Entrepreneur Lumko Mphande is going places — on his bikes

HOW much will you sacrifice to succeed? It’s a question 27-year-old entrepreneur Lumko Mphande has asked himself many times.

After completing his business studies, the Tembisa resident found himself unemployed for a year-and-a-half. His brother helped him to find a job as part of a team making detonators for mining companies, but the industry slump meant he was retrenched three months after he began. Giving up wasn’t an option, so he bought a pair of hair clippers and walked 5km each day to Kempton Park to cut hair.

Mphande later heard about a debt collector position at a call centre, was shortlisted for an interview, and has since worked himself up to the position of supervisor.

But he always had a desire to achieve something more.

"I’ve always lived and loved business," he says. "I’ve always enjoyed reading about entrepreneurship and watching shows that speak about self-employment. I love the idea of being called a boss."

So he decided to start his own company on the side. He owned a motorbike — a more affordable alternative to a car — which gave him the idea for Bumka Scooter Rentals, a company that rents out motorbikes, with or without a driver, for deliveries.

"In the beginning, we had month-to-month contracts only, none of them fixed for a certain period — as I now have in place," Mphande says, citing fast food franchises such as Debonairs Pizza and Order In as his clients.

"We now have five motorbikes, so I’m 195 away from my goal of owning 200 bikes."

It’s an ambitious target, especially as Mphande concedes that his early business growth was sluggish and didn’t provide the continuous income stream he desired.

But given what he’s sacrificed to get to this point — he paid cash for his first few bikes and lives in a small room so he can reinvest maximum profit — he doesn’t believe the goal is too far-fetched.

"Entrepreneurs turn challenges into opportunities; that’s why we do what we do," he says. "Being your own boss means you have to work on your business every day and make your own path. And at times I need to make unpopular decisions to get the company ahead."

He also needs to make smart moves, such as his recent decision to enter a competition sponsored by Three Ships Whisky. As one of five finalists selected after submitting a business plan, the process involved giving a presentation to a panel of experts.

"It’s always scary in any challenge or competition because I heard that we were all good at what we’re doing," he says. "The competition was tough as the people I was up against are young masters in their crafts."

Because the deciding factor would be readiness in the presentation, he spent much of his time practising before the big day. That meant getting input from other people on how best to present the company, recording himself every day so he could hear the mistakes he was making, and having the confidence to win.

"I’m famous and everyone at work knows me now that I won!" he laughs. "It’s nice having this attention, but I won’t let it get to my head as I know that the real work begins now."

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The R100,000 prize will help him to buy more bikes and fast-track his business growth. But he’s most excited about an all-expenses-paid mentorship with Vusi Thembekwayo, one of SA’s most successful entrepreneurs.

"When you get mentorship, it’s wisdom that can change your whole company direction, and no money can give you that," he says.

"I can’t wait for it to start. I will take in as much as I can because I know Vusi’s every word will make a difference. He’s the reason I entered the competition in the first place."

Looking ahead, Mphande hopes to see his bikes rented out by the "big boys", such as McDonald’s and KFC. He also wants to offer this service to his hometown in KwaNdebele, Mpumalanga, which would improve lives in the area.

More than that, he wants Bumka Scooter Rentals to have offices nationwide and even globally, allowing it to expand beyond fast-food and into deliveries for retailers. This would enable it to empower female drivers and help them provide for their families.

"Like any other business, I want this one to be mainstream," Mphande says. "Giving up is not an option.

"Out of all the fights I’ve fought, the one called ‘entrepreneur’ is worth sticking out."