LaGuGu Tours shares what it takes to be a South African entrepreneur
Stor-Age Gardens plays an integral role in the daily operations of several budding and successful SMEs and entrepreneurs. LaGuGu Tours is one such company that takes advantage of our business self storage solutions to further their productivity and profit. We sat down with Kgomotso Pooe, co-founder of LaGuGu Tours, to discuss how his business has grown over time, and what it takes to be an entrepreneur in the South African economy.
LaGuGu Tours specialises in township tourism but can do “literally anything under the South African sun”. Kgomotso was first encouraged to start his own business after finding a pay slip that wasn’t his at the printers and realised that his value was not being acknowledged at his job. He resigned without a plan and six months later he started a business with his brother named ‘Soweto Outdoor Adventures’. This eventually expanded into LaGuGu Tours hop-on hop-off – their Cape Town based product.
Growing your own business is a journey that presents itself with many lessons. Our Stor-Age Self Storage facilities have a community of successful businesses with a wealth of knowledge that they are eager to share.
Comments Kgomotso, “People don’t always teach you that you may experience a low season in business and you have those long winter days where you don’t get business at all. However, being able to wake up and see your business flourish and grow from day to day is an incredible highlight of having your own business.”
For Kgomotso the biggest business challenge he experienced was moving to Cape Town. He comments, “I had to learn to engage with a different community space than what I came from. There are a lot of traditional and cultural engagements and relationships that you learn when you move into a new township that isn’t yours. People had to warm up to me.”
However, this did not stop LaGuGu tours from growing in popularity. They started using Stor-Age Gardens when their offerings expanded to include customised itineraries for clients. Often clients will need storage for material and equipment, especially if they are involved in events. Having a unit to store the likes of bicycles in a safe and secure location gave both LaGuGu Tours and their clients peace of mind.
The tourism industry is not bound by office trading hours – and neither is Stor-Age Gardens. The accessibility and security of the facility allows Kgomotso to access his goods at his convenience. In addition, his van is safely stored at the facility when not in use.
On the topic of business advice, Kgomotso has one simple message, “Just do it! As long as you have passion, a drive and a USP for your business, you can always go into the market and make it happen. Your only regret will be not starting – so just start.”
At Stor-Age, we value and potential that SMEs bring to the South African economy. We constantly strive to provide the very best in convenient business self storage solutions for various needs. Our conveniently located stores nationwide are positioned for ease of accessibility and secured with state-of-the-art security to protect business assets.
If you find yourself in a position where a self storage unit can help your business to grow or evolve, contact us on 0861 18 18 18, or get a free online quote. We offer a variety of different sized units with flexible leases so that you only pay for the space that you need, for as long as you need it. We are excited to be a valuable part of your business growth.