Searching Through Dustbins

by Abed Tau

  Above all, don’t be scared to start again. In fact, never mind starting again – don’t be scared to just start. You don’t need to see the full path to begin walking it – but the path will never unfold unless you dare to take that first step.

  CHAPTER 7

  THE ROLE OF TIME

  It’s December of 2014, and we’ve reached the end of our first eight months of full-time entrepreneurship. Our hardest eight months yet.

  At the time, Thamani was still in no position to pay Tebz and me living salaries, and so I took a decision to join Deloitte for a three-month secondment in the US. My logic was that I would earn enough to pay off my car, and that would mean one less debit order at the end of the month, leaving me with a bit more money.

  On my flight to Boston, I found myself seated next to Ronald Fasol, the one-time chief executive officer of frozen foods giant I&J. We got talking, and I ended up telling him about the many businesses I’d tried my hand at. I also told him that I had gone into business full-time, that it had been a difficult eight months, and that at that moment I was regretting my decision to give up everything and concentrate on my start-up. Ronald listened attentively, constantly asking questions like ‘Are you committed to this?’ ‘Are you working consistently?’ ‘Are you focused?’ At the time, I felt these questions were completely irrelevant. I remember thinking ‘Didn’t you just hear me? I’m broke, this entrepreneurship thing isn’t working. I have left Tebz in South Africa and I’m not sure how she’s going to manage.’

  We passed the rest of the flight with friendly banter. He told me about his tenure at I&J, and I told him more about my experiences with entrepreneurship; how I still loved the process in spite of my struggles. When we finally arrived in Boston, Ronald asked me to stay on the flight for five more minutes because he had something to tell me. I will never forget what he said. He told me that, after listening to me for the duration of the flight, he could see that I needed to relax more. ‘You are doing everything right. You are following the correct steps and are on the right path,’ he said, adding that he had little doubt that we would eventually succeed. He also added, though, that the one thing I lacked was the perspective of time. All great things take time, he pointed out; all the big companies out there were built over many years.

  He ended by telling me that in a few years’ time I would look back on this interlude and realise how necessary this struggle was – and then we parted ways.

  His encouragement heartened me, and for a while I felt uplifted. But it wasn’t long before I returned to my old way of thinking. In fact, instead of feeling motivated, I felt worse than ever after my chat with Ronald. I’d just told him how much I was battling, how broke I was – and his response was to let me know that I’d be broke for a while longer. I felt ill at the thought. I didn’t think I could take the pain a moment longer.

  That was more than four years ago. Now, when I look back on my conversation with Ronald, I realise that he was absolutely right. Things really do take time to form. The challenge is that when you’re in the midst of your struggle, it’s impossible to imagine a time when things will be easier. But this really is a situation where the only way out is through. If you remain committed, consistent and focused, and let time do its thing, you’ll reach your destination.

  Steve Jobs acknowledged this reality when he said that ‘the dots only connect when you look backwards’. You just have to keep going, trusting that at some point, those dots will connect. Today, we employ 30 people across our five businesses, each of which is growing steadily – but if you’d told me I’d reach this point that day when I was flying to Boston, I wouldn’t have believed you.

  That’s not to say all our challenges are over. In human terms, our businesses are still pre-schoolers – and, if you know anything about kids, you’ll know that the average four-year-old still has a long way to go before he’s entirely independent. Business is no different. It takes time to mature.

  With that in mind, prepare to be in it for the long haul. Understand that you’ll be waiting a while before you can write your success story, and during that time you’ll have to do what it takes to save money – move back in with your folks, cut down on those bottles of Moët, do whatever you have to do. And, above all, remain focused, committed and consistent.

  Great things take time.

  CHAPTER 8

  KEEPING THE DREAM ALIVE

  ‘Feeling my way through the darkness, guided by a beating heart, I can’t tell where the journey will end, but I know where to start. They tell me I’m too young to understand, they say I’m caught up in a dream. Well life will pass me by if I don’t open my eyes, well that’s fine by me.’

  If you don’t recognise the words above, these stirring lyrics to the song Wake Me Up were written by Avicii, an incredibly talented DJ who passed away in 2018, aged just 28. These lyrics are important, because they remind us that following our dreams, our passions and our heart involves a lot of struggle – and that’s counter-intuitive. No one wants to swim upstream, especially when there are constant reminders that the river is flowing in the opposite direction. It’s hard to keep going when everyone around you makes it clear that they don’t believe in what you’re doing. But that’s when it’s more important than ever to hang on to your own self-belief. Don’t let anyone talk you out of your dream and, most importantly, don’t talk yourself out of it.

  Life is too short to live with regrets. If you’re stuck in a job that has you filled with dread from the moment the Carte Blanche theme music starts on Sunday night, remember this: you’re not a tree. You’re not rooted anywhere. At any time, you can be brave and take a step forward. Do it now, because the real pleasures in life are just ten metres outside of your comfort zone – and tomorrow is not promised.

  I think that one of the reasons many people stop themselves from taking that first step is because they’re frightened they won’t see the results. Well, the truth is that you won’t. Not immediately, anyway. But I want to tell you something I learned about bamboo. As you may know, bamboo grows into one of the world’s tallest plants. But here’s the interesting thing: for the first five years, bamboo doesn’t grow at all. That’s right: once you’ve planted the seed, you have to water it every day, nurture it, make sure it’s getting enough sun – and you’re not going to see anything happen.

  I’m sure that many people who plant bamboo give up on their plants – but, if they were to wait around until Year Six, they’d see that bamboo shoot up to 30 metres in just six months. You see, it takes five years for the bamboo to develop a root system that’s strong enough to carry its tremendous height. So, all this time, it looks as though nothing is happening – and yet the most important part of the plant’s growth is taking place. No one sees those roots, no one knows how far they go. The story of bamboo is a story of patience, and that’s at odds with a society that thrives on instant gratification.

  I think that our dreams are pretty much the same. How many of us stop watering and caring for our dreams, because they’re like bamboo plants? How many great entrepreneurs have given up in Year Five, just before their bamboo starts its magical transformation?

  Don’t be trapped by dogma. Don’t listen to naysayers. Remember, always, that ‘at first people will ask you why; later, they will ask you how’. Stick to your convictions, grow your roots, and don’t give up on your dream before it’s had time to break ground. You may be giving up on a very tall tree.

  CHAPTER 9

  SUCCESS: WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?

  People have been plagued by the notion of success for centuries. What, precisely, does it look like? And what does it look like for the entrepreneur?

  My own definition of success keeps changing. When Tebz and I quit our jobs, we decided to end our medical aid because we couldn’t afford it. It was critical that we reached a place where we could afford medical aid again, and quickly. We did it – and so we achieved our first success.

 
; But then the goalposts shifted. Could the business afford to pay for our cell phone contracts? What about a small office? Could we afford an employee? As our business grew, our targets moved.

  Strange as it might sound, Tebz and I found it hugely motivating to reach these small yet attainable goals. They meant more to us than making millions and retiring on a beach; in fact, we still don’t consider that to be the picture of success.

  The real joy for us came from the most unexpected sources; the time an employee needed a payslip from our company to apply for a loan, and the bank granted them credit to buy a new car or further their studies; or when a staff member left the company because they’d found a better opportunity, something that gave us a sense of pride because we knew Thamani had given them their first job.

  We recently reached a new milestone: in August 2018, we paid out 56 salaries across Tuta-Me, Silicon Maboneng and Thamani, the highest payroll in our little group’s history. It was a reminder of our greatest success: being able to make a positive contribution to society.

  The lesson here: before you start your business, define the small goals that mean a lot to you. And if those goals have an impact on your broader community, so much the better.

  CHAPTER 10

  IS THERE A PERFECT

  TIME TO GIVE UP?

  The Hard Thing About Hard Things by Ben Horowitz is one of the most powerful books about entrepreneurship that I’ve read.

  The book reads like an action movie; a sequence of gruelling challenges the author had to go through while starting his business. While reading it, I often thought to myself that if I had been faced with all those hardships I would simply have given up.

  Ben, however, didn’t – and his persistence prompted another thought: how do you know when it’s time to give up? Is there a definitive moment when you tell yourself, ‘Well, nice try, but now I have to stop’?

  I thought I’d reached that point in 2015. At the time, I was living in a two-bedroom apartment in Northgate. The sum total of my belongings was a fridge, a microwave and a blow-up mattress that stayed in my TV area and served as a sleeper couch and coffee table. Business was slow and hard and I found myself wondering, once more, if I’d made a mistake when I’d left my job.

  I hit rock bottom one evening when I woke up hungry in the middle of the night and made myself a midnight snack. I was eating on the blow-up mattress, when my knife missed my snack and hit the mattress instead (a note here: it’s not the wisest choice to use a knife on a blow-up mattress). As the air hissed out of the mattress, I panicked. I was sinking, this was my only bed, I didn’t want to sleep on the cold, hard floor. At 1am, I rushed to the garage shop to stock up on superglue and sticky tape, and after two hours (and seven failed attempts) of trying to fix the mattress, I felt myself succumbing to despair. This is what your cool life as an entrepreneur gets you, I told myself: you’re sleeping on the floor.

  I don’t think I slept that night. I was too consumed with my thoughts. Is this it? Should I give up now? If I just had a job I wouldn’t be on this concrete floor in such discomfort.

  Yet even that moment wasn’t enough to stop me. And that makes me think that there isn’t a universal answer to the question, ‘How do you know when to give up?’ All I know is that you officially fail at something when you stop trying. Until then, you have a fighting chance.

  If it were up to me, I would tell everyone I know that they must never give up. However, I also believe that sometimes you reach a point where you have to take a pause, press the reset button and start again. And that’s okay. That’s not necessarily giving up; it’s tackling the challenge from a fresh perspective.

  So, again: keep searching, stay in the fight, keep knives away from the blow-up mattress, and remember that it’s okay to press the reset button.

  CHAPTER 11

  ON RAISING FUNDING FOR YOUR BUSINESS

  If you haven’t watched the hit television series Silicon Valley, start now!

  The show is about how Richard Hendricks and his team of nerds navigate Silicon Valley, charting their careers from the early days of creating a tech start-up, to fundraising, bringing the product to market, fighting the competition and handling things when they go wrong.

  I think the biggest reason I love the series is that it reminds me of Dylan and me. I recognise in the characters the naive Abed of a few years back, when all I wanted to do was raise money for our start-up.

  Back then, I thought the ability to raise funds was the ultimate success. I’ve since come to realise that although Silicon Valley (the real one, not the series) has created a certain perception around raising funds, there are a number of reasons why this really isn’t the smartest course for your business.

  1.Consider why you need to raise funds. If it’s because you need working capital, you should rethink your business model. You should be able to support your working capital on normal operations – if you can’t, it’s a sign that your business model is weak.

  2.The best funder out there is a customer, not a Series A investor. A customer won’t expect board meetings and isn’t interested in your management accounts or projected growth. They won’t charge interest and won’t take equity from your business – all they want is a good product or service.

  3.Raising money comes with a massive responsibility. Investors expect results, so you have a duty to perform. That’s a lot of pressure.

  4.Funding brings your days as a start-up to an end. Overnight, you’ll find yourself caught up in board meetings and performance indicators.

  My advice? If you already have 100 clients and want funding so you can reach 1 000 clients – go for it. If you already have 1 000 clients and you want funding so you can purchase technology to increase profitability and efficiencies – again, that’s probably a good idea. But if you’re looking for funding so that you can attract your first client – that’s a hard no.

  I cannot say it too many times: in the world of start-ups, only one thing matters: getting customers. This is especially important during the first three to six years of the business. Anything that happens after that is a direct consequence of having a stable customer base.

  CHAPTER 12

  LISTEN TO YOUR INNER CHILD

  A few years ago, while still working at my former employer, I had the privilege of meeting South African Olympic swimming medallist Cameron van der Burgh.

  Cameron was a guest speaker at a series of talks hosted by Deloitte, and he used the opportunity to share his story and his love for swimming, telling of how he had set his mind on winning a gold medal at the Olympics. He was incredibly inspiring – but, each time I listened to him, I was plagued by a lingering question: What had happened to my own childhood dream?

  Cameron brought this to mind every time he mentioned the schools where he spoke – his true passion – and where he would ask kids what they wanted to be when they were older. The answers from primary school kids varied, from ‘I want to be a Mars space inspector’ to ‘I want to discover the last living dinosaurs. I know they are still out there.’ Each time, the answer pointed to how bold, audacious, intimidating and larger than life kids’ goals and ambitions are.

  But, when Cameron spoke at high schools, he noticed that the children had changed. Gone were the dreams of discovering the cure for malaria or becoming an astronaut. The kids no longer believed they had the ability to change the world in an epic way; instead, they said that they wanted to become professionals, lawyers, accountants and engineers.

  I think that something inside us dies as we get older. Call it our fearlessness, our desire to leave a legacy. These fade, and so too do our dreams.

  A few years ago, I visited a magical place in the Ma­­galies­berg. It’s a hill from which you can jump into the river, from a height of either five or nine metres. From the bottom, where I stood watching, I could see a group of kids – no older than nine – running up to the nine metre elevation point
and doing black flips or cartwheeling into the river, then racing back to do it again. It looked like fun, so we decided to join in. At first, we tried the five metre jump – just to test the waters. But as we reached the spot, our hearts stopped. It looked like too much of a drop. While all around me kids were having the time of their lives splashing from that incredibly high ledge, I was frozen with fear for at least 15 minutes. By the time I hit the water, I knew that I wasn’t up for another round – until one of those children dared me to jump from the nine metre ledge. I got there, and it wasn’t just that my heart stopped. My insides turned. But, I lived up to the dare, and I jumped. I didn’t just live to tell the tale; I also had great fun.

  I also learned something: when you’re chasing a dream, you need to be like a kid. You need to lose all inhibitions, and become fearless.

  CHAPTER 13

  CHANCES AND OPPORTUNITIES: WHAT TO DO WITH THEM

  Have you ever chatted with an Uber driver? They often have some incredibly interesting (and useful) insights.

  I remember chatting with a guy who told me that he’d started out as a metered taxi driver, basing himself outside Sandton’s luxury hotels. He first became aware of Uber when he noticed that some hotel patrons would walk outside, take a look at the number plates of the waiting cars, then look at their cell phone screens.