Utex Signs and Systems
Case Studies – Sign and Screen Printing Business
Amos Ujani, 41
Entrepreneur
Amos started working at Utex Signs and Systems, a Malawi based sign and screen printing business run by his brother in 2007. His brother sadly passed away in 2013, at which time Amos was inspired to take over management of the struggling business, in the hope that he could make it profitable.
Abhinav Goyal, 28
Consultant
Based in Toronto, Canada, Abhinav is an engineer with a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering and a master’s degree in computer engineering. Alongside these courses, he also studied many entrepreneurship and leadership courses. Abhinav heard about Grow Movement through his sister who is an alumna at London Business School, and was inspired to come on board as a volunteer consultant. A Grow Movement veteran, Abhinav has now finished working with his third entrepreneur from Malawi, and looking towards his fourth!
Business challenges and objectives of the project
Amos was finding it difficult to fund the business, which was ‘in tatters’ when he took over. He did not have any experience in financial management or bookkeeping, and though he was aware of how much money the business was making, was unsure of its profit margins. Amos was also looking to improve the customer service and marketing aspects of his business, as he did not have any previous experience in these areas, and while he has successful contracts with some large businesses, wasn’t sure how to sell his products and services on a smaller scale.
The Results
Working with Abhinav, Amos increased the profitability of Utex Signs and Systems by 15%, and hired a new member of staff in a customer service role. Together Amos and Abhinav figured out which areas were bleeding the business financially, causing profits to decline. By making changes such as sourcing raw materials in bulk from a different supplier, they were able to save a significant amount of money. With Abhinav’s guidance Amos was also able to improve his customer care, reaching out to past clients and building lasting relationships in order to win further work. This was a major contributing factor to the growth of his business.
The Impact on Amos
“My mentor helped me in how to keep records, how to plan with business finances and how to take good care of my customers. I know that my business has reached this stage because of Grow Movement.”
The Impact on Abhinav
“I’ve seen my evolution as a mentor over my last three projects with Grow Movement. It’s been great to learn more about Malawi as a country, and to see how entrepreneurs like Amos are working with relatively few resources but still doing so well.”
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