Company Announcement - While scores of women would take offence to the phrase “A woman’s place is in the kitchen”, Mamiza Makhathini turned her passion for cooking toher advantage by building a most gratifying career in hospitality and catering.The 45-year-old from Richards Bay on the KwaZulu-Natal North Coast is cooking up a storm in her community with her flourishing catering business, Smiso Investments CC, a company which started operating in 2005 and which nowaffords over 120 local people a livelihood.

Smiso Catering services a diverse customer base including industrial, corporate, educationaland government organisations. Her dedicated team of project managers, kitchen managers, chefs and dieticians pride themselves in exceeding customer service expectations by cooking mouth-watering dishesthat cater for the most discerning tastes whilst also adhering to the highest quality and hygiene standards. Ithala Development Finance Corporation is a well-known and long-established entity that has, over the years, been providing financial support to various SMMEs across KwaZulu-Natal. She said she heard about Ithala after attending a workshop hosted by the Small Enterprise Development Agency and through various print, electronic and social mediums where she learned that Ithala provided financial support to SMMEs.

Ithala is KwaZulu-Natal’s provincial development agency. Business finance is one of the service offerings of Ithala. Others include Properties, Insurance and Financial Services Business. “Passion and patience are my personal recipes for success.I am driven by the desire to excel at whatever I do. “My strengths are networking, communications, the ability to take calculated risks, being opinionated and having consideration for other people’s views. “I intend to expand my business and provide similar services to mining companies in the future. We intend to approach Ithala for growth funding and expansion,” said Mamiza. She said the required business funding will assist her in acquiring new technology and equipment that will enhance quality and efficiency for the benefit ofher customers. “The desired funding will put our company on par with the “Ivy League” players that are dominating the food industry.” Her company was recognised by the Zululand Chamber of Commerce and Industry and proudly claimed both the Medium Business of The Year and the Premium Award at the 2012 Business Excellence Awards.

In her journey as an entrepreneur, she said she learned some valuable life lessons,including the fact that there were no short cuts to success. “In business, courage, persistence, responsibility and delegation, not abdication is important. “It is also imperative that you know your market, price and product as this will determine the success and sustainability of your business.” Some of the challenges she experienced as an entrepreneur but which have increased her learnings over time were managing cash flow, working with limited resources, employing staff with requisite skills, sourcing funding for specific projects, getting on track with training, breaking the barriers to corporate markets, obtaining professional affiliations, keeping abreast with health and safety requirements and meeting costly technological requirements.

She said SMMEs in South Africa required greater support at the rate in which it is required. A typical day at the office begins with a briefing session with her management team where they plan the day. Thereafter, she checks and responds to emails whilst also attending to other strategic issues such as buying, operations and marketing. When it is finally time for her to retire, she is determined to ensure that the business she has worked so hard to build up will be carried forward by her children.

For more information on Ithala visit www.ithala.co.za or call 031 907 8911.