The clean business of dirty work

WHEN Erastus Amenya worked as an insurance salesman, he discovered that it was a ‘nasty’ profession to be in.

‘There were lots of lies and you got paid commission even though your customers were left struggling. You didn’t give them what they needed or you sold them more than what they wanted. So I left because I wanted to do things honestly.’ And ironically in line with his squeaky-clean morals, Amenya now owns a cleaning company. His business, Ondje Trading Enterprises at Rosh Pinah, cleans residential and business properties (from carpets to ceilings), vehicles, machinery and equipment. In addition, he has recently launched a pick-up and drop-off laundering service while also dabbling in the distribution of cleaning products. ‘I started my company in 2004,’ he says. ‘I was working as an assistant fitting contractor fixing and replacing damaged pipes in the Skorpion Zinc mine, and I saw the opportunity to provide cleaning services because they were dirty. They would also have solvent-contaminated spillages from the silos which would fall onto the road and they would have to drive their cars through it, causing them to rust.’So Amenya took the initiative to write a simple one-page proposal to the mine’s management, offering to clean their cars as well – which they accepted. Now Ondje Trading is worth about N$400 000 and employs 13 others. And the knowledge he gained from past attempts at enterprise has helped him to succeed. ‘Before, I tried to set up businesses – like a shebeen, a taxi – but I kept on falling and falling because I didn’t have enough capital and business skills,’ explains Amenya.This is why he was grateful when Skorpion Zinc contracted SMEs Compete to provide courses in management and bookkeeping for the novice entrepreneurs.’Now I feel that I am doing well, but I’m always thinking bigger – there are just not enough zeros in my bank account! I hardly enjoy my profits because I re-invest them back into the business. Even when I won Entrepreneur of the Year 2009 I used the N$30 000 prize money to buy more machinery.’ He hopes to expand his business to cover Namibia within the next five years and is looking for business partners to bring skills, capital injections and ‘second-opinions’ to his company. ‘I don’t want any sleeping partners, I want innovative ones that add value and I’d rather be 10% of an elephant than 100% of a rat!’ he exclaims. He plans to open a branch in Windhoek soon but finds it difficult to compete with the much larger cleaning companies for tenders. ‘Namibia is a free market and the tenders are like open market auctions. There’s no exception made for SMEs in terms of the pre-requisites required – such as heavy machinery, the larger sizes of erven and organograms. Organograms do not exist in SMEs!’Furthermore, he cannot convince the banks to give him a loan because his contract with Skorpion Zinc is renewable every year. ‘They think that I may not have enough future business if the mine cancels the contract, but they do not see that I have a proven track record worth six years. Government should exempt us from the collateral requirements because we can’t grow fast enough.’He believes that his ambition is something that he was born with. ‘As a child, I used to buy and sell wire cars. It is instinct. I just used to have an urge when I saw somebody in my surroundings doing something productive, and I wanted to be like them.’ And Amenya continues to work hard so that he can make a better life for his children and grandchildren. ‘I don’t want them to struggle from the beginning but I do want them to keep the fire burning,’ he smiles. *Amenya can be contacted at 081 294 8453 or Erastus.ondje@gmail.com. Thanks to SMEs Compete for their assistance.