Consulting Engineering firm Makhaotse, Narasimulu & Associates last month celebrated 25 years in the sector. Founded in KwaZulu-Natal, the company now has six offices spread across the country, in the Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, Limpopo and the Western Cape.

“One of our earliest hurdles was trust,” highlighted company co-founder and director Martin Makhaotse. “As we reflect on 25 years, South Africa was still in the early stages of transformation and while there were many opportunities, competition remained intense. What remains a strong hold over two decades later is that clients always want reassurance that you have the resources and skills to deliver. And our anniversary is a testament to our ability to deliver on this trust.”

The lessons learnt by the firm over the past quarter-century were applicable to other new and emerging businesses, both in terms of surviving and in scaling up their operations.   

“Many of us have heard the term, ‘don’t put all your eggs in one basket,’ and as a new firm, we ensured that client diversification was a high priority,” stressed company co-founder and director Sagren Narasimulu. “Early client diversification was essential in navigating a sustainable business. In our first year, we had one client, by year two, we had three and now we serve over 70 clients operating across different sectors.”

Further, technical skills alone were not sufficient for success. Startups also needed to understand business, master financial management and build client relationships.

“Many engineers think the technical work is enough, but we learned fast that business acumen ‘keeps the lights on’,” he pointed out. “Delivering quality with integrity and never letting technical standards slip builds client loyalty.”

And once a company is established and scaled up, then attention must also be paid to the longer-term future. That included mentorship of younger employees and the development of leadership at the different levels. Inevitably, one day, the founders would leave the company, in one way or another.

“We’ve developed leadership from within, and our associates and directors are ready to take the reins,” affirmed Makhaotse, who would retire this year. “It’s like watching a child leave the nest – bittersweet but gratifying and a proud moment to see the next generation having the ability to step forward.”