ROSHGOLD Young Business Achiever Awards TOP 5

CELEBRATING OUR FINALISTS

Shaakirah Rahiman Saleh

“Do not judge me by my successes, judge me by how many times I fell and got back up again”- Nelson Mandela

Amongst the sixty plus entries received, one thing was common: Ultimate failure was not an option. With every challenge on the road to entrepreneurship, our entrants will to succeed was far too great and each individual clung on to their dreams of success. It proved to be a challenging and rigorous task for the organising committee and judges to grade and research each candidate over two weeks with a well-structured Rubric Cube.

At the end of this process, the following criteria allowed our TOP 5 Finalists to truely stand out, they include:

  • Candidates were able to demonstrate outstanding achievement in their respective field.
  • They had clear aspirations and an outstanding attitude to their work.
  • Our five candidates are all technologically savvy.
  • They are eager to learn/upskill and also show commitment to life-long learning and innovation.
  • Employment Creation is a direct outcome of them going into business.
  • And very importantly they were worthy candidates who make a significant contribution to social responsibility.

It is a great pleasure for Roshgold News to honour and profile the FIVE leading businesses of the first ever Roshgold Young Businesss Achiever Awards:

  1. Ashraf Kadwa – Chilli Chocolate Chefs
  2. Hamza Pandor- Pandors Designs
  3. Zakeeya Mitha- Sugarlicious
  4. Madzenga Mabaso- Crazi Nerd.com
  5. Faheema Mohamed- Restore Health Water

GRAND PRIZE WINNER: CHILLI CHOCOLATE CHEFS

The nail-biting and exhilarating moment had arrived and the outcome of the Roshgold Young Business Achievers Award was to be announced. Upon announcement, a very emotional and thankful Ashraf Kadwa said; “To be nominated and compete in the Top 20 has been an unbelievable experience. I know the hard work behind the scenes, it takes a lot of sacrifice to make it in the food industry. I’m very proud to represent Chilli Chocolate Chefs to receive this award on behalf of my wife Zainab and her sister Faatima. I just want to thank Roshgold for starting this initiative, Alhamdulillah it’s a great initiative. And I just want to thank the judges for their time in scoring us and I really appreciate everything, Thank you.”

One thing that is undeniable about the Chilli Chocolate Team is their standard of excellence and commitment to quality. Their presentation, quality, delicious food, branding and overall visual appeal may allude to the business being

established for well over a decade. However, Chilli Chocolate Chefs started with just the two chefs, a borrowed car, use of the family home kitchen and equipment and with no capital at all. Now eight years later, Chilli Chocolate Chefs has two dedicated vehicles, rented premises, food preparation and catering equipment. Their staff complement has grown to eight full time staff, a backup team of casual staff, as well as, contracts with an accountant and media and communications service provider.

 

This winner started off with not much to begin a venture, yet have advanced exponentially through their commitment in growing both themselves as young business owners and their young brand over the years. For our readers who always wanted to start a business, ask yourself, what is stopping you from achieving your dreams just as this dynamic Sister Act and their extended team have?

 

Not unfamiliar to our Roshgold News Readers, Chilli Chocolate Chefs was featured as a “Business to watch” last year in our Growing Hands section. Chilli Chocolate Chefs offers Halaal gourmet catering, for all types of events and occasions.

 

There are many types of services they offer including:

 

  • Live Stations a concept which was launched 5 years ago has been widely requested for functions and in fact we have found that it’s also being emulated by other caterers. According to feeds on social media,  the “Paani Puree” station seems to be a firm favourite.

 

  • Innovations in wedding and celebratory events have meant that the demand for our services are extending beyond the KZN borders.

 

  • Corporate Halaal Fusion Food Catering has expanded the options available for corporate clients in catering and for those with special needs.

 

 

  • Junior/Adult Chef Training

 

We provide training in a niche category. This is seen particularly during school holidays for children and year-end for corporate team building.

 

 

  • Food Demonstrations.

 

Appliance/Store brands such as Defy OR Hirsch’s often contact us to help launch and promote their products.

 

 

  • Menu Planning

 

We offer our services in planning menu’s for other food establishments, as well as, private clients.

 

 

  • Product Launches

 

Businesses want to make a product launch a very memorable experience. Often food is a major part of this experience and our clients such as Mercedes look to us for exquisite gourmet food items.

 

You may view the food and projects Chilli Chocolate Chefs (CCC) are currently involved in on their social media pages which at present have a following of close to 25 000 fans on Instagram & almost 10 000 followers on Facebook.

 

The chefs have reached these astounding figures on their own, affirming that they will never buy followers, neither do they chase likes on posts. “At the core, we post delicious looking food pictures which people love.” Says Mr Ashraf Kadwa, CCC’s Marketing and Communications Manager. He adds that “We also often “Give back” in the sense that we post food recipes and How-To videos. From time to time we will partner with a social media influencer to gain additional exposure.”

 

So after working hard in the kitchen and concluding their culinary success, The CCC Team share their gains and  are committed to giving back to the community as the company undergoes a monthly initiative to visit hospitals and orphanages. They also get heavily involved in initiatives such as Mandela Day.  Additionally, surplus are also often distributed to homes who are in dire need of contributions.

 

ADVICE STRAIGHT FROM OUR WINNERS, THE CHILLI CHOCOLATE CHEFS:

1st – Love what you do!

Running a business takes energy, passion and motivation. Being passionate for what you are doing is a key ingredient to having fun and creating a successful business. It allows you to sustain working long hours, dealing with criticism and failures and embracing success.

 

Passion and energy is often infectious! If you exude passion and confidence your team will easily follow suite.

 

2nd – Set Goals & Dream Big.

It’s critical for a business to have goals and something to work for.

Otherwise it may become mundane to keep doing things repetitively.

Innovate and experiment all the time. Laziness and complacency have no place in our work life.

 

3rd – Love Your Customer & Staff

Both Customers and Staff are driving forces of any business. Staff are people with their own dreams and pains. Creating a team vision, shared commitment to service excellence and quality in delivery are key components of our team approach.

 

Lastly the quicker you realise this and adopt a “Love” attitude, you will find positive business outcomes will follow. From getting feedback to innovative ideas, processes and more.  Remember the first thing you learn when entering the business world “The customer is always right.” Listening to what the customer wants and respective constructive criticism. Being able to acknowledge errors and compensate customers where your service was below optimum are part of the strategy.

 

1st RUNNER UP: PANDORS DESIGNS

Pandors Exclusive Designs (PED) started in 2010 by Co-Owner Ahmed Pandor after completing his wood working course at Furntech. At the tender age of twenty, with just a few months of experience and no capital Ahmed started “PED” and joined Furntechs incubation program. Hamzah Pandor Joined the Business in 2011. What do they do? Pandors Exclusive designs Specializes in design, manufacture & installation of: High quality Kitchen Units,  Bedroom Cupboards and Shop fittings .

The Pandor Team admits that the Roshgold Young Business Achiever Awards isn’t the first prestigious business awards they’ve competed in and that they are thankful and learn from each opportunity. Pandors Designs was also selected as a National Gazelles Top 40 Businesses for 2017 ( Initiative by Small Business Development & Seda) and they were nominated for Rocci & FNB business of the year 2017 (West Rand).

They recall humble beginnings as they borrowed their neighbours vehicle at night to do deliveries and thereafter,  load tools in their own car to finish the installation the next day. After the first year of business they employed two staff members whom they trained themselves and this allowed PED to grow as a team. “We were lucky enough after a year and half a friend, gave us a small vehicle which we paid off. Today PED employs nine staff and has three delivery vehicles.” said Hamza.

Practical Advice from Hamza and Ahmed Pandor:  “Aspire to be a true entrepreneur and not just a “Business owner”. With every difficulty there’s a lesson to be learnt. Never be afraid to seek knowledge and advises from those around you. When you fail, try again. Ultimately aspire to be the best in your trade and never give up.”

 

2nd RUNNER UP: SUGARLICIOUS

Zakeeya Mitha owner of Sugarlicious admits that it took about a year of many “epic fails” before she perfected the French Macoron. It was this “failing forward” and learning through every fail that eventually led to the addictive and very delicious brand Sugarlicious.

Finally, in 2011 she started baking her newly perfected macrons for friends and family and built up the courage to start trading at the markets in 2013. Sugarlicious introduced the “Ice Cream Macaron” for the first time South Africa in 2015 and it has been a great success with the first store opened in December 2016

Besides being a unique new product which took years to develop and perfect, another competitive advantage and strength is that Zakeeya has gone through great lengths to uniquely package the product which makes it possible to travel great distances as it is also sold via airfreight around South Africa and even Dubai. Sugarlicious uses uniquely designed Styrofoam boxes with dry ice to last the consumer at least 30/45 minutes until they get home. This ensures the cold chain as well as product quality. From one person who began her journey just over seven years ago, Zakeeya now employs more than 10 people

Sugarlicious also leverages technology to the businesses advantage.  Zakeeya says: “Our point-of-sale works off a tablet, we have app-based payment options as well as app-based stock control. We set up online ordering during peak periods. Most of our marketing is done via social media and we have a following of over 20k (real) followers. We advertise our events/ products via social media and this has created a national demand.  Our brand is well established in South Africa.”

Zakeeyas ADVICE to young aspiring entrepreneurs: “Every action is by its intention. Ask yourself what is your intention for the business? What do you want to achieve or change with your business? Focus on that goal and work towards it. It will not be easy, success is not the magazine articles or TV interviews. Success is getting through the day when all you want to do is throw in the towel and call it quits. When you get through a day, knowing you are working towards and achieving short or long term goals. It does not matter how tough it gets.”

4rd PLACE FINALIST: CRAZINERD.COM

Crazinerd.com was in planning and incubation fover five years. The business was launched only six months ago with clients already! Crazinerd.com was started with the sole intention of creating a platform for young entrepreneurs to get themselves online. The aim was to eradicate the financial barrier which young business owners experience when they need a website. “We formulated a pricing plan that’s perfect for any kind of business, small or large. We create websites for people for only R400. We realized that we can’t be like others that are boasting about helping entrepreneurs yet their prices create barriers of entry for the people they claim to be catering for. We wanted to be different in our approach and actually create an alternative affordable route to the online market for every entrepreneur out there.” Says Madzenga Mabaso, the founding member.

Many entrepreneurs and young businesses flocked around Madzenga and Hamilton. They were representing their organisation at the Roshgold AGM.  Madzenga said that their target market demographic was, primarily much younger businesses and students. He confided; “We are truly thankful to Roshgold for opening a new and wider market for Crazinerd.com to have access to.” This success has not come easy as financial challenges posed a threat to the businesses success: “I’ve spent a lot of my bursary and grocery money to ensure that the business will be where it needs to be. So I’ve had some nights with no food, however the business wouldn’t be where it is today without those sacrifices.”

Madzenga added that there is no fast way to success. They have put in the time and effort required and also be fair and affordable in pricing for their customers. He advised: “Don’t try to get rich quick, don’t overprice things, help others grow with you, share your knowledge, be an older sibling and guide the new business owners, only then can you call yourself a leader and entrepreneur, because an entrepreneur isn’t someone who makes employees, an entrepreneur is someone who makes other entrepreneurs.”

 

5th PLACE FINALIST: RESTORE HEALTH WATER

Faheema Mohamed is a lady who is committed to raising both her young family and fledgling business. Her husband and four month old baby proudly celebrated her achievements alongside her at the Roshgold 33rd AGM. Her brand, Restore Health Water has made tremendous strides in just over fifteen months. Faheema said; “the journey has been a very painful and personal one. Many of my near and dear relatives and friends either have cancer or have passed away from cancer, including, my dad.” She investigated and developed this product to assist with a healthier lifestyle for those affected by this disease.

Faheemah says; “Acidity breeds disease and one of the easiest ways to combat this is through diet. Our antioxidant, alkaline water is phenomenal in ridding the body of excess acid. The water has been used by our clients for gout, kidney disease, weight loss, heartburn, indigestion, constipation and detoxification, just to name a few. We have also partnered with PinkDrive and for every bottle sold, we donate a portion to this amazing cause and we also support CANSA.”

Aside from the benefits of Faheema’s alkaline water, The Roshgold Team was impressed by one of the core values Faheema believes in – “empowerment”.  In her entry she shared that on the 10 July 2017 the Gail Britoe Foundation launched their custom branded bottled water on E-TV’s Sunrise show. Restore Health Water bottles and supplies the foundation with branded alkaline water at a reduced price which the foundation is selling to restaurants, shops, churches, etc. within the Eldorado Park area. As a result revenue is generated and the money is used to sustain the foundation by purchasing food for kids or elderly, maintenance of the premises. Restore Health Water also supplies the South African National Youth League, Support CANSA and Pink Drive initiatives.

We share real advice from a real entrepreneur going through the challenges of launching and succeeding at her brand: “START and Network… One of the most important skills that is needed as a business owner, is networking… there is no way you can grow a business just using technology, there has to be a brand, a story or a message that we need to communicate. It is easier to close a deal if you connect with people.”

A special THANK YOU from the Roshgold Group in concluding the first ever

ROSHGOLD YOUNG BUSINESS ACHIEVER AWARDS:

 

  • To all 65 entrants who have been a part of our first ever Roshgold Young Business Achiever Awards. Thank you for entering, we look forward to seeing your business flourish in 2018 and beyond.
  • Thank you to our Judges Zaheera Bham Ismail, Thabo Mosala, Nasir Seedat, Razia Mohamed, Haroon Kalla, Ebrahim Sujee, Yusuf Patel & Nazir Osman
  • Thank you to our sponsors Life Coach Razia, The Amka Group, Roshgold, Roshmed, Motordeal, Sedgars Group, Audit Connection, Adega Fordsburg, Roshgold News and Albaraka Bank
  • To the media who have supported this event: Radio Islam, Channel Islam, The Voice of the Cape, ITV Networks and to all who have shared our posts on Social Media.
  • Our Roshgold Team who have worked tirelessly to administer this exciting competition.
  • Thank you to all our Finalists for joining us at the Roshgold AGM 2017 and Congratulations once again on your achievements!
  • Roshgold applauds ALL our entrants and encourages our readers to follow, connect with and support these young and aspiring businesses.