Silulo Ulutho Technologies was founded by entrepreneur Luvuyo Rani in 2004. The company began when former teacher Rani would sell computers to teachers from the boot of his car. Silulo Ulutho Technologies has 42 South African branches to date and has begun expanding beyond the South African borders. “Africa has so much opportunity despite its challenges. I’m a dreamer and see the possibilities of this continent,” says Luvuyo Rani.
Earlier this month Rani spoke at the annual Association of African Business Schools (AABS) Conference hosted by the University of Stellenbosch Business School. The AABS network was created in 2005 with the goal of improving the quality of business education across Africa. The conference was attended by almost 120 delegates from Africa, as well as 7 non-African countries such as the USA, United Kingdom and Italy. ‘The Future of Work’ was one of the topics discussed by a panel during the conference. The Deans and Directors of various African business schools spoke about their thoughts on the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
“When I began this business, I had no capital. My brother had to make a personal loan of R10 000 as seed capital for the business. Within two months, all that money was gone. When I went to schools, people said that I was crazy for leaving teaching to sell second-hand computers. Others suspected that I was stealing computers from schools and selling them back to the schools,” Rani stated.
In an effort to raise funds, Rani started a stokvel. “In a group of six, each would pay R400 a month and within six months each one of them would have a computer. In some schools, I would tell the teachers to give me 70% of R2400 in order for me to buy the computer and they pay the remainder the following month. In dealing with the negativity, I developed a thicker skin and kept on going to the schools and built a relationship with some teachers. Some of these relationships are ones I have still maintained to this very day,” Rani described the stokvel.
Rani set up internet cafes in his home town of Khayelitsha and began looking at training students and teachers on how to use computers and other IT systems. In addition to his IT solutions business, Rani is a member of USB’s Small Business Academy, which offers a training development programme that lasts 9 months to small business owners.
Rani’s advice to aspiring entrepreneurs is to focus on what they want to do. “You should always have an attitude that is positive and believe that anything is possible as long as you put your mind to it. And lastly, work hard, dream big, start small but always have a bigger picture in mind,” Rani says.
Edited by Kojo Essah
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