A fearless and Shrewd Entrepreneur

As Mark Twain states, “the secret to getting ahead is getting started”.

Steven Mhlanga has proven to be a great example to young entrepreneurs like him living in Phola.

In a recent case study presented by Hot Mustard Africa; Public Relations Agency, the proud owner of Strong Contributors (Pty) Ltd mentioned that a lot of work had to be put in to make the business a success.

Like any successful entrepreneur, Steven had to climb the ladder to get to the top.

Mr Mhlanga started of as a sales representative at a funeral home and electric appliance store, which was an opportunity given to gain enough experience that granted him a job opportunity as a salesperson at a bank.

Although, this wasn’t the initial job of his dream, Steven made sure to grab each job opportunity with greatness keeping in mind that it is only a stepping stone to his own construction company.

In 2012, Steven was privileged enough to launch his own construction company.

His entrepreneurial dream forced him to resign at the bank and pursue his dream.

In the quest of pursuing his dream of building a profitable construction company, Steven didn’t discard his duties as a father and a husband.

With the money he received from a provident fund, he opened a local tuck shop in Phola and bought a microbus to transport kids to school locally, with the money he made he was able to sustain his family financially.

Strong Contributors (Pty) Ltd took off three years after the official launch when a mining and financing company offered Steven a contract to manufacture concrete slaps.

However, given the fact that the company was still new and resources were limited, Steven had to rely on other entrepreneurs for assistance to complete the project.

Steven Mhlanga’s academic history played a vital role in building a strong entrepreneurship foundation that he would use in the present time. His Diploma in Business Management of which he acquired at Nkgangala FET College and a course in Bookkeeping from Damelin allowed him to be open to learning new things.

According to the case study by Hot Mustard Africa, Steven continues to embrace learning by attending programmes offered by South 32.

Steven admits that the South 32 programmes have helped him grow in knowledge, and furthermore establish accuracy to pricing which has helped developed his mindset to be more competitive in any workspace.

Steven Mhlanga looks forward to the future and has great heights set for his company.

Steven’s long term goal is to expand Strong Contributors (Pty) Ltd to the African regions as well as housing branches nationwide and most importantly, he wants to leave a legacy that his family will honour.

This to Steven means a lot and in his words he states “my death should mark the great journey that I have travelled, my efforts will be known to my children, I expect them to be greater, but leaving a good start for them is vital.”