by Brigette Mashile
Rent is every entrepreneur’s nightmare, that is if you need a space for your business. The property market in South Africa has increased prices at an alarming rate. When I first rented in Midrand, I was paying R3000 each month for a 7 x 4 space. It was in a plot type of area, not as commercial as it is today. The rental currently is R7 500 for the same space. This is the same story across residential rates.
I have rented twice in Johannesburg, the second place was R2 500, I swear! Again, in a plot area, in an old office park. I chose this place because the space was big and well built, the office park was a 5 minute drive from my house. A dream. It was neither far nor close for my clients, but I took the risk. It worked. I haven’t checked their rentals this year, but I will bet it has also increased significantly.
Now, I am in a small town and the rent should be affordable right? Well, it isn’t. Here are some surprising points:
There is just no real appropriate space for an SMME in my area of Bushbuckridge. A lot of the spaces are set up for tiny retail stores, barbers, salons, etc. Just not a small factory like mine. On the opposite end of the spectrum, the spaces in shopping centers are massive; appropriate for a grocery retailer.
There is no space close enough to the main transport centers; this is a customers’ issue. The customers who we need to shop at our studio or store, use public transport. This eliminates all the other smaller affordable places out of town.
The actual rent amount fluctuates like the weather. I am not joking. I have wondered if approaching a lawyer for help with this would help, but then I ask myself if all the others who have rented before me didn’t go that way. The rent started at R12 000 for a boutique I was supplying, then became R15 000, and then R19 000….at which point we failed to renew the contract.
There are no entrepreneur hubs and yet so many SMME owners. A lot. I currently have a nail person, multiple hair people, a fresh chicken person, vegetables, an ice guy, a shoe guy, etc.; all operating either from their homes or a place outside of town. Fascinating, how the municipality has not seen this as a gap to cover.
One of the assumptions I counted on when moving back home was that the rent issue would fall away. I expected rent to be R2 000 at most…well TAADAA!!! I am currently still looking and realising I will not win. It has forced me to think outside the box. I have seen a couple of business people who had space in malls here with amazing businesses leave due to the same issues I have; meaning it is not personal; it is societal. And you know, I am a comrade, deep inside always fighting for the people. We will win!
Brigette Mashile is the founder and creative force behind Roka Roko, a custom fashion design business based in Johannesburg, South Africa. The company passionately delivers quality tailored and trendy fashion to make their customers happy, and specializes in styling women by creating unusual combinations with fabric, culture and style. Brigette has a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Witwatersrand and a Fashion Diploma from Studio5 School of Fashion. She’s a former fashion buyer for a major retailer in South Africa, and an international direct selling company. She’s been passionate about fashion since the age of 10 and gained invaluable experience in the fashion world running informal fashion creation businesses until the day her own Roka Roko brand was born. Find out more by visiting the Roka Roko website www.rokaroko.co.za
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