MBABANE - From designer to up-and-coming businessman: this is the exciting career path that Paulo Seabra, a participant in TechnoServe’s Believe Begin Become (BBB) entrepreneurship development programme, has been able to achieve.

 

Paulo Seabra went to a technical college and completed a course in plumbing. He obtained his plumbing qualification in 1991 and started working as an independent plumber. However, after only six months he quit his job in order to seek more challenging and rewarding opportunities. He moved on to join Woodmasters Furniture Manufacturing Company, starting as a kitchen fitter.

 

He later acquired design skills and started designing kitchens. After working at Woodmasters for six years, he started his own company, Exclusive Kitchen Designs which was registered in August 2006. The business is located at Sidwashini Industrial Sites, opposite CTM.

 

“I really enjoy designing kitchens,” says Seabra. “It is a very interesting occupation. I enjoy coming up with new ideas more than anything. My designs are not your ordinary, standard designs but state of the art.”

 

Seabra’s line of business involves the designing, manufacturing and fitting of kitchen and built-in cupboards. He specialises in the design aspect and outsources the other elements of his business.

 

When TechnoServe launched the BBB business plan competition last year, Seabra saw an opportunity to expand and grow his existing business.

 

“I realised that most of my clients preferred granite kitchen counter tops. It was more of an inconvenience to refer a client to a competitor for the design and fitting of the specialised granite counter tops. ” he says.

 

Seabra joined the BBB competition with the idea of expanding into the design and supply of quality granite kitchen tops which he considered to be complimentary to his core business, the fact that he was selected to the top 60 participants allowed him to go through the eight week core training programme.

 

“When I entered the competition I was only concerned or interested in the prize money at stake. I had no idea at the time as to what I was really getting myself into or the longer term benefits to my business. While the training was really demanding, I did find it to be most relevant and of value for any small and medium entrepreneur (SME) like myself,” recounts Seabra.

 

He also mentions that another major direct benefit to his business was that the BBB competition provided him with the opportunity and skills required for him to be able to do proper market and other necessary research before venturing into the granite business. “My company is now growing from strength to strength, since the end of the BBB competition my customer base has increased by 40 percent and sales have also grown by 40 percent over the last year. I keep the file with all the BBB training material nearby, which I use as a reference from time to time. I strongly believe that the BBB programme helped transform me from a mere kitchen designer to a more accomplished businessman,” he says.

 

Seabra also discloses that he began saving money when the competition started last year and it is those savings that have aided him in the endeavour to expand his business such that it is now in a position to offer its customers a full design, supply and installation package.

 

The rather modest Seabra believes that his computer aided designs give him the edge over his competitors. He uses a unique programme called ArtiCAD-Pro, which is said to create photo-realistic presentations in minutes alongside working drawings, plans, elevations, and walkthroughs - everything a professional designer needs to transfer his vision to the customer.

 

“Presentation is what sells your kitchen design. What you see in the drawings is exactly what you will get in reality,” he says.

 

Seabra also attributes his success to good cash flow management, a skill he attained through BBB programme.

 

“The biggest challenge for most SMEs is the ability to manage their cashflow in order to have adequate working capital to take on the larger contracts that become available from time to time. Larger contractors do not generally offer an upfront deposit, which makes it difficult to execute the work without the funds to purchase the raw materials. I ensure that I have sufficient cash on hand to meet at least three months working capital needs,” says Seabra.

 

He is now looking to purchase and build his own factory building for his business in the next five years. Since expanding into the granite market, his goal is to be the largest supplier of granite kitchen tops in the Kingdom within the next five years. BBB gave Seabra the extra motivation and business skills he needed to expand his business and achieve his vision.