Yes, you can too!
Justice Maphosa, 40, did it and he believes that you too can do it.
This is a man who singlehandedly transformed himself from a modest village cameraman to Chief Executive Officer and Founder of a multimillion rand company, which is consistently growing it must be added.
Maphosa is living proof that if one dreams big beyond their present circumstances, with fortitude, hard work and focus, goals are attainable.
If truth be told, Maphosa’s unflagging business streak can be traced to his upbringing. Growing up in family that could barely make ends meet drove him into doing menial jobs too early, when his friends were experimenting in teenage adventures.
After accumulating sufficient funds from doing menial jobs, Maphosa bought a second hand camera, which he used to take photographs of school mates on light-sensitive film that had to be sent somewhere to be developed. Each client was to pay 50% deposit upfront from to defray costs and the balance on delivery. This was a young mind with business savvy belying his age!
From the proceeds, Maphosa tended for every cent he got prudently – helping his parents sustain the home. As he grew older, so did his business acumen.
Maphosa took this business mentality to university, where, as a computer science student, he developed passion for information and communications technology, which he took to the corporate world.
In 1998, together with a friend, Maphosa established a company, Computer Inc. and Media Solutions that recycled printer ink cartridges for re-sale, stationery and other IT consumables. “We were doing well and also sold to government departments in large quantities,” he recalls.
Encouraged by the success of Computer Inc. and Media Solutions, the networks he had built and experienced gained, Maphosa then established Big Time Strategic Consultants in 2007.
Big Time Strategic Consultants has experienced epic growth since then. It is now a leading IT and systems integration company that provides complete service for the design, installation and maintenance of Enterprise Solutions functions for its clients who are from a variety of sectors. The company provides application integration, infrastructure connectivity, managed services as well as maintenance and support.
On what has catapulted the company to the top, Maphosa says: “At all times, a deeper understanding and sharing of knowledge between service provider and client, which translates to success of projects on a national and a regional level, is vital.”
“The company is a 100% black owned and managed, and is open to any black solution integrators which allow partnerships to the organisation to maximise its contact within the public sector. We have grown to become a respected, empowered IT organisation and our ethics are reflected on the company’s demographics. We are focused on growth and we re-invest the company’s profits in development of the organisation,” Maphosa says, adding that they are unapologetically black excellence focused.
“For Big Time Strategic Consultants the formula for success is not complicated. Focusing on people and rewarding them properly is good for business,” he adds.
Further, Eva Kekena, the Technical Director, attributes the Big Time’s growth to the bottom-up leadership and approach to business.
“Focusing on people and rewarding them properly is good for business. It’s not rocket science. We have found that when a company prioritises people from the onset and does not use the top-down approach, it is easier to attract and retain the best talent, generate great ideas and achieve the highest service levels. In turn, the extended benefit is that customers and other key stakeholders see the entity as the best to do business with – translating to profits,” she says.
Maphosa does not take Big Time’s success for granted. He knows that are thousands of black South Africans with brilliant ideas that cannot get the much needed head-start.
Through a staunch proponent of transformation, Maphosa has misgivings the current quota system, calling it a disservice to promoting black businesses. “We must re-look the issue of setting quotas where we say 25% of a certain Fund is set aside for black owned enterprises. What is 25%, why not 100% what happens to the remaining 75%. We will get nowhere with this mentality. Black people must organise themselves and support one another,” he bemoans.
Maphosa believes for black South Africans to get out of the economic quagmire, they have to consolidate their efforts and support each other instead of whining about “the economy still in white hands”. “The rising talk of black business growth, affirmative action should be backed by precise action,” he says.
Maphosa dispels the myth that black people do not have entrepreneurship nous in them. He contends that “entreprenuers are not born but made”. “A successful entrepreneur is a product of experience, knowledge, observation and one’s environment.”
Another area Maphosa wishes to see sustainable transformation is in gender equity, where he would like to see women being given more access to resources to excel in different areas.
Undoubtedly, the unforgettable legacy that the company has left is the contribution it makes to various noble community causes. “Giving back to our surrounding communities is an integral part of the Big Time Strategic Consultants culture. We are passionate about understanding the key needs and contributing towards education through bursaries, school uniform including shoes. These communities are part of our growth and from them we draw current and future employees and customers. We also offer internships for graduates,” Kekana says.
Employees at Big Time laud Maphosa as a great mentor. Encapsulating the general opinion of employees, Thabiso Kekana, Executive Director at Big Time, has this to say: “Maphosa believes in God and is a man of deep faith. That influences the way he does business and the values of honesty and empathy. He is caring and is a great mentor to all of us.”
Unquestionably, this is a man who has strayed off from his humble roots!
