Twenty-nine-year-old Dorah Tafeni credits Shanduka Black Umbrellas with helping transform her life. This Capetonian businesswoman had always dreamed of starting her own bookkeeping business but was worried about incurring overheads before she had even built up a client base.

That’s when she turned to Shanduka Black Umbrellas and discovered they had the perfect solution for her and so Inyameko Trading was born nearly 18 months ago and has gone from strength to strength.

Dorah was delighted to have access to all the facilities a new business requires but also had access to a ready made client base just by joining Black Umbrellas.

She now has 12 companies on her books covering both the northern and southern suburbs of Cape Town. She has also proved an invaluable asset to Black Umbrellas member SMMEs providing expert advice on tax submissions and cash flow management.

Dorah says her success has been to a large part supported by the environment Black Umbrellas provides to its member SMMEs and she would recommend the organisation to any person who wants to start or grow their small businesses.

“They gave me the confidence boost I needed and from there I got new clients who were not hard to find.”

What’s the best business advice she has ever received? “Always be able to manage your cash flow, because cash is king; not debts.”