“If you start small, those who started big will swallow you.” Those were bold words spoken by Lloyd Munjoma the Director Administration and co-founder of Prestige Auto Care. Prestige Auto Care started operating in March 2019 and is fast rising to be a household name in the panel beating, spray painting and car maintenance industry in Zimbabwe. It is surprising to many how at 35, Lloyd has managed to set up such a formidable organisation.
“If you start small, those who started big will swallow you.” Those were bold words spoken by Lloyd Munjoma the Director Administration and co-founder of Prestige Auto Care. Prestige Auto Care started operating in March 2019 and is fast rising to be a household name in the panel beating, spray painting and car maintenance industry in Zimbabwe. It is surprising to many how at 35, Lloyd has managed to set up such a formidable organisation.
Aspiring Entrepreneurs Never Attain Their Goals Because They Are Too Selfish To Partner With Other People.
Lloyd believes that turning his dream into reality was possible because he managed to articulate his vision to other people. Some of them saw potential in the vision and invested in it. He notes that most aspiring entrepreneurs never attain their goals because they are too selfish to partner with other people. “You cannot do it alone, you always need other people. You can have the vision but lack the capital. Remember someone out there has that capital but does not have the vision,” he stated. For Lloyd to come to those conclusions he walked a path that we shall explore.
Born in Honde Valley Manicaland, to teaching parents who migrated from Chimanimani, Lloyd is the third born in a family of five. His siblings grew up and became employed in various sectors but he preferred a different path. As he went through high school at Marist Brothers – Nyanga, he was drawn towards mechanical engineering. He went ahead and attained an undergraduate degree in the field at the University of Zimbabwe. His dream was to become his own boss by the time he turned 40. After completion of his degree in 2008, he initially joined the Zimbabwe Passenger Company (ZUPCO) then left after 2 years to join Clover Leaf Motors as a graduate trainee.
Lloyd Was Determined To Rise To Top Leadership
Having joined the organisation, Lloyd was determined to rise to top leadership so as to get exposure to management and operations of the company. He revealed that he wanted to learn as much as possible and it would have been impossible at lower levels. He would take on extra responsibilities and fill in roles of colleagues off duty which made him the blue-eyed boy to senior management. His hard-work and determination to rise was so great that positions that were non-existent on the company organogram were created for him. At only 29 years, Lloyd had reached senior management level holding the position of Branch Manager at Clover Leaf Panel Beaters.
The Senior Management role came with perks and benefits that can make other people comfortable. Young Lloyd had a huge pay check, a large comfortable office, and luxurious vehicles to name a few. He was the youngest manager sitting in board meetings with people way older than him which could have been fulfilling. However, all this could not quench the hunger in him to be his own boss. He went ahead to attain his Master of Business Administration (MBA) in Strategic Leadership at the University of Zimbabwe to deepen his business and leadership knowledge. According to Lloyd, his former Managing Director (MD) unknowingly further fuelled his desire to start his own business. Lloyd reveals that the MD kept on making reference to the importance of starting a business at a young age.
Positions That Were Non-Existent On The Company Organogram Were Created For Him.
Lloyd discloses that his final push to act came in 2018 when he accidentally bumped a shopping trolley into Mr Mubviri while rushing through a shopping list, preoccupied with work. Mr Mubviri is a successful business person in his own right. From their first conversation, he cautioned Lloyd of how wasting youthful years and energy promoting an employer’s vision would be regretted later in life. In Mr Mubviri, Lloyd found a business mentor and role model whom he continually engaged to guide his steps in the business world. They would meet regularly to discuss Lloyd’s plans and progress. Mr Mubviri became the first person to give Lloyd a seed loan, the repayment of which was to be done at Lloyd’s desired pace and at zero percent interest.
Putting together the loan and his personal savings, Lloyd still needed more capital to start the business competitively. This led to him to pool resources with his long-time friend Collins Nduku in a joint partnership to form Prestige Auto Care. Other than financial resources, Collins brings in his wealth of experience in Marketing, Spray painting and Workshop Management to the venture. Lloyd reveals that it was critical for them to start at a level where they could compete with the dominant five players in the panel beating industry. As someone who had been with the best for almost 10 years and having studied the other major players like Amalgamated Motor Company (AMC) and Croco Motors, Lloyd was well-informed of the gaps in the market. Prestige Auto Care is currently filling those gaps that the bigger players were overlooking. In the next two years, Lloyd believes that Prestige Auto Care will be among the dominant players in the automotive industry in Zimbabwe.
Greed Largely Contributes To The Downfall Of Many Businesses
Prestige Auto Care gives much focus to its employees. Their underlying beliefs are that satisfied employees bring out high quality products resulting in satisfied clients. Lloyd reveals that greed largely contributes to the downfall of many businesses particularly greed in sharing profits by paying unfair wages to the workers. He is of the view that it would be better for him and Collins to take home smaller profits after ensuring that their twenty-five employees have been paid fairly and have a safe working environment.
The decision to leave a comfortable senior manager to become a full-time entrepreneur was not easy for Lloyd. Regardless of that, he chose his dream over fear. Lloyd used his good planning skills to prepare for the transition. By the time he left Clover Leaf Panel Beaters, he had mentally prepared himself and his family for the change. He was also clear on the steps to take after leaving work which thwarted thoughts of self-doubt. He had committed to give the new venture his full attention as he believes that anything that is not given one hundred percent effort and attention fails. Lloyd urges anyone who wants to go into business to form partnerships that bring in more resources so as to start operating from an advantaged position.
