Business 101: Follow your gut feeling; don’t be distracted by people’s pessimistic altitude. Be careful not to solicit advice from “experts” who have never tried whatever you intend to do. There are in their thousands out there.
If Solly Mojapelo had heeded to hundreds of opinions from self-proclaimed “experts”, his business idea of biscuit manufacturing would have just remained nothing but a deferred dream. But, single-minded, he listened to his gut feeling, and the evidence of his conviction is there for all to see boldly: Carnival Biscuits.
“I was told that there were many biscuit manufacturers who had popular brands which were difficult to dislodge from the market. If I had taken that as gospel truth I would have not implemented my idea. I still held on to my firm belief that people needed variety. And, I think my decision was justified,” says Mojapelo, who is qualified a teacher of English and Economics and a holder of a Bachelor’s degree in Education.
Carnival Biscuits was only established in 2001 after Mojapelo was convinced that he had gathered sufficient information about supply and demand trends in business manufacturing. Such is his attention for detail which he downplays, when Transform SA Online persuades him to acknowledge.
Carnival Biscuits is the producer of individually wrapped biscuits.
Mojapelo could not resist to the temptation to start a business when the opportune time beckoned, sacrificing his relatively well-paying job.
Soweto based Carnival Biscuits is divided into two sections, retail and manufacturing. The retail outlet is at Bara Mall where most of its customers buy the biscuits, which are packaged in twenty litre buckets and packets.
“Our manufacturing side we produce different biscuits. We are very open to customer suggestions. For instance, we produce corporate gifts. We can write messages on the biscuits as required by clients,” says Mojapelo, mentioning the distinctive branding on the packets.
He applauds the company’s sixteen employees for going all-out to elevate the standards of quality. “They are a highly dedicated and skilled group. The reason Carnival Biscuits is holding its own in the face of competition.”
As of now, Carnival Biscuits is well-resourced with machinery, kitchen utensils and computers. The equipment serves the company’s current objectives for now but there is a scope for more in the coming months.
Further Growth is Carnival Biscuits’ underlying objective, says Mojapelo. “We want to expand our market share, though access to bigger markets has been knotty.”
