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The PC Guy
New horizons
Sthembiso Johnson attended a 5-day start-up acceleration workshop in the town of Kenton on Sea in the Eastern Cape in 2016. Prior to the workshop he was working as a manager at a computer shop where he gained practical experience following his computer studies at university. As destiny would have it, he got an opportunity to take over the store from the owner in 2018.
Kenton on Sea, Eastern Cape
© OpenStreetMap contributors
Some key skills he learned during the workshop were how to develop a business plan and an elevator pitch.
These skills helped him build his confidence to approach customers and clients. Applying his experience and the business skills he learned from the workshop he now confidently runs a successful business that generates a turnover of R10 000 per month and employs one part-time employee.
Recently Sthembiso has been exploring ways to market his business and build out his customer base.
Although he lives in a small town, it is a popular travel destination with both in-season and out of season travellers. Looking to capitalise on these potential customers Sthembiso worked on the businesses digital profile, taking out ads on Google and building out the digital presence.
This strategy has worked well as his customer base has grown nicely, many of whom are foreigners or visitors from out of town.
A new revenue stream is fast becoming his preferred income channel: Call outs and repairs. These services are proving to be more profitable than in-store sales and just as in demand. Sthembiso sees the future of the business in this line of work, where call out agents attend to clients and Sthembiso takes a role of oversight.