Entrepreneur on why he chose to quit his well-paid job to start his own business

Why would someone quit their well-paid job to start their own business, especially in a challenging economic environment? Because they have the determination needed to keep their business afloat.

According to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor South Africa report, the country’s climate for conducive entrepreneurship is one of the lowest but there is hope on the horizon with entrepreneurs like Fikile Khiva, CEO of Kamva Capital, a management consulting firm.

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Khiva started Kamva Capital to drive transformation, financial literacy, entrepreneurship development and investment facilitation. “I voluntarily resigned and sacrificed a well-paid job to pursue my calling as an entrepreneur.

“Growing up in poverty-stricken rural villages, I have always been driven to make a real difference; not only to myself but to entrepreneurs and other communities trapped in poverty.”

Giving back to the community

While he was still working for another company, Khiva started a plough-back initiative in his community in the Eastern Cape in 2008 and witnessed the impact it had on the lives of people. After 10 years of his professional career at Accenture and J.P. Morgan Chase, he resigned and founded Kamva Capital.

For Khiva, starting his own company presented an opportunity for him to execute sustainable community development projects on a wider scale.

But what motivates him in tough economic times?

“What motivates me is knowing that, if I put energy into my company, I can make a positive change within myself and my reach.”

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Today, Kamva is a 100% black-empowered company that specialises in delivering business development solutions to various sectors, such as financial services, energy infrastructure, agriculture, digital and ICT and property.

However, it was not all sunshine and rainbows, he says.

“The uphill part of entrepreneurship is dealing with ongoing challenges in various aspects of the business and stakeholders, as well as family and just people in general.”

Getting capital is difficult

He says a difficult aspect of entrepreneurship is gaining access to capital. Kamva has been able to grow by partnering with Inyosi Empowerment, a South African enterprise and supplier development funding provider.

Inyosi provided various resources for Kamva Capital. The most recent was funding for motor vehicles to ensure the safe transport of its employees.

“From a job creation point of view, it is encouraging that Kamva is planning to create jobs in the Eastern Cape which is currently the province with the highest unemployment in SA.

“We share Kamva’s passion for uplifting communities by investing in businesses which have a positive impact at a local level,” Evan Jones, founder of Inyosi Empowerment, says.

Inyosi Empowerment provided much-needed access to funding, markets and skills for Kamva Capital and many other SMEs.