Big Favour: Extraordinary businesswoman beats the odds to save community
The Big Favour has partnered with Spring Lights Gas, who would like to donate funds to entrepreneurs who have been affected by COVID-19, the riots, and floods.
Name: Pindiwe Filtane
Sponsor: Mzi Tyhokolo, Group CEO at SLG (Pty) Ltd (Spring Lights Gas)
Story:
Greetings East Coast Radio & The Big Favour.
I'm the founder and CEO of Akili Timber, a start-up sawmill that has been operating for the past 15 months in Richmond, KZN, which 100% female-owned and managed by me.
I am a social entrepreneur with over 25 years working experience, and 11 of those years I have been managing my own businesses.
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We produce wet-off-saw timber for wooden products' manufacturing companies, which have a wide range of products ranging from pallets, doors, and other wooden products.
We also manufacture cradles for the shipping industry.
The wooden manufacturing clientele is bigger than the number of sawmills in and around KZN, therefore creating a high demand of timber suppliers.
Over the past 13 years, this sawmilling factory has been operating under different business owner.
The most recent business owner being my late husband, Mr Mphathisi Filtane who acquired the sawmill Frontrow Manufacturing, in July 2019 and sadly passed away in December 2020.
When he passed on, knowing how much he believed in this business I felt like pursuing the business and in turn secure jobs for the 49 staff members that were employed by my late husband.
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Due to the delays in the process of winding down the estate, it proved to be difficult for me to run Frontrow as I was not a director in the business.
It is with this background that I consulted experts and then decided to start afresh and establish a new entity, Akili Timber, as I saw a viable business opportunity not to let go of.
This decision ensured minimal distraction to the employees and customers, a move that was needed for continuity.
The sawmilling industry in South Africa is a very competitive industry that is made up of companies that have been in operations for decades.
Most of these companies are located closer to timber supply and some of them own their own plantations.
Our biggest hurdle is access to raw material to fulfil our clients’ requirements.
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Therefore, we need a big favour to secure some raw material that will help us boost the business so that we can pursue our goals and build Akili to greater heights.
Thank you in advance.
Pindiwe
Listen to the incredible story Pindwe had to share with The Big Favour and SLG:
