Description of the Company
Name: DS Appetite
Main activities: catering (meal preparation and delivery), incl. events such as wedding, anniversary, birthday parties, workshops and many more.
Number of employees: 16
Established: in 2005
Description of the entrepreneur
Name : Joaquim José Cardoso Sebastião
Position: General Manager
Age: 34 years
Gender: Male
Education: College Certificate in Business Management
The interview was conducted with Joacquim Sebastiao, General Manager of DS Appetite company, incubated at the National Institute for Education & Vocational Training in Angola.
Is this the first company that you have started, and what drove you towards it?
It is the first Enterprise I have opened. What drove me towards it was simply a personal inspiration and willingness to contribute to the country’s economic growth.
"The biggest challenge faced by most entrepreneurs [in Angola] is that it is expensive to acquire suitable infrastructure. We have too much complex bureaucracy in the public institutions... It discourages people to invest in business, especially on the micro an small scale. To overcome some of the challenges, we get technical advice from the incubator and other stakeholders on how to go ahead. Also - an entrepreneur needs to be proactive and determined!"
Joacquim Sebastiao, General Manager, DS Appetite
How did you finance your start-up operations and how long did it take for the company to become self-sustainable?
I started up the company with my personal financial and human resources. Up to now I still use the same method which is a big challenge to the micro and small business entrepreneurs. The sustainability of the company still lies on my salary and the services the company offers.
What are your major products and services and how are they unique? What is your competition?
The major products which the company offers are preparation of meals in different categories (budget and special). We prepare home grown genuine spices, catering services to wedding ceremonies, baptisms, anniversaries, cocktails, coffee breaks, workshops and many more events.
We face very high competition in the formal market especially those catering companies with big financial muscle, such as Danado de Bom, O Comilão, Bom Sabor, Que Sabor, O Tacho, Galletos.
How did you first launch the product?
The Company was initially launched by marketing the company in a door to door method, to other business companies, Agencies, NGOs, Private and Public enterprises.
We started offering free catering services to a petroleum company and other business companies, Agencies, NGOs, Private and Public enterprises for a week. Afterwards we made contracts to those institutions that approved the quality of our catering services.
How do you measure the success of the company?
Currently the company has a growth rate of around 30% in all sectors, including equipment, employees, clients and profits. Still, we have not yet reached the level that we intend to reach! My next big challenge is to invest in an industrial Kitchen so that I can produce more and meet growing demand.
Who are your clients and how many do you have? How are you focusing on expanding your user community?
My clients include Public and Private Companies, and individuals. So far I have 3 companies and 4 individuals as regular clients. The focus of the company is to expand the Business, investing in infrastructures (industrial Kitchen), and adequate transport.
Are you planning to patent your product and do you see any obstacles in doing so?
Currently I am marketing the image and logo for “DS Apetite”. Obstacles are always found, but we need to over come them and find a way forward as an entrepreneur.
What was the biggest challenge in starting an innovative business in your country and how did you overcome that?
The biggest challenge faced by most entrepreneurs in our country is that it is expensive to acquire a suitable infrastructure to operate on. We have too much complex bureaucracy in the public institutions, for example if someone would want to legalize the company, it is complicated to do so and it’s also very expensive. It discourages people to invest in business, especially on the micro small business scales. Materials and products are also expensive in Angola. To overcome some of the challenges, most of the time we get technical advice from the incubator and other stakeholders on how to go ahead. Also - an entrepreneur needs to be proactive and determined!
How have you benefited from business incubation?
The Company has benefited a lot from the business incubator, with the services they offer such as infrastructure, ICT Internet and telephone facilities, and technical support. The incubator has also exposed us to formal markets skills on how to attract clients.
Do you have some specific lessons that you know now and wish you would have known when you started your business, and which you would like to share with fellow entrepreneurs?
I have learned several lessons such as knowing how to plan for a fixed budget, circular capital of the company, management of a company, and the necessity to have capital reserve in the account.
What I would wish to share with other entrepreneurs is that, it’s always good to set the objectives of the company, know the motives of the business, and have flexibility in planning and forecasting. With such an attitude in a company, you can form a basis for significant growth.
Do you plan to internationalize your product and if so, how?
It has been one of the objectives to go forward internationally with our services, but we would first wish to promote and strengthen our services locally and then in future will export our products like mineral water and other frozen products.
Do you feel that you had the necessary advisory and support network when you started your company?
Unfortunately I had no advisory and support network until I came to the incubator. I did not know how to properly plan and manage the funds of the enterprise, nor how to market our services to the public.
What is your message to funders/supporters and what is your message to the users of your product?
To supporters I would like to say that it's valuable to invest in the small and medium size companies in order to create a prosperous national market. Public institutions need to do more in responding to the potential and acceleration of the markets in the country.
The DS Appetite catering company wants consumers to know that DS Appetite is the ideal partner for you; it has good hygiene, it's healthy, and it offers quality meals with all tastes, with affordable prices, and on time.
For more information about the Angola National Institute for Employment & Vocational Training, please visit their profile in the Global Network Directory.