INNOVATION DRIVES PENTHAUS BOTTOM LINE AMID TIGHT COMPETITION
Botswana’s projects management and construction sector is tightly contested. To survive players, are forced to diversity and become innovative. One such company which has managed to survive is Penthaus. Below SUN BUSINESS talks to the company’s Director f
SUN BUSINESS: Kindly introduce your business to our readers?
BOTHO MOOKA: Penthaus is a project management and contracting firm with a keen focus on engineering, building construction and property asset management services. We are also suppliers of innovative corporate furniture through an exclusive dealership from our partners in South AfricaAngelshack and Chairclub.
SUN BUSINESS: How has your company been received by the market?
MOOKA: The market has been receptive to our services, with enquiries for our products and services coming from the public and private sector. We do our best to provide quality service to all our clients, big or small and we have a couple of return businesses.
SUN BUSINESS: How did you fund your business?
MOOKA: Our business was financed by capital contributions from the founding partners.
SUN BUSINESS: Who is your target market?
MOOKA: We look for business with any individual or organisation embarking on a construction project or a refurbishment. We are able to take your project from the design through to the furniture installations. Our team of talented project managers and designers make this process seamless.
SUN BUSINESS: What have been some of the major challenges that the company experienced during its initial years of operations?
MOOKA: Well, experience is a key value add in our industry and as new entrants at the time, “past” experience as a company was a limiting factor in acquiring new work. Eventually however, some clients gave us the benefit of the doubt and we were able to gain momentum going forward.
SUN BUSINESS: How did you manage to overcome those challenges?
MOOKA: An aggressive marketing strategy coupled with solid business presentations helped us break the Chinese wall and initiate relationships with clients. Our after sales service and communication with our clients has made us a reliable partner, even during times of emergencies.
SUN BUSINESS: How has COVID 19 affected your business?
MOOKA: The construction industry was severely impacted by the pandemic, with the industry reducing on expenditure and some clients even shelving planned projects. In response to this we had to diversify our service offering and package it also to suite the needs at the time. We came up with innovative ideas and business add-ons to sustain the business during the pandemic. This was not a very easy time however.
SUN BUSINESS: Where do you see your business in the next five years?
MOOKA: We see ourselves being a leading firm solving Botswana and Africa’s infrastructure challenges. We recognise that brands that lead are those that create tangible value, participate in solving cultural tensions and respond to people’s lived experiences. We will achieve this through the application of sustainable design, engineering and asset management.