Three innovative small businesses are making money from moving goods and people around town. The Purple Chefs will deliver some delicious home made lasagne to your doorstep, S.M.A.C.K Services will take you anywhere within the Eastern Cape via shuttle while with Ride Along you can cycle wherever the wind takes you.
Three innovative small businesses are making money from moving goods and people around town. The Purple Chefs will deliver some delicious home made lasagne to your doorstep, S.M.A.C.K Services will take you anywhere within the Eastern Cape via shuttle while with Ride Along you can cycle wherever the wind takes you.
The Purple Chefs’ was inspired by Rhodes University’s corporate colours. “We wanted something that would appeal specifically to Rhodes students but also to the general community as well,” explains team member Poelano Khutsoano.
The other team members are fellow Post Graduate Diploma in Entrepreneurship (PEDM) students Charlotte Webb, Amy Payne, Brad Gardener, Annette Messaries and Khaya Khupu who together “provide cheap meals for good deals”.
Their prices for home-baked lasagne delivered to your doorstep range from R20 to R150 for one to six people.
However, you must call them on 082 708 5221 before midday. They also cater for various kinds of events ranging from dinners, birthday parties and corporate functions.
“The idea was based on solid market research that clearly segments the different kinds of potential customers that are in Grahamstown.
This kind of information increases the likelihood that a business will serve its customers right,” says Gardener, who is visibly passionate about entrepreneurship.
For him, the skills acquired through this process are definitely going to come in handy in the future when he starts his one-man business venture.
S.M.A.C.K Services say they will provide you with cheap and reliable transport around the Eastern Cape on a “student budget”.
Caleb Koranteng and his partner Sihle Madlanga saw an opportunity to start a shuttle service a year ago. This was after Rhodes University started charging students for trips to Port Elizabeth airport, a service they had previously provided for free.
Koranteng adds that they also picked up some valuable information through “keeping their ears on the ground”.
He says that after spending a few months in Grahamstown he noticed that some students want to explore other towns that are nearby such as Kenton- On-Sea and Port Alfred.
“Those that do not have their own cars and cannot afford the current service providers’ prices have presented us with a business opportunity,” says Koranteng, a third year BCom student.
S.M.A.C.K Services can carry a maximum of 23 people but requires a minimum of eight for a trip to Port Elizabeth at R95 per head.
Tailor-made packages can be put together for those leisurely trips to the beach with some friends. To book a trip or find out more, you can look up S.M.A.C.K Services on Facebook.
Ride Along gives Grahamstonians and visitors alike the chance to explore the city in an environmentally friendly and fun way.
Primrose Sobahle was inspired to start a hire a bicycle business by the now popular Soweto Bicycle Tours, which gives tourists the opportunity of venturing into the township on bicycles.
“I did not see why it could not work in Grahamstown,” she said. “This is a beautiful city with a rich history that tourists can experience, especially during annual, crowd pulling events such as the Arts Festival, Highway Africa and SciFest,” said Sobahle, a retired academic.
She taught applied linguistics at Fort Hare University for more than 20 years but now runs a consulting agency that conducts research, training and translations. She currently rents out bicycles for R15 an hour or R50 for four hours.
Ride Along is also a way to enhance the experiences of the patrons who lodge at her three-star guest house.
This mother of three feels that “women should be aggressive in a positive way in pursuing their goals”. Her depot can be found at the corner of Somerset and Prince Alfred streets next to the Rhodes University Drama department.
Moving goods and people are not the only forms of entrepreneurship at your disposal. With some research and creativity, you may just stumble upon a viable business.
In a town that has such a high unemployment rate, small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) can come to play an increasingly important role in developing Grahamstown’s economy and reduce poverty.
