Small or big business, the problems are similar, says South African CEO

Nhlanhla Dlamini, CEO of Maneli Pets

While many entrepreneurs start small – often crafting products in their kitchens or backyards and expanding gradually – South African pet food entrepreneur Nhlanhla Dlamini chose a different approach. Once he identified a viable market, he raised capital to set up a factory right from the outset.

“Some advice that I got from a more experienced entrepreneur back when I was starting was: The problems [for] a small business are very much like the problems for a big business. So you’d rather try and build a big business and just deal with the same sort of problem. And I took that to heart. The problems that I deal with, I think, are problems people deal with when they’re operating a business similar to mine, but operating it from their backyard,” he says.

“If I was dealing with the problems that I’ve dealt with over the last five years, but it was a really small business, I would have struggled to crowd in funders and people to support me,” Dlamini adds.

“I’m kind of glad that I’ve gone big early – even though it’s come with a lot of stress.”

Watch our full interview with Nhlanhla Dlamini: South African CEO competing in multi-billion dollar pet food industry 

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