Young entrepreneur will strive to build business
THE owner of a shopfitting and vanity studio business has been unable to complete his clients’ orders because of the lockdown.
But small business owner Tevin Pillay said that despite the financial impact, Covid-19 would not get the better of him.
The 24-year-old, who aspired to become an entrepreneur and turned his dream into a reality, has been in business since he matriculated in 2015.
He chose not to pursue tertiary studies and worked alongside his dad who owned an aluminum business.
Pillay wanted to gain first-hand experience at being a small business owner – and who better to teach him than his dad.
They worked side-by-side for a year, and during this time he introduced his father to the concepts of drywall partitioning and dry ceilings.
In December 2016, Pillay began brainstorming ideas to open his own business.
He decided on starting a shopfitting company and for six months he put his mind into getting the business off the ground and getting the necessary manpower, supplies and licences.
By May 2017, he rented a workshop on Fulham Road and hired four employees.
They did flooring, carpeting, tiling and shop fronts for businesses.
He scoured for clients and slowly but surely he became well known for his work and his business progressed.
Last January he realised there was a niche for vanity studios and began building custom-made Hollywood-style make-up vanities and frameless mirrors for salons and for private clients.
He also built custom-made TV cabinets and furniture and secured between seven and 10 jobs a week.
“There was a high demand for custom-made furniture of this nature. People loved this type of service.”
Days before President Cyril Ramaphosa announced the national lockdown, Pillay secured two clients for his shopfitting business and 12 customers for his vanity studio business.
“The president didn’t give us much notice before the lockdown. My staff and I worked long hours to complete the orders, but we were left with no choice but to place the projects we were working on on hold.”
Pillay, who lives with his parents, said they had to close the business. His dad had to do the same.
“I paid my staff a bit more to survive the lockdown.”
He said he was concerned about the financial impact on his business as he still had to pay the rent for the premises he worked from.
Pillay said he was thankful that the banks gave them a longer window period to pay their monthly installments for their business vehicles. “The future is uncertain.
“We have tried to keep the marketing going during the lockdown to gain new clients but people are hesitant to spend their money.
“They have families and responsibilities.”
Pillay said he saved for a rainy day, but the money would not last long.
“But I refuse to give up. I am using this as a learning curve to better plan for the future.
“I can’t let one month determine the fate of my business. I am willing to put in the work and fight to keep my business running.
“This is my passion and with passion and hard work there is no room for failure.”