As a Christian, Karabo Chauke who owns a pizza restaurant has always turned to God when making business decisions. Even though he believed he had a calling in his life to be an entrepreneur, it was not until he opened his third business, Monandi Pizza which is now based in Mapobane Lifestyle Mall in Tshwane, that he finally achieved the success he envisioned.
“I tried operating a business specialising in still water, and it didn’t succeed,” he told Vutivi News. “Then I tried running a construction company, and it also didn’t succeed because of the amount of money needed to start both types of businesses. “It wasn’t until after I was retrenched during Covid-19 that I started thinking about making pizza.” The first pizza Chauke made was for his friends and family.
They loved it and this instantly encouraged him to open his business. “They said that they would definitely eat this kind of pizza, and because it cost little money to start, I started making pizza,” he said. The business started from his home in 2020, and a few months later after it had grown, he relocated to Mabopane Station. “The business grew even more after that and I was finally able to rent a shop at the Mabopane Pick n Pay (at) Mabopane Lifestyle Mall,” Chauke said.
“We currently have three employees and our pizza comes in flavours like Hawaiian, chicken mayo, bacon, avo and olive, chicken mushroom, and chicken barbeque.” According to Chauke, one of the biggest challenges he faced was getting compared to the likes of Debonairs and Roman’s Pizza. “People told me that because I wasn’t these big brands, I would not make it,” he said. “I did not listen to them, and I instead pushed onwards and continued my hard work.” Chauke is thankful that he has grown to the point where his business can now handle large orders and make a decent profit. “I credit God because he guided me and led me to the point where I am today,” he said.
