In a decade of inspirational personal growth, company owner Sibongile Mphilo went from petrol attendant to successful business woman.
But everything did not happen overnight. Her current lifestyle is a far cry from her impoverished Tembisa childhood.
“We were struggling financially – often there wasn’t enough to eat. Both my parents were unemployed, so I had to help,” she recalls.
Desperate to contribute to the household, Nonyane-Mphilo did a security course, hoping it would lead to employment.
“I thought a qualification would help me find a job, but even after qualifying, I couldn’t find steady work. The security industry’s very male-dominated and companies are reluctant to hire women.”
In 2002, Mphilo registered Sibongile Security Services as wholly black female owned company, using her petrol attendant tips to rent a small office in Polokwane.
“I used my salary to support my family, but saved all the tips I made. It was difficult not being able to dip into my savings when we lacked so much at home, but I kept my focus. I ensured I was friendly, polite and always had a smile on my face.
My strategy paid off, as I got bigger tips which I knew would be the seed capital for my business,” she says.
Once the company was registered, she used her spare time to research the security sector and found the best opportunities were in Polokwane, where local government was seeking entrepreneurs.
Soon after, she was awarded a six-month contract at the Sekhukhune Magistrate’s office. More contracts followed, and by 2004 she was well established in Polokwane and was awarded a large contract by the Department of Education. She established an office in North West and sourced work there.
The company grew, and in 2008 she opened an office in Pretoria. She was awarded a tender at the South Africa Social Security Agency.
“Deciding to expand nationally was a huge financial risk, since most of the profits went to operating costs and travelling to different provinces. This meant many nights sleeping in a car, because I did not have the funds to pay for accommodation,” she says.
Mphilo’s big break came in 2011 when Telkom awarded a contract to Sibongile Security Services. It was also a big wake-up call. Small businesses can be a risky investment for corporations. Among the biggest worries is that the business wouldn’t scale to their needs.
“The Telkom contract required us to make a huge capital outlay for new vehicles, uniforms, and firearms and control room equipment,” Mphilo recalls.
“None of the banks were willing to provide finance until Telkom’s procurement team stepped in to back us up. That was thanks to the effort both sides made to develop a healthy relationship.”
Sibongile Security Services went from being a micro enterprise with a turnover of less than R5 million, to a large supplier with an annual turnover of more than R35 million in less than two years.
Her company has grown from strength to strength and was even named the woman-owned business of the year at the Standard Bank Top Women awards in 2014, and its annual turnover of R70 million will leave no one in any doubt.
“Don’t fear challenges – every challenge is a learning experience and is an achievement waiting to happen.” – Sibongile Mphilo
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