The building blocks of a construction business

Resilience, self-belief, and the determination to never give up are the ingredients needed to enter the highly competitive construction industry.

This is according to Phiwokuhle Manana (25), who owns a construction, transportation and plant hire business called Morning Rise, in Mpumalanga.

He says his passion for the industry started after he matriculated and managed to get a job as a construction worker.

“I was a supervisor for the plant so I ended up liking this industry. I also saw this as an opportunity to open my own business,” he said.

In 2018, Manana decided to start his own business but only registered it in 2020. He said that starting and running a construction company comes with many challenges.  

“It was difficult to start this business. I had to persuade clients to trust me. I had to build relationships with site managers in my areas so they can trust me,” he said.

Manana's business has created three jobs so far, however, he said that the current economic environment makes it difficult for small businesses to continue operating.

He added that in 2021, he received a much-needed financial boost from the National Youth Development Agency (NYDA).

“The R49 000 NYDA funding was used to purchase laptops, stationery and other office equipment. We no longer have to huddle around one laptop when drawing up a quotation, for example.”

Manana added that part of the reason for starting his own business was to create jobs but this has been difficult due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

He stated that as a young entrepreneur, it was important to expand your knowledge. He decided to enrol at the Tshwane University of Technology for a Diploma in Economic Management and will be graduating later this year.

“I will be graduating this year, I enrolled in this course to push my business further,” he remarked.

Manana concluded by advising other entrepreneurs in the construction industry to never give up but rather learn from their mistakes.

For more information on the NYDA call 0800 58 58 58 or visit www.nyda.gov.za