
22 Jun START-UP STORY.
Everyone loves a happy ending. We’ve all heard of successful start-up stories, how the underdogs disrupted the market or industry. It’s the kind of stuff that movies are made of. However, sometimes it is important talk to start-ups during their journey. This Is What Start-up Story is about.
Giving us a more in depth, relatable story to connect to…. Because if we’re honest, most of us are right there too. Meet Joash Govindsamy, his Start-up story began in 2016 when he entered and won The INNOVATE DURBAN challenge for his innovative idea on fish farming. This was the birth of his Verulam based company, GreenGold Technology.
Coastal Biz: Who is your target market and how long have you been operating? Tell us a little more about why your customers buy from you?
Joash: I’ve been operating for about two years and my main customers are individuals and some farmers. The customers who buy from me are looking for more organic, fresh fish at an affordable price, The Tilapia is a delicacy.
CB: What are some of the difficulties that you have encountered as a Micro Enterprise?
J: The main challenge that I would say that I have is market penetration, just getting the product out there. Getting people to trust it and brand building in the food industry can be a challenge and engaging with that target market.
CB: What would you say is the current climate in the business community amongst your peers during Covid19 and what have you learnt?
J: I’ve learnt that you must always prepare for the storm and all the different eventualities, in business this is so important.
CB: What have you learnt about the handling of your business and its finances from the inception of your business until now?
J: I’ve learnt that having a little bit of money every day, coming in on a consistent basis can be better than having a lot of money coming in every once in a while. So being proactive in maintaining cash-flow, consistently- even if it be a small stream of income.
CB: What are some of your biggest successes?
J: Some of what I consider to be my bigger successes would be breeding my own fish, as well as acquiring additional funding of investment for the expansion of my company and my education.
CB: What do you hope to achieve?
J: I hope to be the biggest official supplier of Tilapia in South Africa and hopefully the world. My hope is that we can bring a more sustainable, environmentally friendly way of farming to South Africa and the world and to do it well. Just environmentally friendly and sustainably produced fish.
Joash holds a BSc. Honours in Microbiology, Check out more about Joash’s business on:
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