Every entrepreneur can recall a moment or an event that sparked the commitment to start their own business.  For young, determined go-getter, Makhosazana Megan Ngiba, that moment came when she was retrenched a few years back from her corporate position.

Born into a family of teachers, Megan always believed that education would be her chosen profession â€" and that it would also ultimately be the basis for her own business venture.

However, she initially took a very different route. She studied Information Technology at CTI College and took up a position at an IT company in Durban.

Unfortunately, the company was soon forced to put her on ‘short time’ â€" and with financial commitments and the closure of her employers’ company looming, Megan started researching how she could start a training facility that could ultimately be accredited and provide Sector Education and Training (SETA) courses â€" particularly in the IT sector (MICT).

Megan recalls that while her father may have worked as a teacher and later a headmaster, he always had a ‘business on the side”.  “Now I too, am doing both” she adds with a smile.

She started Makhophila Training â€" and initially set up a training facility with a school in KwaMashu using this as a base for getting SETA to visit the training facility and set the accreditation process in motion. Megan still works with this school today!

MICT SETA was the perfect fit â€" marrying Megan’s passion for education and her experience in the IT industry. She obtained her accreditation from SETA towards the end of 2009 â€" and a month later began a learnership program for 100 candidates.

Megan acknowledges this initial intake took up all her time and energy â€" with future planning taking a backseat.   As a result, the two years that followed were extremely tough. She adds “I actually thought of quitting. I was so focused on one project and one accreditation that I had failed to market Makhophila Training or look at expanding the training to other sectors outside of IT”.

Megan decided to provide training in Services SETA â€" which included addressing the huge gap in the market to train call center agents - a rapidly expanding industry. She also saw an opportunity in the agricultural sector - and sought AgriSETA accreditation to train candidates to make better use of grants â€" and even potentially become commercial farmers.

Realising that she had much to learn about running and managing a growing business, Megan enrolled for an entrepreneurial course at Varsity College â€" passing with distinction. She then added business administration and new venture creation to Makhophila Training’s offering.

Megan also realised however, that there was a lot of potential in her business and wanted to keep up the growth momentum â€" by seizing opportunities when she saw them.  “It’s all about what you do with the opportunity that counts” she says.

Around this time, she was made aware of the SA Home Loans Sekela Development Programme - an initiative that supports, mentors and grows small enterprises â€" and equips them to meet the real challenges of entrepreneurship.

She was accepted onto the programme â€" and the impact of the workshop sessions were immediate.  Says Megan, “The sessions cover legal compliance, human resources, operational guidance as well as marketing and finance. This invaluable input and the dedicated mentorship were exactly what I needed to take my business to the next level”.

She adds “It was almost like starting over with a totally new mind set. My approach has taken a 180 degree turn â€" and the positive results are very evident”.

Megan has started actively marketing Makhophila Training â€" using social media to increase awareness amongst learners needing career guidance and future training. HR managers are also targeted - making them aware of training opportunities for the employees.

While Makhophila Training had also transformed from a one-woman operation to a staff of 12 with an office and four classrooms in Sangro House in the Durban CBD, the type of contract inevitably calls for more staff with unique strengths.

Drawing on her mentorship and invaluable support from the Sekela Programme, Megan was able to appoint the right people for the task.

“Having professional, dedicated staff who deliver their best regardless of the circumstances is a major blessing” Megan acknowledges.

While growing a business and getting additional contracts is hugely gratifying, it is not without its challenges. Like most business, managing cash flow is key â€" and late payments from some departments she works with can be frustrating â€" and potentially devastating.

Megan is also concerned about the lack of integrity in some areas of the training industry, where potential students are lured to enroll for courses that have no substance or accreditation or that fail to materialise. This has just made her more dedicated and determined to do things correctly.

Her efforts and dedication have certainly paid off. By March 2018, 164 learners from three rural districts in KZN graduated and in August 2018 Makhophila Training hosted 469 educators who graduated in the End User Computing National Certificate.

“To us, training someone is helping mold their future. If we at Makhophila Training can change the direction of just one life â€" all our efforts and challenges have been worth it” says Megan.

Clearly, to Megan Ngiba, Makhophila Training is more than just a business!

Ends

Distributed for SA Home Loans

To find out more about the Sekela programme, contact SA Home Loans on sahlesd@sahomeloans.com 

Makhosazana Megan Ngiba can be reached on 083 512 5152. 

For more information contact.

 Distributed by Shirley Williams Communications.  Contact Shirley on 083 303 1663 or shirley@shirleywilliams.co.za