Civil Engineering May 2021 | Vol 29 No 4

Civil Engineering May 2021 37 are not aware of the knock-on effects or urgency to pay consultants on time so that they can continue to operate. Another challenge is having to compete with large, well-established companies for projects that SMEs can comfortably handle. I am a strong advo- cate for the separation of work packages to enable small businesses to successfully tender on projects and participate actively in the economy of the country. Based on what you have learnt, what is your advice to young business owners and young engineers interested in starting a business? When starting a business, it is vital to ensure that your finances are in order. You may have no income for the first few months, so you need to ensure that you have enough savings to cover your living costs during this time. Do not start a business with a preconceived idea of how much you will earn as you may not have regular work initially. You should also never treat your business as a personal bank account. Remember that future income is never guaranteed. Stick to your monthly salary and never draw additional monies during tough months. In addition, you should always finish a project and perform it well, irrespective of how much you charged the client, even if you undercharged. Learn from that experience and adjust your pricing accordingly. This is vital to protect your reputation and your brand. Our industry is very small – if you do something right people will know about it, and they will also know if you do something wrong. Always remember, you are a brand that you need to protect at all costs by doing things right. Whether you are charging R5 000 or R50 000, ensure that the quality of your work is the same – the only dif- ference should be the number of pages in your report. Be honest with your clients, do not cut corners and do the task at hand to the best of your ability. You never know where your report might land up – a good document could be a marketing tool. Apart from tendering, most of my work is through referrals, and as long I keep getting those referrals, I know that I am doing something right and shall continue doing the right thing. Quoting from my Masters’ dissertation, “leaders do the right thing, while managers do things right”. Remember that there will be rainy days, and sometimes they will bring storms with them, but these will pass. I expected my first year to be a difficult one. Luckily for me year one was not that bad, but I knew there had to be a bad year to come. That bad year was my second year, which has been my worst year to date. Through the difficulties, I held my head high and continued to work hard because it was too soon to throw in the towel. I am glad I did because we are now in year seven. I needed nerves of steel to get through some of the difficult times, but I never regretted starting my business. This is because my finances were in order and my goal never changed. Do not let money be the main reason you start a business; start a business because there is a problem or challenge you want to solve. If you focus on the job, and do it well, money will follow. Lastly, never stop learning and do not be afraid to ask questions and advice from those who have been there before you. I am seven years into my business, and I am still constantly learning and growing. I would strongly suggest getting a mentor to guide and motivate you through both the good times and the bad. What would you say to established business owners about supporting new/ small businesses? Stop focusing on the small jobs and leave space for new players to enter the market. I no longer go for small traffic impact assessments (that require a lot of time and effort for a low fee) because I am leaving space for new businesses who need those jobs to establish themselves. The pie is big enough for all of us to eat, and it is impor- tant to allow everyone to get a slice. In addition, share knowledge willingly and help young entrepreneurs grow and develop, or take a small company under your wing and be a part of that company’s success. For more information contact Andile Gqaji AG Traffic & Transportation Consultants (Pty) Ltd andileg@agttc.co.za Powerful Interface User-defined Beam Creep and Shrinkage Reinforcement Design Polka Engineering Software (Pty) Ltd Cell: (083) 675 5666 Email : coombes@polka.co.za