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About Allen T Trading<br />
ALLEN T T�DING was started in<br />
2009 as an Internship Project whilst I<br />
was still an Intern at the IDC(Industrial<br />
Development Corporation) but I saw<br />
potential in it hence I opted to formalize<br />
and legalize it. It was �nance through<br />
stipend deductions thus I invested my<br />
whole in it.<br />
In 2009 the world was facing recession<br />
and chances of ge�ing employment<br />
were ge�ing slimmer by day thus<br />
being self-employed was more of a<br />
be�er option than having to compete<br />
with be�er experienced people in the<br />
employment market. Also importantly<br />
was that I saw myself as a potential job<br />
creator for other fellow youth who are<br />
unfortunately denied opportunities just<br />
because they lack work experience.<br />
�e reason I chose to start this business<br />
was because I saw a huge need for<br />
branding in the untapped black market.<br />
What I �gured was that micro & small<br />
biz and the informal sector are being<br />
charged huge prices when they wanted<br />
few items branded than the traditional<br />
minimum order requirement, this led<br />
to them not a�ording the services and<br />
our existence seeks to �ll that void.<br />
We provide everyone with a�ordable<br />
branding based on the quantity one<br />
want and there are no minimum order<br />
requirements.<br />
Allen T Trading specializes in the<br />
following:<br />
BR ANDING- Embroider y,<br />
silkscreening, Heat Transfer, Signage, etc<br />
DESIGNING- Logos, Letterheads,<br />
Brochures, Calendars, etc<br />
SUPPLYING- Uniforms, Protective<br />
Wear, Work wear, etc<br />
Our target market is the black market<br />
which includes micro & small business,<br />
crèches and individuals.<br />
10 Questions for Allen<br />
1. What motivates you<br />
Everyday that comes motivates me, it reminds me that there are tasks that one must<br />
accomplish hence the opportunity to see it.<br />
2. What do you think is the secret to success<br />
Wake up and doing something is far be�er than si�ing and mourning. A majority of us are<br />
nothing but people who mourn yet we are not doing anything to change the unfortunate<br />
circumstances that we �nd ourselves in.<br />
�e successful are people who do what others don’t want to do, not because they don’t<br />
know.<br />
3. To what do you owe your present success<br />
I am self-disciplined and grateful that I opted to be, I don’t just do things because my<br />
peers are doing them but I need to see the need and yield for doing anything. All the<br />
Glory belongs to God and Him alone.<br />
4. What has been your greatest challenge<br />
�e greatest challenge that I face as a businessperson is the issue of capital which is very<br />
troubling to us and many other people. Without reliable capital lots of potential business<br />
are lost as one can’t a�ord marketing or �nancing bigger orders which come on a Cash<br />
on Delivery (COD). Albeit capital is an issue, I am glad to have persevered thus far and<br />
built the company from nothing to what it is today.<br />
5. What is your most signi�cant accomplishment to date?<br />
Next year we are turning 4 years and we are extremely delighted to have survived whilst<br />
a large number of SMMEs collapse on the �rst 2 years of existence.<br />
In 2009 the company won 2 Awards at IDC.<br />
We have also recently got a biggest client.<br />
6. What are you currently working on/involved in?<br />
Teaching Printing Skills at LSEN Schools which assists in developing the disabled with<br />
accredited skills so that they can be skilled and be able to fend for themselves<br />
7. What types of situations put you under pressure, and how do you deal with pressure?<br />
From a business point of view, what puts me under pressure is when we have clients<br />
who want bigger orders and want to pay us on COD only to �nd that it is beyond our<br />
capacity. �e recent client who wanted close to R100K order and the challenge was that<br />
we didn’t have enough �nance to fund the order as they operate on a COD basis.. I went<br />
to their MD and explained our situation and he agreed that we split the order into smaller<br />
portions and that has worked very well.<br />
8. What de�nes a successful entrepreneur<br />
An entrepreneur who shares what he/she yield with his/her community.<br />
9. What advice would you give to a start-up entrepreneur?<br />
Whatever you do, never ever give-up, no ma�er the circumstances.<br />
10. Any other business interests<br />
I have recently registered Twolani Media (Pty)Ltd which will specialize in marketing<br />
SMMEs, webhosting, etc<br />
I am also very involved in providing training at LSEN Schools(schools for pupil with<br />
special needs) where we teach printing skills, woodwork and basic sewing skills.<br />
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