One measure of how far South Africa has progressed is Lamula Ndlela’s business in Thokoza. As a child, Lamula can remember fleeing the area with his parents in the late 80s as the worst battles raged in the dying days of apartheid.
Today, Lamula is the proud owner of Liquor Legends Kwasompisi, his fast-growing business that already employs ten people. The shop is situated in the vibrant Khumalo Street, which is a far cry from the battle zone it was in the 80s, brought to the spotlight by the movie The Bang-Bang Club.
His parents, both teachers, put everything they could into the education of their children. Although Lamula never had a clear idea that he would one day own his own business, he inherited a strong drive from his parents to improve his lot in life, and his community.
After school, logistics management seemed as good a qualification as any to help him along this path, and he threw himself into the fledgling subject at the University of Johannesburg. It turned out to be excellent training for business management. Every day he applies the principles of logistics and supply chain management in growing his business, says Lamula.
After his studies he worked for an import-and-export company. Then, in an important break, he got a job at SABMiller, which was renowned for its operational efficiency.
Lamula honed his skills as a stock controller and later a logistics planner at SAB, before joining a consultancy and then Pick n Pay, where he rose to the company’s national management team. Despite Lamula’s promising corporate career ahead of him, he could not shake the allure of entrepreneurship, seeking the independence and control that comes with owning your own business.
He spotted a building in Khumalo Street next to a garage and a butchery – the perfect place for a liquor store – but the owner resisted the idea of selling and Lamula continued working in the corporate sector for another year or two. As soon as the owner of the building indicated that he was ready to sell, Lamula knew it was time to step out and start a new life as an entrepreneur.
He was ready. He had saved up enough to buy the building outright, and Business Partners Limited agreed to finance the conversion of the building into a liquor store. Normally, Business Partners Limited would want to see a few years’ worth of trading figures before financing a business, but Lamula’s qualification experience, knowledge of the community and of the liquor industry plus the location of the business all factored into a compelling business case.
What happened subsequently proved that it was the right decision. Scarcely two years after Liquor Legends Kwasompisi opened its doors, Covid-19 hit. The business had to close its doors for three months and, together with the rest of the liquor industry, had to trade for a further 5 months under severe restrictions.
Many businesses failed, but Lamula quickly pivoted to the sale of soft drinks and his business emerged from the pandemic diversified and stronger. It also helped that Business Partners Limited offered a repayment moratorium on his loan and emergency finance through the company’s Covid-19 Relief Fund. Today the business is one of the biggest Coca Cola distributors in the area.
Another crisis struck in 2021 with the July civil unrest and riots, in which liquor stores were a prime target for looting. Through his strong community ties, Lamula fended off the threat. It’s been six years, and Liquor Legends Kwasompisi is growing strongly. Lamula has his eyes set on a second outlet to diversify and grow the business further.
Of course stepping out of the comfortable corporate sector into his own business was harder than he thought, says Lamula, but he doesn’t regret his decision for one moment. His business still “owns” him in terms of the time and attention it requires, but today he is so much closer to financial freedom and self-actualisation.
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