South London printing kingpin Taffy Murdock describes how he tackled adversity and made a name for himself in the business world By Lisa Woods Twenty-two-year-old Tafadzwa Murdock, known as Taffy, grew up on a council estate in Brixton. He has always had a passion for entrepreneurship, recalling his childhood when he would sell sweets to his fellow classmates on the playground. “All my friends would tell me, ‘Taffy you’re going to be a business-man one day,’ and I always knew it.” Today, Taffy runs his own clothing-printing business We Print Clients LTD. Reaching success, he has worked with big names such as rap group Section Boyz and YouTube star Vanbanter. The minute hand had just reached 12 - signalling 6pm - when Taffy stepped through the doors of Peckham’s Costa. Innately composed, he sturdily postured himself, adjusting the chair to take up the shape of his body. Assertiveness seeped through his words as soon as he opened his mouth. “Obviously growing up as a young boy in South London, I saw people making money legally and illegally. Unfortunately, the majority of my friends were involved in illegal business. It was difficult growing up in that area because there were so many negative things influencing my decisions. I didn’t really have a father figure there, so it was just me growing up and learning for myself. “It’s very common to be another stereotype. You know, to be one more guy on the road. Not many people stand out and actually make a difference. That’s what the hard thing was. Many people around me thought if you step out of that stereotype it’s not normal, and the problem was, at the beginning I cared too much about what other people thought.” Struggling to step outside of this trend, in his youth, Taffy became involved in crime. “I was gang-affiliated at one point and was involved in things I didn’t want to get involved with. It got me into serious problems, serious fights and serious crimes that affected me as a person. “It got to the point where I was unhappy, I cracked and hit the wall. This made me think ‘I don’t want that lifestyle,’ and I pushed myself to change. I wanted a better life.” Taffy left college with a Level 2 diploma in Business. He signed up to the London Youth Support Trust (LYST) which assists young people from deprived areas to help get them on their feet in the business world through mentoring, funding and providing affordable office space. He credits much of his success to the support of this organization. Working hard on his business, Taffy was awarded a £5000 grant from Southwark Council at the age of 17 to further support his entrepreneurial ideas. This gave him motivation which pushed his business forward. “I think everyone’s biggest obstacle is themselves. Myself especially, but I overcame and realised that if I’ve done it before then I can overcome anything.” Taffy aims to expand his business further by hiring employees. “I want the printing company to be able to run on its own. At the moment, I’m doing a lot of things for the business. I want to delegate responsibilities to people to get things done so I can run the business from the top and bring new ideas in.” As well as being a successful entrepreneur, Taffy is also a life coach. He supports and guides young people to reach their full potential. Young people from low-income backgrounds. Young people who, for some reason or another, did not do well at school. Young people in Taffy’s shoes five years ago. “The main goal I have is helping people. For young people, all they need is one opportunity for them to get somewhere. I want to be that opportunity. That’s what it’s all about, empowering people. “Sometimes when we want to start a project or get into a new thing, we are afraid because of what people may think of us, or our circumstance or how things are at home. When we choose to actually trust and believe in ourselves and jump in the deep end, we find out how far we can go. Sometimes when we pull out our deepest fears, we are able to see what we’re capable of. “I’ll tell you now, I can’t swim by the way, but I know if I was put in a situation where I had to swim, I would learn instantly.” As the clock’s hand hit 7pm, the Costa manager politely told us we needed to leave as the café was closing. At this point, the table where we had been sitting for the last hour was scattered with flimsy pieces of paper. For the last thirty minutes, Taffy had reversed the roles and began asking me questions about my career and every-day life. Pen and paper to hand, he drew me personalised diagrams, timetables and graphs illustrating how I can get to where I want to be. Even as the doors shut on us, Taffy continued talking passionately about his life-coaching. Carrying an uplifting tone, he walked through the Peckham streets, nodding at passers-by, many of whom he knew. “I’ve actually lived my life. I’ve never felt so sure of myself and that’s the best feeling ever. Knowing yourself and having a clear conscience. I’m ready to push boundaries and reach the next level. I’m gonna grind so hard!” 30 5AM <strong>Magazine</strong>.indd 30 11/03/2019 13:59:29
5AM <strong>Magazine</strong>.indd 31 11/03/2019 13:59:29 31
Change language