From selling sweets in Primary School to owning a successful garment manufacturing and printing business at university. Durban University of Technology (DUT) student from Msinga, KwaZulu-Natal, Philani Zondi is defying all odds to ensure the success of his business. The young student who is the founder of Psalm Printing who is currently in his final year of study in Emergency Medical Care and Rescue and is incubated under the innobiz DUT Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation.
Psalm Printing is a corporate branding company that manufactures uniform for organisations such as hospitals and schools, the company also offers printing, embroidery, and graphic design services.
Zondi’s motivation for entrepreneurship is deeply rooted in his upbringing, as he has been assisting his relative who were selling fruits and veggies as a street vendor.
“I was doing Grade 3 when I started assisting in that small business selling fruits and vegetables and through that I grew up being grounded in the business industry,” he said.
As a primary school pupil, Zondi was also selling sweets and chips at school and feels that experience ignited his passion and skill for business. When Zondi was admitted into DUT he faced multiple financial constraints, as a solution he decided to turn his passion for clothing and textiles into a business.
The self-taught tailor started his business with the little funds he had, outsourcing most resources, and sharing office space with other small business to decrease expenses. This proved to be a challenge for the entrepreneur as the space was crowded and therefore not conducive for his business and his clients, with the assistance of the Centre, Zondi was able to obtain a new location for his business.
Zondi’s entrepreneurial journey has been one with many challenges as he was affected by floods twice, where he lost many of his resources, machinery and the business lost massive funds trying to recover from that unfortunate incident.
On a more positive note, Zondi was able to recover from the effects of the floods and rebuilt his business into the successful enterprise it is now. Zondi came out of the predicament with valuable lessons such as the importance of insurance.
Zondi currently supplies Estcourt Hospital with medical uniforms and casual wear, the Department of Social Development, he is also supplying seven schools with uniforms. Moreover, the company works with prominent musician such as Khuzani Mpungose. Due to the constant growth of his business, Zondi had to add more employees to assist him in meeting the demand for his products and services.
“We are growing as a company, I have had to increase the number of employees to ensure that we are able to meet the demand for our service, and to make sure that the business is operating effectively on its own, even in my absence,” he stressed.
His business currently employs eight permanent employees and five temporary employees.
Zondi shared words of gratitude to the Centre and the entire DUT institution for assisting him in starting this business.
“The Centre provided me with mentorship, business support and assisted me with funding that I used to purchase equipment that I needed to expand my business. Moreover, as entrepreneurs we need guidance on many aspects of the business to ensure that we are leading the organisation in the right direction,” he added.
He further appreciated the DUT staff and students who support his business through purchasing his products and using his services and expressed hopes of a formal partnership between his business and the institution.
innobiz Centre Manager Miss Nontokozo Ngcobo shared that Zondi is an embodiment of what the Centre envisions its entrepreneurs to be. “The Centre’s vision is to transform ordinary people into innovators and adaptive entrepreneurs and that is exactly what Zondi represents, and we are very proud. Moreover, as per the institution’s vision statement ENVISION2030, we want to ensure that we produce graduates that are innovative, entrepreneurial, and adaptive to the changes in the world.”
Zondi aspires to expand his reach to supplying big retailers with his garments, and possibly open a uniform shop one day. The entrepreneur has already started establishing uniforms shop in the schools he is supplying, this is not only profitable for his business, but it is also convenient for his customers especially in the rural areas.
As a career guide, Zondi encouraged students to not only study for employment, but to also use the knowledge they must become leaders who initiate solutions to the problems in the country such as unemployment. “We have to identify problems in society that we can provide solutions to, I believe that is what we are here for, we are the people meant to come with solutions for all the problems in our country.”
Psalm Printing is currently based in Westridge at 827 Westwalk building and can be reached on the email: philaniz84@gmail.com for their services.
Pictured: Philani Zondi
Photographer: Khulasande Tshayile
