You’ve been in business 13 years. How do you stay resilient in a market where smaller entities tend to get bought over by bigger companies? What are your competitive advantages that have allowed you to remain independent in this sector?

What I tend to do when I know I’ll be going against bigger companies, is I’ll try to establish relationships with them and provide them with the resources that they need to meet their objectives. These bigger companies also have to show that they are engaging with the smaller players. I’ve done this in the past with Bytes Tech and BCX, and it has worked quite well.

In terms of foreign business, how do you position yourself for enquiries for business outside of South Africa?

In terms of the growth strategy for the company, my region of influence has always been SADC. I’ve done work in Zimbabwe, but the market is not conducive enough just now. We’ve worked in Mozambique and it went well, and Zambia is primed and ready but there’s currently some political interference hindering implementation. The biggest drawback for regional expansion is access to capital. However, banks these days are reluctant to fund ICT-related projects so I’ve usually had to self-fund.

How do you liaise with local content when looking at new markets, so as to make sure you are relevant for the business you’re trying to seek?

If we use Mozambique as an example, it’s a unique situation where they have the requirement and will to really improve the ICT sector but they’re lacking skills on the ground. I went into Mozambique with BCX. They have a presence there but didn’t have the necessary resources to deliver on the project they had, so that’s where I came in.

“…Business is always evolving and changing so if you don’t evolve and change with it, you’ll be left behind…”

If you look at ICT across the continent there are some countries that are clearly disruptors, such as Rwanda and Kenya, where language is not a barrier. What is your strategy when it comes to looking at opportunities outside of the SADC region?
At present I’m focusing more on the SADC region. Like I mentioned, there are opportunities in countries like Zimbabwe and Zambia, where you need local presence, that we plan on being ready for when the situation improves. We are registered in these countries, but just not trading at present.

You mentioned having the resources to assist with bigger partners. What is your model? Is it through permanent staff or do you have the ability to recruit skills for each project?
We don’t keep a lot of staff. Most of the time I’ll use contractors that are looking for short-term engagements – usually from 6 months to a year. The nature of the industry means there are a lot of small contractors who prefer to move around a lot. I have a large pool that I can tap into for this purpose that spans across multiple technologies.

Are you planning to extend your partnerships, not only locally but also internationally, and what is your strategy in this regard?
We strive to see the key account person in that region and understand what projects are available that you can deliver on. Most countries in the region have enterprise agreements with Microsoft. Microsoft service rates are much higher than ours so that is a competitive advantage in terms of trying to do business in these countries.

Which sectors do you believe benefit most from the technologies that you offer? What role does Sochin Tech play in bringing technology and innovation to these sectors?
It sometimes depends on the political environment. Mining, for example, was hit very hard by the platinum strikes, which lasted almost a year. Prior to that it was engaging in technological solutions but as a result of the strikes a lot of the smaller providers to the industry had to close. We used to manage underground communications systems for mining companies until they started closing.

You speak regularly at ICT events. What is the feedback?
I thought speaking at these conferences would give me a platform to disseminate our ideas to bring in further business. Business is always evolving and changing so if you don’t evolve and change with it, you’ll be left behind. We try to introduce these beneficial new technologies to the broader public as well as discuss them in sector-specific forums.