16 Mar 2017

When many are scared or are skeptical about leaving their careers, especially in their youthful years  to venture into business, others find it opportune to live their entrepreneurial dreams and risk their savings by investing in business ventures.

Such is 35-year-old Mr Modise Nyepetsi, who after working as an accountant in 2007 and retired as a senior accounting assistant last year, partitioned his 16-hectare farm with the aim of venturing into commercial farming

His varied business interests also had him register a company in 2007, which he said had been doing well since its inception.

Speaking to BOPA in an interview, Mr Nyepetsi said during his days as an employee, he kept livestock and saved money as he always had an ambition to venture into commercial farming.

Mr Nyepetsi explained that in 2014 he started with Tswana chickens, which he said sold enormously mostly because he supplied LIMID customers.

At the advancement of his poultry, he said he started buying eggs go incubate and business has ever since been blooming.

After his resignation, he said he bought a seven tonne truck to ease transportation as he sought to expand his business by buying enough livestock and presently he has pigs, goats, cattle, donkeys, rabbits, guinea fowls, ducks and Tswana chickens.

“I bought livestock while I was still working, however after my resignation I opted for much improved breeds because I wanted to upgrade my current breeds.I attend auction sales and I travel, especially to South Africa to buy new breeds of livestock, reason being that I want to be competitive,” he narrated.

Moreover, he said he drilled a borehole in his farm with the aim of producing stock feeds.

Mr Nyepetsi highlighted that sometimes it takes experience and requires knowledge to venture into business.

He said he gained the needed experience during his working days and gained knowledge during the course of his study, through networking and having a good eye for business, especially studying the market.

He also emphasised that infusing passion in everything one does and enduring intimidation, especially in the birth stage of business, yields fruit.

“I opted to retire early because I wanted to focus on growing my business, I also would have long retired but I found it fit to work because I did not want to start off with a loan.

I also learnt vital business aspects such as customer service and financial management, which I acquired not only because I am a professional accountant, but because I managed my salary and now I am capable of managing my business finances.

I also observed that late retirement was a disadvantage, especially if one aspires to venture into business, when one is old it is possible to be fatigued easily,” Mr Nyepetsi said.

He said he has three employees and anticipates hiring more as the business grows. With his undying spirit and ambitions, he said he aspires to form a regional farmers’ association, where they will sell their produce via auction sale, which he said is much profitable than the usual sale, especially livestock.

Mr Nyepetsi said he participated in the Kgatleng agricultural show for the first time last year and won numerous prices such as champion for rabbits and guinea fowls and won one price at the national agricultural show.

He said he supplies hotels, lodges and individuals and said he was yet to penetrate the market and look for more buyers. Despite his success, he has faced a number of challenges mainly in finances and said he is yet to solicit financial assistance for his irrigation equipment.

He added that farmers do not cooperate, citing an example of the current outbreak of lumpy skin disease and said if they worked together they would contribute small amounts of money to buy vaccines for their animals and stop spending a lot more on medication that one uses only a little and discards the rest. ENDS