WeeklySA_AdminRESILIENT: Started company with a spanner, grinder and a dream
By Bongiwe Mkhwanazi
He started his motorcycle fixing business with one spanner and later got a drill grinder from a generous friend, but today he is the one who is returning the favour by training others, especially youngsters, the tricks of the trade.
But starting your own business is never easy, says 43 year old Charles Jansen of Zola North, Soweto, who has been repairing motorbikes since 2010, and has trained five people, including his younger brother and a nephew. Jansen had no knowledge of working on electrical tools until he was hired by a local mechanic who specialised in fixing lawnmowers in 1993. The same man later advised Jansen to start his own business after he had also welcomed clients who were bringing motorcycles for repairs. “When I started my own business in 2010, I had one spanner, and I later got a drill grinder from a generous friend who knew how good I was at what I was doing,” Jansen said.
Jansen may have started Charles and Sons Machinery Repairs with his last salary and no ample start-up tools, but has serviced and fixed motorbikes for more than 1 000 clients so far, and is also specialising in repairs to generators and lawnmowers, all thanks to his previous employer who had given him employment and had also encouraged him to start his own business all those years ago. He has trained five people which includes his nephew and his youngest brother.
Today, Charles and Sons Machinery Repairs is registered with the Companies and Intellectual Property Registration Office, Cipro. Jansen charges clients R450 for servicing the motorbikes, excluding parts, which are charged separately, and according to the value of the replaced parts. He also offers three month-long warranties for the serviced motorbikes.
“I have been lucky that I have never had a comeback for all the services I have rendered to my clients; and, for that reason, most of them have been referring clients from as far as Pretoria and Midrand,” Jansen said, proudly. Jansen said he did not have any competitors all through the years, but he now has one in his neighbourhood, and he said that this was attributable to the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, as the competitor had relocated moved from the Johannesburg city centre, recently. Jansen’s aspiration is to infiltrate the local schools to offer practical training in mechanical repairs to electrical tools and small self-propelled vehicles, especially motorcycles. “I have identified two schools,” said Jansen. “One of these institutions, Fontana High School, has half of a car engine and a compressor, both of which they should be using to train their learners, but the machines are just lying, there, unused and collecting dust.”
He is also lamenting the sad fact that the nearby Mezodo Vocational Skills Centre is offering theoretical tutorials, but their students do not get any practical training; and, given an opportunity, I could offer those practical lessons to the learners,” said Jansen, who has trained five people which includes his youngest brother and a nephew, and has also taught several people how to ride motorcycles. These include his son and daughter, who take regular rides at a nearby park.
Though he does not own a motor bike, Jansen is encouraging motorcycle enthusiasts to open their own motorcycle repair shops and motorbike clubs, adding that motorcycle mechanics are in high demand, these days, as a high number of people are down-grading” from cars to motorbikes, and would always require the services of mechanics specialising in motorcycle repairs.
“When you combine interest in motorcycles with your entrepreneurial spirit, you can run a successful repair business,” said Jansen, who said he was only lacking a spacious workshop to house his parts inventory, and a small office from which he could conduct his administrative affairs, as he currently works from his garage. Charles and Sons Machinery Repairs has expanded by word of mouth. A local community radio station has also given him some direly-needed mileage, he said. “I am yet to advertise my business on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook,” said Jansen, who has previously relied on WhatsApp to attract new customers. His family business takes care of nine stomachs and pays the salaries of his three employees, he said. “Basically, I live from hand to mouth, as R6 000 a month is nothing to feed nine stomachs,” Jansen said.
Jansen said he has been approached by approximately 20 youngsters who want to learn and gain on the job experience, but he cannot help these eager youngsters without paying them a stipend based on the meagre funds he generates presently. “You need to take them off the streets, keep them motivated, and they must always look forward to coming to work, instead of working for nothing – mahala,” Jansen said.
