Lesedi’s Delights is a company owned by Lesedi Kekana and it is based in Atteridgeville. The company was registered in 2007. Lesedi, the owner, initially operated in a back room at her mom’s house. Her business was initially based on orders received from the local communities. The people in her township would order cakes, sandwiches and pies for their functions. Lesedi won a business award from the local business chamber in 2010 and she was given prize money of R250 000 for being the most promising entrepreneur. The award bought so much publicity that she started to struggle to fulfil orders.
Initially, she coped with this increase in orders with the help of her unemployed mother and her elder brother, who worked in Pretoria and assisted her with the deliveries after work. Some of her customers also fetched their own orders. As the business grew even more, she realised that she needed to employ at least two more people: an experienced baker and a reliable delivery person with a valid driver’s licence. Given the frequency and size of her orders, she could not afford to bring people in who could not hit the ground running in the two positions. From her recruitment process, she identified Natalie, a recently graduated hospitality student from a nearby university of technology. Natalie had also worked as an intern at a local confectionery. She also stayed in nearby Danville Township, which made travelling to work convenient.
Lesedi also identified Jonas as a suitable candidate for the driver position. He had worked for the same company for 30 years as a driver before the company closed when the owner relocated. Jonas was forced to retire at the age of 55.
Lesedi decided to invite both Natalie and Jonas for interviews. She conducted a thorough interview process and was satisfied with their qualifications and experience. She offered Natalie the position of the experienced baker and Jonas the position of the delivery person. Both of them gladly accepted the job offers.
Natalie proved to be a great addition to the team. She brought with her a wealth of knowledge and skills in baking. She often introduced new and innovative recipes, which helped to attract more customers to Lesedi’s Delights. Her attention to detail and creativity in decorating cakes and pastries also received praise from customers.
Jonas, on the other hand, ensured that all deliveries were made on time and in good condition. His extensive knowledge of the area also came in handy when there were new delivery requests from customers in neighboring townships. Jonas always took extra precautions to ensure that the products were well-packaged and arrived in perfect condition.
With Natalie and Jonas as part of her team, Lesedi was able to focus on managing the overall operations of the business. She took care of the finances, marketing, and customer relations. The business continued to grow, and Lesedi decided to expand her offerings to include catering services for events and functions.
Lesedi also invested in advanced baking equipment and kitchen facilities to meet the increasing demands of her customers. She continued to win new customers and retain existing ones through her dedication to providing delicious and high-quality products.
With the success of Lesedi’s Delights, Lesedi was able to give back to her community. She started providing baking classes for unemployed individuals in the area, giving them a chance to learn new skills and potentially find employment or start their own businesses.
Overall, Lesedi’s Delights became a thriving bakery and catering business, thanks to the hard work and dedication of Lesedi, Natalie, Jonas, and the rest of the team.
Step 1: Background of Lesedi's Delights
- Lesedi's Delights is a company owned by Lesedi Kekana and is based in Atteridgeville.
- The company was registered in 2007.
- Initially, Lesedi operated her business in a back room at her mom's house, taking orders from the local communities.
- The business initially focused on providing cakes, sandwiches, and pies for functions in the township.
Step 2: Business Award and Struggles
- In 2010, Lesedi won a business award from the local business chamber, being recognized as the most promising entrepreneur.
- She received R250,000 as prize money.
- The award brought significant publicity, causing an increase in orders.
- Lesedi started to struggle to fulfill the growing number of orders.
Step 3: Coping with Increasing Orders
- Initially, Lesedi managed the increase in orders with the help of her unemployed mother and her elder brother.
- Her brother, who worked in Pretoria, assisted with deliveries after work.
- Some customers also fetched their own orders.
Step 4: Need for Additional Employees
- As the business continued to grow, it became apparent that Lesedi needed to hire at least two more people.
- Two positions were identified: an experienced baker and a reliable delivery person with a valid driver's license.
- Lesedi couldn't afford to bring in people who couldn't immediately handle the demands of the positions.
Step 5: Recruitment of Natalie and Jonas
- Natalie, a recently graduated hospitality student from a nearby university of technology, was identified as a suitable candidate for the baker position.
- She had previous experience as an intern at a local confectionery.
- Natalie also lived in Danville Township, making commuting to work convenient.
- Jonas, who had worked as a driver for 30 years, was considered for the delivery person position.
- He was forced to retire at the age of 55 when his previous company closed due to relocation.
Lesedi's Delights is a company owned by Lesedi Kekana and is based in Atteridgeville. The company was registered in 2007 and initially operated out of a back room at Lesedi's mother's house. Lesedi's business was mainly centered around fulfilling cake, sandwich, and pie orders from the local communities in her township.
In 2010, Lesedi received a business award from the local business chamber, recognizing her as the most promising entrepreneur. As part of the award, she was given prize money of R250,000. This award brought a lot of publicity to the business, but it also posed challenges for Lesedi as she started to struggle to keep up with the increasing number of orders.
To cope with the growing demand, Lesedi initially relied on the help of her unemployed mother and her elder brother, who worked in Pretoria and assisted with deliveries after their work hours. Some customers also chose to pick up their own orders. However, as the business continued to expand, Lesedi realized that she needed to hire more staff. Specifically, she needed an experienced baker and a reliable delivery person with a valid driver's license.
For the baker position, Lesedi went through a recruitment process and identified Natalie as a suitable candidate. Natalie is a recently graduated hospitality student from a nearby university of technology and had also worked as an intern at a local confectionery. Additionally, Natalie lived in the nearby Danville Township, which made commuting to work convenient.
For the driver position, Lesedi identified Jonas as a suitable candidate. Jonas had worked as a driver for the same company for 30 years before it closed down due to the owner's relocation. As a result, he was forced to retire at the age of 55.
By hiring these additional employees, Lesedi aimed to meet the increasing demands of her business, ensuring that she had skilled individuals who could immediately contribute to their respective roles.