LIONESS WEEKENDER COVER STORY
Kusile Facilities Management (Pty) Ltd, a specialist South African business providing hygienic workplaces to enhance productivity
Olga Ncube is the co-founder and ceo of Kusile Facilities Management, a facilities management company specializing in soft services and started in 2003. Today the business has 500 employees. Olga has been part of various entrepreneurial programmes, including the 10 000 Women hosted by Goldman Sachs together with GIBS. In the year, 2018 she was awarded the top award for the Best Performing Business and the Job Creation award. In the same year, her business was also awarded by the Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA) for the Outstanding Accelerator client. Her passion for providing clean and hygienic environments is seen through her participation in attending the ISSA cleaning show that is hosted in the Netherlands every 2nd year.
Lioness Weekender spoke to Olga Ncube about her high-growth business-building journey, her experience and learnings, and her ambitions for the future.
What does your company do?
Contract Cleaning, Provision of Cleaning Consumables
Pest Control Services
Hygiene Services and Provision of Hygiene Consumables
Garden and Landscaping Services
Ad hoc Services, including (Deep Cleaning of Carpets, High-level Window Cleaning, Strip and Seal, Kitchen Deep Cleaning, Janitorial Deep Cleaning, and other related services)
What inspired you to start your company?
Being exposed to the facilities department in my previous job, I gained interest in how the "behind the scenes" works in terms of building services. Whilst the client is focusing on their core business activities, we work on providing hygienic workplaces to enhance productivity.
Why should anyone use your service or product?
We have a quick turnaround response time and flexibility and we partner with our clients for customized solutions.
Tell us a little about your team:
We are a passionate team of individuals who are full of energy and passion for the industry. The executive management team is my pillar in the business. The members come from various backgrounds with a wealth of experience in Finance, Operations, and Sales. We have middle managers that take care of our client needs and teams on the ground. We are also a team of qualified Pest and Hygiene Technicians.
Share a little about your entrepreneurial journey. And do you come from an entrepreneurial background?
Growing up I've always looked up to successful businesswomen with the dream to become one. The company was established whilst I was still employed. It was a side business until 2010 when we got the big opportunity that necessitated us to work in the business full time. The company has grown from just three employees to about 500 today. We started as a Pest Control company and our service offering has expanded to cater for integrated soft services.
What are your future plans and aspirations for your company?
Our future plans include diversification into other interrelated companies which will contribute in the supply chain of products that we purchase to deliver services. We want to grow our investment portfolio into hard and technical services to compete with the industry leaders.
What gives you the most satisfaction being an entrepreneur?
As an entrepreneur, I get the satisfaction of being able to build a legacy for future generations. The direct contribution is creating employment for others and changing lives.
What's the biggest piece of advice you can give to other women looking to start-up?
There's a lot of work that still needs to be done, we need more women to take the leadership seats and make a difference in our country. We also need to pay it forward to young and upcoming female entrepreneurs. It is possible with hard work and determination.
To find out more about the work of Kusile Facilities Management (Pty) Ltd, contact founder Olga Ncube via email: olga@kusilees.com and visit the company’s website and social media platforms:
Website: http://www.kusilefacilities.co.za
Facebook: http://kusilefacilities
Instagram: http://kusile.facilities.management
