17 Jun 2014

The demand for cell phone repair services in Francistown has spurred a middle aged man to tap into the market and provide the service to consumers who at most find themselves saddled with useless gadgets they cannot fix.

Mr Anthony Mothibi’s cell phone repair services came as a relief to many who throng his open air workshop to consult the cell phone 'doctor'. His business started five years ago.

Mr Mothibi, whose small workshop repairs all kinds of phones, said he was prompted to start his business by the fact that he wanted to do something that required the use of hands.

In an interview recently, the 44-year-old from Jackalas 2 credited his friends for teaching him the trade freely -- he learnt by watching them work and it was then that he developed interest in the work.

Also, he noted that it took him only two years for him to reach the expert level, something he said led him to quit his job as a security guard. “I worked as a security guard for years but after realising that I could earn a living with this kind of job, I quit. I wanted to be in charge of my finances,” he said.

After quitting his job as a security guard to go and start his business, Mr Mothibi mentioned that he bought the required machinery which included the hot air power station which he said was used to dismantle the cell phone parts and the soldering iron which he used to join some parts together.

He said other useful materials he acquired included the soldering paste and steel bond contact adhesive. Mr Mothibi highlighted that he selected the main mall in Francistown as his place of operation because there is a lot of movement and customers can easily identify his workshop.

He said he enjoys his job not only because it earns him a living but also because it enables him to interact with different people on a daily basis. “I don’t get bored when I am working, in fact I draw so much inspiration from my customers because some of them come requesting certain kinds of services with regard to phones and that instils some business ideas into my head,” he said.

Consequently, he said, he aspires to grow his business to a point where he would employ people and have a proper workshop where he operates.

He said he sees the possibility of his vision becoming a reality because his earnings are commendable. His daily income is never less than P250. During month-ends, the daily take home increases to P500. His working day starts at 8 a.m. and ends at 5 p.m.

“I take my business seriously, I live in Satellite but I always make sure I get in town early in the morning mostly because I don’t want to disappoint my customers,” he said.

Mr Mothibi also said his business like any other business has got its own challenges with the main one being the lack of phone parts in Botswana. This forces him to order the phone parts from South Africa, which sometime take time to arrive.

“Ordering the parts from South Africa is not expensive nor is it complicated but the problem is usually the delay which often results in my customers not getting their phones back in the agreed time,” he said.

The father of three said that he has realized that he inspires a lot of people with his work as he has seen many coming to enquire about his work, with the inspiration to learn how to do what he does but said they are however impatient.

“I am willing to teach anyone who wants to learn free of charge but unfortunately people are impatient and some don’t even want to be seen sitting along the street like me,” he said. “They feel it is a waste of time yet they want money.”

Mr Mothibi, who is the sole owner of the business, said besides repairing phones, he also repairs television and radio sets. However, with the latter, he operates from home since they cannot be carried along because of their size.

He said he knows about government programmes that give financial aid to aspiring business people but said he has not considered seeking financial assistance as he is currently content with his earnings.

He added that his wish was to see people get to a level where they understand that earning a living does not necessarily mean waking up each morning and going to work for someone or for an organization.

He said people could actually create work for themselves. The cell phone repairman said he was personally inspired and motivated by his former employer who told him that starting a business did not always mean one should have a lot of capital. The former employer, told him that there were many business opportunities in Botswana but the problem is that Batswana didn’t take advantage of them.

“He informed me that even with P100 you have can start a business,” he said.

Mr Mothibi said he was determined to grow his business to greater heights. He declared that he was not afraid of competition as he believed in customer care attracted customers. ENDS