Software engineer Gloria Phakathi was never happily working for a boss as she did not have the opportunity to dream big. So, after years of painful lessons, the Joburg entrepreneur founded Glo Mo Solutions, which offers custom software development and IT consulting. Phakhati told Vutivi News that after she obtained her diploma in software engineering, she worked in various corporate settings as an IT consultant. However, she felt like her creative abilities were limited.
“When I was employed, I was employed to fulfill specific positions, and nothing beyond that,” she said. “I ventured into a business to put an end to that, and once I got into the business world I found that I had to be in charge of everything in the business, which I felt was the challenge I needed.” Phakathi started her business in 2015. It also offers business analysis services and business management services.
It designs and builds applications, and two of its flagship applications, Worxflow360 Management and MoHRM Payroll & HR Solutions, were launched in 2022 and 2020. Phakathi said she had to start off with no funding, so in order to fund her software development, she was a reseller of applications, which garnered her moderate success. In 2019 she entered a competition that was hosted by Sage Accounting and won R210,000 to kick-start her Worxflow360 Management software project.
However, she contracted a developer for six months, and he failed to make good on his promises. “As a result, I lost R160,000 and I took him to the law; the matter is currently handled by our lawyers,” she said. “This was a huge setback for me, and I learned the hard way not to depend on people, but to do my own background check on those I hire,”Phakathi said she was fortunate because Sage offered her a lifeline in the form of an R1.5 million loan in 2020.
During this time, she also developed MoHRM Payroll HR Solutions, which offers various payroll and HR services for SMEs in the services sector. This time, she employed a full-time developer and five other employees, and within a few months, the software was near completion. The company also started offering IT recruitment services, where they helped businesses recruit IT, specialists, during the lockdown period.
Phakathi said that she did not realise the impact of her products until she launched Worxflow360 this year. The software is designed for any service business and different SMME businesses like plumbers and air-conditioning installers. “It is a web and mobile app that provides complete workflow management for your business,” she explained. “Worxflow360 Management software helps companies keep track of all their operations’ activities and keep track of the inventory used and stock on hand.” Phakathi said that she has worked with various companies in countries like Botswana and Zimbabwe over the last five years and planned on taking on more projects in the southern African region.
