GALLERY: Best of the best know what Mbombela wants
During last week's The Best of Mbombela award ceremony more than 60 companies walked away with the coveted prizes of being the best in their field.
MBOMBELA – With more than 23 000 votes having been cast over the past two months, the winners of the best businesses in town were announced during a grand event at Emnotweni Arena on Wednesday.
From June 8 to August 18, Lowvelder readers could cast their votes online for their favourite service providers in the city – from schools to hair salons and auto repair.
An astonishing 23 767 votes poured in.
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Businesses could only be nominated by clients and readers. Each nomination was divided into one of five main classes, namely living in Mbombela, your favourite shopping spot, restaurant, pub or takeaway outlet; goods and services and wheels and deals.
These classes each contained a number of categories, bringing the total amount of winners to 54.
The winners of all other categories were chosen by the votes of readers, but the personality award was selected independently and presented to the person who, by example, puts the needs of the community far above his own.
Fred Kinnear, or “Oom Fred” as MC Dave Walters called him, was crowned personality of the year – the most prestigious award at the function – for his tireless and selfless work in and for the community.
Not only has he started businesses which have presented thousands of job opportunities in the Lowveld, but he also realised his dream of improving the standards of a number of local communities.
He was labelled “a gift from God” because of his passion for people, his willingness to listen and the manner in which he has empowered his workers to become self-sufficient entrepreneurs.
For the third year in a row, the service excellence award went to none other than Hi-Tech Security Nelspruit.
Locals believe this security force delivers exceptional service because of the highly-trained team, rapid response, warm take on customer care and all the gadgets needed to bring justice into the community.
The day’s guest speaker was the former Lowvelder, and now internationally acclaimed entrepreneur and real-estate developer, Ettiëne Pretorius.
He shared his seven simple secrets to financial success: keep it simple, create passive streams of income, there is no such thing as free money, lead conversations with questions, take massive action, live life to the fullest, and create contexts which will lead to your success.
“It is easy to see why a major supermarket like Pick n Pay does well. It has a 5 000 square-metre shop selling everything a person needs. However, it is only those who ask, ‘Why would they want to open such a shop in the first place?’ who understand how to create and satisfy your own market,” he said.
Pretorius, who was the only South African entrepreneur to be recently invited to Sir Richard Branson’s private island, said a new business should cater to the needs and characteristics of people. “If people are lazy, selfish or ambitious, then give them something to be lazy, selfish or ambitious about. Understanding what people want and how to accomplish it to the best of your ability, is what will make an entrepreneur successful.”
