripture Union and then as a youth pastor of a church.
Over this time, my love for people and project management merged with a strong entrepreneurial spirit.
This led me to establishing Inkanyezi with a friend who had graduated from Rhodes University.
The company was started in November 1998 and was probably the region’s first event management company.
What is your core service?
Our core service is connecting companies with their target market strategically.
In the process, we use the full range of marketing activities, including graphic design, social media, PR, copy and report writing and events.
These are tools that we use in engaging with a large national and global network of stakeholders with whom we have built relationships.
What makes your business unique?
Our business does not provide a service, it provides value. There is a massive difference.
Part of the difference is that we achieve measurable results for our clients.
Our efforts are trained at producing outcomes. This ability comes from a deep understanding of the business environment and how to position within it.
If someone wanted to copy your business model, how would they start?
From the very beginning, study a business course, gain experience with a reputable company and learn on the job from the very best you can access.
This may require sacrifices, volunteerism and a lot of perseverance.
A successful business takes years to create.
What are some of the biggest inhibitors your business faced before getting off the ground?
In the early days, Inkanyezi predominantly focused on the organising of events.
Nelson Mandela Bay is a small market compared to Cape Town, Johannesburg and Durban, so proposing large events to local clients was tough.
It also forced us, however, to think nationally and then globally.
Do you have any tips for budding entrepreneurs or new business owners?
Business — especially under the current conditions is not for sissies.
Have a vision, be positive and continue to work both hard and smart.
Leverage all your relationships and business networks.
Also — if you are looking to start a new business, ensure that there is a market for your products and or services.
Finally do whatever it takes to deliver what you promised.
What are some of your biggest challenges in day-to-day business operations and your particular industry?
Under current conditions we are working from home — having rented out our company-owned building in Cape Road.
As many companies are doing — we are getting by — but definitely missing the personal face-to-face interaction.
This is mirrored by the events sector which has been the hardest hit sector not only in SA but internationally.
At the same time, this has forced us to focus on other ways of assisting clients reach their target market as well as consider new offerings.
What is the best advice anyone gave you on success?
It’s you who does the work but it is God who gave you the opportunity.
Always remain humble and be willing to assist others.
How do you measure or define success in your business?
It is our clients who will determine whether we are successful or not.
Of course in business, financial stability and cash flow are vital — but seeing our employees as family and working together to grow and support other businesses is very satisfying.
What are some of the best practices that have made your business successful?
Being honest and transparent with clients; going the extra mile; co-operating with key stakeholders.
What kind of advertising do you do?
Not much in the formal advertising space — but lots of networking, coffee-drinking and sharing proposals that is valueadding to the person who receives.
What is your company’s vision?
Inkanyezi’s vision is to be at the forefront of the marketing & corporate communications industry in SA.
What is your target market? Any organisation which needs to engage with and reach their market.
What have some of your highlights been in running your business?
Seeing clients happy with the results of a campaign; conceptualising and organising successful large events such as the South African Automotive Week — organised in Nelson Mandela Bay, Gauteng and Durban; the International Mohair Summit and the Eastern Cape Maritime events.
Another highlight has been being able to serve the sector as president of the Exhibition & Events Association of SA (Exsa) and more lately as South African representative on the Brics & emerging markets MICE Co-operation Forum.
How important is social media and an online presence for your business?
Social media has always been part of our business and is always included in client campaigns, however, whereas in the past it was a consideration, now it’s a must.
How many people do you employ?
Inkanyezi has six employees.
Do you have any plans for expanding the business, and how would you go about this?
Through our international network and the realisation that the world is actually a very small place, we are promoting virtual events as a solution and are organising four international virtual events in 2021.
The company has also been appointed as exclusive agent for a virtual platform that we really believe in.
Moreover leveraging our international partnerships and experience in education, we have recently created an online language school that teaches English to foreign language speakers.
The Easy English International Online School is in the process now of marketing to global students and we hope to have more than 40 teachers fully engaged.
How did you acquire funding for the business?
Barring a bond for our property in Cape Road, the business has been able to operate without requiring any upfront funding.
What is the biggest lesson you’ve learnt from your business journey so far?
There will always be competition — so live with it and be both strategic and work hard to be the best.
What have been the greatest challenges and advantages of running your business in a city like Gqeberha?
The greatest challenge is that we do not have nearly the same economy as the bigger centres, so our strategy is to see SA as our target market.
The advantage of living and working in the city is the quality of life.
My children walk to school, the shops are two minutes away, and it’s a 15 -minute drive to the beach.
What do you believe are the three key traits of a successful entrepreneur?
Hard work, the ability to keep going during difficult circumstances and to save some profit for potential hard times ahead.
What do you feel are the key traits of a successful employer?
Always have time for employees, be the example and lead from the front.
What do you wish people knew about your industry?
Marketing, sales and trade are not about glitz and glamour but about building business cases and showing value.