From retrenchment to becoming self-employed

Rossman Long and Rhowen Sago held their grand opening for ‘Coffee for Eldos’ on February 12 in Eldorado Park. The idea came from ‘Coffee on Main’ which the two always found admirable.

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Sago’s employer restructured the company he worked for and in the process he was retrenched. With no stable salary to fall back on, Sago shared that he had to do something and that is when they decided to take the opportunity to start a business.

“There is a need for a coffee shop in Eldorado Park. We’ve been hearing people saying that they have to go outside of Eldo’s to get coffee or to have their meetings,” added Long. The Saturday launch was said to be a huge success by the owners as many people attended as well as different organisations from the community.

Rossman did a two-year hospitality course where he learnt how to cook and bake so he bakes all of the sweet treats that they serve with their hot drinks. Over the last two years, many people have been left unemployed due to the pandemic and Sago shared that like many, he would normally be seeking another job but he has come to realise that he also need to follow his dreams.

“I always had the dream of being self-employed. Rossman has been self-employed for the last ten years so that also motivated me. We have no salary to fall back on so this pushes me to do something for us. It becomes hectic when you have to work for a boss. You come home tired and still have to try to work towards your own dreams. I took the retrenchment as an opportunity to focus on my own dreams,” he said.

The owners now hope to create employment in the community because they understand that the unemployment rate is really high. They also look to encourage more people to follow their dreams and to become entrepreneurs.

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