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CONSTRUCTION WORLD
OCTOBER
2014
MARKETPLACE
What are the vital skills
needed for growth in the
construction industry?
Construction is a busy industry by nature
and project management skills are vital
in order to be able to successfully run
multiple projects at the same time.
Construction business owners often feel
they have to be on site at all times to make
sure things happen as they should, and this
is not necessarily the case. It is important
that business owners resource themselves
effectively so that they have the opportu-
nity to work ‘on’ their business and not
only ‘in’ it.
The advantage of working ‘on’ and
‘in’ their business is that they will be
able to build a sustainable business
instead of only focusing on one tender at
a time, or working on implementing new
systems and processes.
Which construction
companies are part of the
incubation programme at
Raizcorp?
We have a number of businesses on
our programmes and some of our best
performing companies include Duvha Liswa,
Barry Buys Property, and Ucon Civils.
What form does the
‘incubation’ take?
Although incubation is the common term
in the industry, we choose not to refer to
Raizcorp as an incubator, but rather as a
business ‘Prosperator’. When an entrepre-
neur joins our programme, they are required
to spend a minimum of one year out of the
possible three years in the programme. The
first year deals with laying solid founda-
tions that will lead to growth: the business
owner is allocated a team of three business
coaches (we call them Raizcorp Guides) who
guide the entrepreneur in areas relating to
strategy, personal development and finance.
All of our guides are experts in their respec-
tive fields.
The business owner also attends busi-
ness learning classes, tailored for construc-
tion businesses; they are presented with
opportunities to attend various networking
functions, where applicable; and they have
access to Raizcorp’s infrastructure at all of
our branches.
What does the ‘M-category’
mean?
The M-Category is the name given to the
first year of the programme, where entre-
preneurs have to attend four learning
courses and receive guidance from three
business coaches (who are experts in the
field of strategy, personal development, and
finance), who work with them to help grow
their business.
How long did it take to
complete this category?
It takes 12 months to complete the
M-Category.
What is the next step?
The Raizcorp programme is a progres-
sive model so the next step is to graduate
from the M-Category and move on to
the E-Category. As part of Raizcorp’s
progressive model, an additional business
coach, a marketing guide, is provided to
support the entrepreneur as the business
moves on to the next phase of growth.
A graduation panel will evaluate whether
the entrepreneur and their business have
met all of the stipulated requirements, such
as meeting with the business coaches as
agreed upon, submitting assignments on
time, attending learning classes, and the
business must have had a minimum turn-
over growth of at least 20% over the year.
Expand on the strategies
that were put in place to help
achieve turnover and profit
growth, and staff growth?
An in depth GAP analysis is done to examine
the current state of the business, it identifies
the gaps that need to be filled, and recog-
nises the vision of the entrepreneur. From
this analysis, an action plan is then devel-
oped and executed with the support of the
business coaches. The strategy action plan
may include getting the costing and pricing
right, managing suppliers and negotiating
better payment terms.
How are these strategies
monitored?
Raizcorp has an internal efficacy department
that is dedicated to reviewing the perfor-
mance of each business, and providing
reports. The business coaches meet on
a weekly basis to discuss each business’
report and identify opportunities and poten-
tial problems a business may experience.
Business coaches then meet with entre-
preneurs to unpack any issues that were
identified in the report and measure the
NURTURING
BUSINESSES
Raizcorp recently
celebrated the fact
that a few construction
companies who are on
the Raizcorp Prosperator
(incubation) programme
have successfully
completed the M category.
Construction World
spoke
to Kershni Maharaj, head
of selection and efficacy
at Raizcorp.
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