The same way it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a village to grow a business
Ndabenhle: We want to create as many jobs as we can.
With the COVID-19 pandemic, unemployment in the country has taken a further knock. It’s naive of us to think that AirStudent will be able to hire all of the unemployed youth, but all we want to do is contribute to boosting employment figures, and a start-up like ours is the best way to do that.
Have you collaborated with travel-industry partners? Ndabenhle: The same way it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a village to grow a business. And our village stepped up for us. AirStudent has established a partnership with Comair, which allows us to get affordable flight prices, as well as the 20 kg free luggage. When COVID-19 hit our shores and Comair was negatively affected, they assisted us to build a solid partnership with FlyMango in order for our business to continue servicing students. We’ve also collaborated with Greyhound buses to cater for those students who prefer to travel by bus. Working with these leading industry partners is testament to our growth.
What advice can you give to students and graduates with an idea for a business? Ndabenhle:
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1.
Think big but start small. Think of the simplest thing you can do right now to reach your end goal and start there.
2.
Find people you can enjoy working with and then grow with them.
3.
Remember that no one really knows what they’re doing, so trust and believe in yourself more than anything else. This confidence in yourself will help you in many situations on your journey.
