13 Jan 2016

While some residents are thrilled at the imminent construction of the long awaited Charleshill/Ncojane road, for small entrepreneurs it is a gap that needs to be tapped on. 

Ms Gakeoage Mogami is a middle aged woman who operates a food catering business in Ncojane. 

Running a catering business may sound like a fun way to showcase your cookery skills, but the job comes with quite a few headaches. 

Ms Mogami started her business in 2012 from her own savings and has been striving to get it off the ground despite shortcomings involved. 

Four years later, she is still struggling to make ends meet but not losing hope. 

A mother of three, Ms Mogami has been able to keep her business running and not deterred by the dry days which often see her returning home with food unsold. 

Even the long hours involved do not discourage her. 

“I work 11 hours in a good day, but if it is a slow day I go up to 15 hours having woken up at 5am,” says Ms Mogami confidently. 

She also notes that she has such obstacles like transport, especially for her stock. She said she sometimes is so broke that she is unable to go and buy stock in Charleshill. 

But despite that she always has hope and she endures the odds.

But determination and the zeal to get somewhere and grow her business has kept her going and she has been able to maintain her family. 

On an average good month Ms Mogami says she makes a good P4 000. Even without the necessary training to prosper her small business, she says she has been able to manage her finances since she keeps proper business records. 

Although there is financial assistance from the government, Ms Mogami said she was discouraged by the group assistance offered by the Gender Department. 

Now with the coming of the big road construction project in her area, this determined lady says she has already established a rapport with the construction company Zac Construction for provision of food to its workers. 

Ms Mogami says negotiations for a contract with the company are underway; and that with the relations she has with them, she says she hopes for positive outcome from the negotiation deals.

With her business based at the Village Development Committee premises and on a contractual basis ending this year in October; Ms Mogami says she hopes to move to her business plot in Ncojane hoping for growth in her business. 

Her only advise to other small entrepreneurs like her especially women is that challenges are always there in any business, and that the trick and success of it is how to tackle them and prosper in your business. Ends