Men in Business
In a male dominated industry such as ours it is important to acknowledge the patriarchy experienced over the years and to work towards a more inclusive and diverse future. To create a space for everyone at the table Thusano Johannesburg Managing Director JP Le Roux shares some of his key ingredients to successful entrepreneurship and some of the men shares their Thusano journey and hopes to inspire the everyday man to discover what their good at make a success out of it.
What inspired you to start your own business?
Having started out as a sales representative we?wanted to build our own business and knew we could do it better, from a service perspective and dedicated staff most importantly.
What is unique about your business?
The key is to put customers first, most importantly we look after our staff, we promote from within, and we constantly introduce solutions to solve our customers problems.
How did you establish your culture?
Thusano’s culture was built on four main pillars “Always do what is right, tell the truth, treat everyone equally, and deal with “issues” immediately”
How do you define success?
Being happy at work and building a future for my family
What are the qualities of a good entrepreneur?
Honesty, fairness, drive, never-ending commitment to your brand and staff??
What message do you have for South African men?
If we want to make the world a better place then we need to be better Humans – Stand up against racism, sexism and don’t hurt woman and kids be a man not a *
Shaheen’s journey at Thusano started in late November 2011 “happy 10-year anniversary Shaheen.” With all new sales representatives who start at the group they are known as “new starts.” In his first year he took the year to develop his sales skills and techniques with the help of the Thusano team he was able to build his foundation with the valuable lessons and processes to help him reach his full potential, which paid off at the end of 2012 at the Thusano awards ceremony where top performers are recognized for their hard work from the previous year, Shaheen had just missed his milestone of Millionaire status by R50 000. “Millionaire status at Thusano means that you have earned your stripes in the company, and you are recognized for your performance. This was the fuel to ignite his fire and every year since he has achieved “Millionaire status” and exceeding each year’s benchmark as he was inspired by the accolades of the previous year. Shaheen is a multi-award-winning sales director and has broken company records and continues to set records for himself and his team.
Being passionate about the industry motivates Shaheen to break records each year, he says his time at Thusano has been amazing and a dream come true.
“The way to get started is to quit talking and start doing” – Walt Disney?
Michael the Connectivity Manager from the Johannesburg office says “Starting at Thusano group early 2014 was the best company choice I could’ve made. Mostly because it’s a family orientated company and importantly a company that works hard as a unit to achieve results and reach goals.
They say growth is often uncomfortable, messy but I feel I’ve grown as a person here.”
“Don’t pray for an easy life. Pray for the strength to endure a difficult one”
"As men, we must do better. Stop, Listen, Acknowledge and then stand in the gap, hold space and hold others accountable."- Graeme Smith