With more and more young people achieving their dreams at very young ages, it seems as if 20s are the new 30s. At only 20 years, Lionel Machekano from Strand in the Western Cape is one of the youngest entrepreneurs to be reckoned with.
“My business ‘Lighthouse’ is a sound and lightening company. It is a freelance database in which we help our clients to find best fit sound and lightening technicians or companies to best suit their events.
“Best Web Solutions is the business I co-founded. And we deal with web design, graphic design and social media. In July 2017, we will be a full internet provider, providing data and WiFi,” adds Lionel.
You know how people always say nothing beats the feeling of doing what you love and being loved for what you do, and Lionel draws his inspiration from that.
“For my first business, sound has always been my happy place. I decided to make money with doing what I love and have freelanced and worked with top people in South Africa. For my second business, I wanted to be my own boss.
“I wanted to be a major shareholder to a huge company. I got in contact with a friend of mine who happened to have a small business.
We decided to partner and we launched Best Web Solutions” he says.
Lionel’s dream growing up was to fly planes but he landed in business, and now plans to grow his companies to the sky.
“I initially wanted to be a pilot. It’s crazy but I still want to fly a plane! However, studying needed too much funding and I figured becoming an entrepreneur was more beneficial. [In 1-5 years] I see my companies expanding all over the Western Province and I see us launching overseas, starting with China.”
With the remarkable people that he looks up to, nothing is unachievable for Lionel.
“I have many role models including Robert Kiyosaki, Kenneth Cunningham, Anthony Robbins, Napoleon Hill and George Samuel Clason. But the one that influenced me the most is Ps Dylan Botes, I love how he manages his company and teaching, plus the amount of wisdom he has is phenomenal,” Lionel says.
Lionel’s finances may not be where he wants them but there’s something he’s able to invest back to the community – his expertise.
“My biggest goal is to change the world. I want to teach proper financial literacy in schools and when my company has a net worth of over a million then I want to help those in my surrounding areas to build companies and let them teach their fellow acquaintances,” he says.
Lionel concludes the interview by giving his advice to young entrepreneurs.
“My advice would be take action. If you don’t take that first step of planning and taking action then it doesn’t matter how far off you are from your plan you’ll stand a very good chance of not achieving your dreams if you don’t take action,” he wraps up.
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This interview was conducted by our intern blogger Tamica Mopp and written by Ndibulele Sotondoshe
Lionel has done sound and set up with the likes of Ipotsoyi, Into the Wild, Origin and the 2017 Spar Women’s Marathon. Visit their sophisticated website here: www.bestwebsolutions.co.za
