Lathitha bds corporate_profile2013

2013 _______________CORPORATE

PROFILE

ABOUT US

About us | Our Services | Enterprise

Development | Our Projects | Testimonials | Contact

Market Growth Financial Management &

Transformation Operations Redesign Outsourcing & Integration

Preface by Maloti Mothobi

Founder and Creative Director Strato Couture

www.wearstrato.com

My professional encounter with Lungisa Dyasi

started during 2009 just after completing his tenure

with ABSA Corporate & Business Banking and having

recently started his own Business Consultancy firm –

LathithaBDS.

With a wealth of technical skills augmented by

experience through the Cape Town Fashion Council

and having supported a number of fashion oriented

businesses – I had all the makings to start and sustain a

Fashion and Design House. Naturally – like many start-

up businesses, I sought funding to support my dreams,

hence the referral to Mr Dyasi.

It was not long after my engagement with Mr Dyasi that

I came to realise that while I possessed virtually all the

technical skills to start my dream business – managing

a sustainable business required a different set of skills

which required me to venture into areas of expertise

that I had never been exposed to. This was first, evident

during the collaborative process of developing my

Business Plan- which exposed me to areas such as

market research and analysis, operations design,

retailing of my finished product and the actual

integration of our production and retail.

One of the lessons that remains with me till this day is

how we actually went through a process of developing

a financial plan for my business well before launching

my first store – including the actual review of the

margins of each product/product-line that I intended

to produce

then (which has grown substantially since those

early days).

Upon completion of this process, which for me meant

that I was finally ready to launch my brand – I was to

be introduced to a concept of commercialising not

only my products but also my brand – such that in

September 2009 we were able to officially launch the

StratoTM brand without a cent of borrowed capital

and continued operating until 2011 before we

required expansion capital.

In early 2011, after having expanded the business

through internal resource investment – we needed to

redesign the business to incorporate Retail and a

Production Studio – Mr Dyasi assisted StratoTM in

securing one of the best structured and priced

financial instruments to support our goals. Since

then I have consulted with Mr Dyasi on a number of

occasions, seeking financial advice.

Mr Dyasi has throughout exhibited a strong sense of

the following attributes; visionary leadership, team

work, accountability, ubuntu, responsibility and

integrity in his work.

I recommend the operational ethos of this company. I

admire the driving personality behind the brand

name LathithaBDS. Noting the above I would like to

proudly support Mr Dyasi in all his future

endeavours within our pursuit for economic

freedom.

http://www.wearstrato.com/

ABOUT US



Preface Why Lathitha BDS

Lathitha BDS is a diversified and wholly black owned and black controlled Consulting and Business Development firm with its head office in the heart of the City of Cape Town, South Africa.

It is in recognition of the B-BBEE principles that Youth and Women active economic empowerment is entrenched as one of developmental pillars at Lathitha BDS. In this regard Lathitha BDS continues to strive to effectively influence South African Youth and Women to engage constructively to ensure effective utilisation of collective resources that translates to active participation in economic development initiatives thus enhancing the effectiveness of Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment as defined.

VISIONSTATEMENT

To

po

siti

on

La

thit

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B

DS

as

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ark

et

lead

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ugh

th

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ery

of

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mis

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t C

ust

om

er

Serv

ice

and

Cu

sto

mer

R

elat

ion

ship

M

anag

emen

t (C

RM

) so

luti

on

s.

It is then necessary to begin this process by arguing constructively in favour of view that our

Youth and Women actually do have resources that can be used and/or accessed to create

wealth and empowerment opportunities.

To do this it is necessary to begin by understanding that a Resource is:

A person, asset, material, or capital which can be used to accomplish a goal

or

The total means available to a company for increasing production or profit, including

plant, labour, and raw material, that is Assets.

These very resources can be accessed within individuals through skills development and

skills transfer initiatives and also from outside sources such as Conventional Financial

Institutions, Venture Capitalist, Developmental Agencies and Corporations, Angels, etc. but

best of all we at LathithaBDS have made it our business to offer solutions that are designed

to empower entrepreneurs develop and harness value enabling resources for their

respective businesses through services that include with no limitations:

growth strategy formulation and implementation, financial management and planning, operations management, marketing strategies, corporate identity development, integration strategies

MIS

SIO

N

ST

AT

EM

EN

T To optimally utilise all resources available to LathithaBDS with

particular sensitivity to maximising the use of human resources to ensure that we are the preferred strategic partner with all stakeholders across diverse industries, while leveraging on the benefits presented by the unavoidable Information Technology advancements.

ABOUT US


Development | Our Projects | Testimonials | Contact | Links

Preface Why Lathitha BDS

Lathitha is a Xhosa (one of South Africa’s indigenous language) word or phrase that refers to the shining sun. Lathitha is an

incomplete Xhosa citation that when complete reads: “Lathitha ilanga”. Where iLanga is the Sun and Lathi tha refers to the Brighten (or the

act of Brightening). Lathitha BDS was established to redress an ever growing phenomenon that:

“Youth is wasted on the Young”.

This very phenomenon is based on the primary fact that the Young tend to squander opportunities that life and “Youth” itself presents them.

These opportunities may vary with no limitations from, health and energy, less financial obligations, the ability to access financial support,

and life’s ever giving ability to make mistakes and start again.

In o

rder

to

see

ph

eno

men

al

bu

sin

ess

gro

wth

, en

trep

ren

eurs

mu

st d

evel

op

an

ars

ena

l of

pro

ven

st

rate

gie

s a

nd

th

en a

ct o

n t

hem

.

We are here to enlighten the Youth of these very opportunities that our elders have

come to realise and perhaps regret that they have missed them in their prime.

While Lathitha BDS’s Customer Solutions are diverse – Strategic Planning, Market

Growth, Financial Management and Transformation, Operations Redesign,

Outsourcing & Integration Strategies and Enterprise Development – they all form

part of our fully Integrated Customer Solutions (ICS).

These intentional divisions or diversification manifest themselves from a strategic decision taken by the executive management that is supported by the universal view that each business (our Customer) has unique needs that can be best served through one solution-offering while some may require a more integrated approach. It is in this regard that Lathitha BDS prides itself of being sufficiently flexible to allow Customer demands to drive the direction of its solution-offering rather than dictate on a required solution or basket of solutions – PULL. Lathitha BDS’s Strategic Objectives for the short to medium-term can be summarised as follows:

To effectively explore the gap in the SMME sector of diverse industries Leverage on the strength of all members and associates as a market

penetration and development strategy

Develop sustainable strategic alliances with all customers and strategic partners Develop and maintain profitable relationships with all stakeholders Constantly challenge restrictive barriers Develop a sustainable Corporate Social Investment (CSI) culture with an atypical and intentional favouritism towards Youth and

Women development Strategically development revenue generating avenues through effective diversification strategies Attract and develop skills within our field of expertise.

OUR SERVICES



Our Service Ethos Strategic Planning Enterprise Growth

Strategies

As the global economic downturn shows signs of abating and markets begin to recover, leading companies and SMME’s alike are

shifting their attention from cost containment to growth. However, experience tells us that sustained growth is hard to achieve even in the best of times. Today, given the effects of the economic downturn, growth for most companies is likely to be that much more difficult – and we know that it’s no secret that growth is a major driver of Enterprise Value (EV).

We believe that our clients' success is our success; we believe in professionalism in all that we do, we consistently maintain high

standards of service and consultation to always be able to offer the best solution for our clients enabling them to reach their organisational

goals. We understand our clients’ business needs, we comprehend their business specific language. We live the way they live. We help

enterprises explore extraordinary opportunities, manage and sustain growth, and maximise revenue.

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mp

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Managing top- and bottom-line performance remains the top business priority in the Service Ethos of LathithaBDS. However, in working towards this objective, we call upon business leadership to place a premium on strategic innovation, which acts as the true differentiator in the competitive business arena. “Innovate or perish is the dictum”.

What is important to note is that innovation is not just a process but an all-encompassing approach that is cross-cutting – touching upon every vital pillar of business – covering products and processes, financial and risk management, talent development, and branding and promotion, amongst others. Hence, we at LathithaBDS enshrine the need to pursue a collaborative approach wherein all key stakeholders – including customers and strategic suppliers – to participate in dialogue.

OUR SERVICES



Our Service Ethos Strategic Planning

Enterprise Growth Strategies

Our Strategic Planning division is entrusted with developing Enterprise strategies for our Customers within their respective industries.

At LathithaBDS we recognise that every Customer consultation creates an opportunity to develop business enhancing strategies, and

ensuring that they are embraced at all levels of organisation starting from the executive level, implemented as intended and reviewed

constantly (or at least review parameters established).

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Over the past decade, the art of doing business has changed. Companies are re-shaping strategies to innovate and effectively compete even in global markets. New methodologies, new

opportunities, new markets, new technologies, and new practices are being brought into play with an eye on boosting profits and curbing costs.

Our responsibility is to ensure that every business management team (that of our

Customers) understand that Strategic Management embodies making decisions that

define the overall mission, vision, goals and objectives of an organisation, optimising the

utilisation of its resources, and crafting and executing strategies in a way that produce

the intended results.

These strategic approaches may include, with no limitations: Integration Strategies (from a supplier to customer-end) Strategic Alliances Mergers & Acquisitions Outsourcing alternatives Core service and/or product focus approach Effective segmentation strategies

At LathithaBDS we entrench – in all our Customers – the appreciation that Planning

simply introduces a formal “discipline or framework” for conducting long-term thinking

about a Company, and for recognising opportunities in and for minimising risks from the

external and internal environments.

Given the fact that each and every customer presents different Strategic Planning challenges, we adopt different Strategic Planning models or a combination thereof – depending on the unique customer challenges – including:

“Basic” Strategic Planning Model Issue or Goal-Based Strategic Planning Model Alignment Strategic Planning Model Scenario Strategic Planning Model “Organic” or Self-Organising Strategic Planning Model

OUR SERVICES



Our Service Ethos Strategic Planning Enterprise Growth Strategies


Transformation Operations Redesign

Outsourcing & Integration

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Growing a business requires ongoing work in an environment of continually emerging global challenges. One of the most fundamental aspects of the growth process is the formation and distribution of competencies within and among Enterprises. To a large extent, the challenges for Enterprises are innovation and internationalisation to grow businesses. The goal of any Enterprise’s growth is to increase revenue and profitability (while reducing costs) with a reduced business cycle time that is more productive, innovative, high-value products/services driven and borderless markets. The following are major areas where Enterprises have to take initiatives to support growth strategy: Market Growth

Financial Management and Transformation Operations Redesign Outsourcing & Integration Strategies

Market Growth: Market Research

In the information age every Enterprise requires accurate and timely information

to be successful. All successful Enterprises need to know their markets, competitors, and

customers’ (consumers’) needs and wants – as such in today’s competitive environment,

the What, Where, When and How questions about your business are not enough, you

also need to know Why customers will/are buying your product or services.

Our Market Research framework covers the following:

Market research needs and objectives – assist Enterprises establish what needs to be

investigated and why.

Market research procedures – based on the objectives deciding on the appropriate

procedures to be used in gathering the required information.

Decision making – herein we are concerned with the process of analysing the

information collated to help facilitate the decision making process. Many Enterprises are

confronted with valuable information everyday but without a framework to analyse

information the decision making process is likely to be flawed.

Finding new customers and markets – finding new customers to support Enterprise

growth strategies is not just about finding more customer and markets nor is it solely

informed by increasing sales – but rather about how to identify the best

customers/markets.

Market Growth: In a Product-Market Growth Relationship, Enterprises need to consider a Four-Dimensional Matrix between product and market that encompasses:

Ma

rke

ts

Present

New

Pro

du

cts

Existing New

At LathithaBDS, we entrench the importance of using the Four-Dimensional Matrix in establishing market penetration strategies. Through the use of this simplistic matrix we help Enterprises appreciation that the risk elements increases as they move further from know markets and existing products.

Therefore, new products and new markets typically create greater risk of

penetration than existing products in present markets.

Market Growth: Developing and Refining Products

Enterprises generally rush to get refined and/or new products/services to markets – and some fail because the concept of Product Commercialisation was never executed correctly for the target market.

At LathithaBDS, we share the appreciation that “one of the quickest ways to go out of

business is to introduce a great idea to markets, but never completely delivering the

features and/or benefits (Value Proposition) that were promised during publicity”.

OUR SERVICES



Our Service Ethos Strategic Planning Enterprise Growth Strategies

Market Growth

Financial Management & Transformation

Operations Redesign

Outsourcing & Integration

Market Growth Financial Management & Transformation Operations Redesign Outsourcing & Integration

Growing a business requires ongoing work in an environment of continually emerging global challenges. One of the most fundamental aspects of the growth process is the formation and distribution of competencies within and among Enterprises. To a large extent, the challenges for Enterprises are innovation and internationalisation to grow businesses. The goal of any Enterprise’s growth is to increase revenue and profitability (while reducing costs) with a reduced business cycle time that is more productive, innovative, high-value products/services driven and borderless markets. The following are major areas where Enterprises have to take initiatives to support growth strategy:

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Market Growth Financial Management and Transformation Operations Redesign Outsourcing & Integration Strategies

Outsourcing & Integration Strategies

At LathithaBDS, we view all Enterprises are “Virtual Enterprises” – as a network of

partners and allies – each being a specialist in their respective areas, reliant on each

other for the provision of essential functions in the delivery of Customer Value.

Our Strategic Alliance approach plays a critical role is creating a sustainable platform for

Outsourcing and Integration – thus ensuring that the risks associated with Service and

Product Quality are mitigated while we endeavour to reap the benefits of Outsourcing

and Integration Strategies.

This multi-faceted approach supports:

Adding value to products – partnerships will add value to product – such as reduced cycle time to bring product to market, reduce distribution time and shorter repair/service time.

Improving market access – through better advertising and increased access to new market channels, etc.

Strengthening operations – through lower system costs and cycle time, and better utilisation of facilities and/or resources.

Adding technological strength – through transaction between old and new technologies and shared partnership to add skills to both partners.

Enhancing strategic growth – if new opportunities have high entry barriers partnerships enable businesses to pool expertise and resources to overcome these barriers.

Enhancing organisational skills – provides great opportunity for organisational learning. Also forces employees to learn more about themselves to become more flexible.

Building financial strength – alliances can help to build financial strength which may result in increased income and reduced administrative and resource costs.

Financial Management & Transformation

After establishing the strategic direction or objective of a business

it is necessary to develop financial management systems that support

these strategies. What is crucial at this stage is the understanding that

financial planning is guided by a number of factors that include the

industry in which the business finds itself, the size of the business, its

growth strategies, amongst others.

Operations Redesign

Once a proper assessment of the Customer’s strategic intent /

direction and financial analysis and planning completed, it is necessary

to review that which forms the engine of a successful business, it

OPERATIONS. In this review a series of tests is conducted to verify and

analyse if the Business Operations are sufficient to support the Strategies

of a business/management team, whilst at the same time having the

capability to be effective within the financial structure of a business.

Operations Redesign is an intricate process that involves not only a

generalist understanding of businesses but a detailed understanding of

the Customer’s business. This is because while any two businesses might

be in the same industry or sector their operations may be vastly different

as informed by a number of aspects such as; size of the business, its

organisational structure, management skills and approach to business, to

mention but a few.

ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT




Transformation Operations Redesign Outsourcing & Integration

After spending the past five years of working with diverse businesses that required diverse interventions in pursuit of their respective visions and goals – we redesign our business model leading to the incorporation of Enterprise and Supplier Development for Small & Medium Sized Enterprises (ESD for SME’s) into our core offering. While this offering has always and continues to form a critical part of our Corporate Social Responsibility (CSI) initiatives for Community-Based Micro Enterprises that did not afford personalised consultation – we decided to incorporate ESD for SME’s into the broader commercial market. ESD for SME’s is an integrated structured training programmes designed to ensure that its impact is aligned with the Value Propositions of all SMME support programmes. The ESD Programme commences with Entrepreneurship Capacity Audit and Development (ECAD) through to Financing facilitation and workshop – following a defined structure:-

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Entrepreneurship Capacity Audit and Development (ECAD);

Business Model Development (BMD);

Business Strategy Development (BSD) – using various Business

Strategy Tools;

Business Planning for Sustainable Enterprises (BPSE);

Enterprise & Supplier GAP Analysis;

Business Capacity Development (BCD);

Finance for Non-Financial Management (FNFM);

Facilitating Access to Finance and Financing option Workshops –

mainly through funder’s network.

This structure is designed to ensure that we walk the developmental journey with our SME’s Partners (clients) with an objective of ensuring:-

That the Feasibility of SME proposed businesses are adequately

assessed; That the Viability of SME proposed businesses are adequately

assessed;

That the SME’s are able to be measured against Sustainability

Criteria – expected by programme custodians.

ESD Programme Model

OUR PROJECTS



Here is a summary of some of the diverse project undertaken by Lathitha BDS – with a clear focus of the diversity of industries while at the same time

highlighting the effective utilisation of our boutique of Business Development Solutions.


“Th

e k

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o s

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is b

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g ab

le t

o g

o f

rom

fai

lure

to

fai

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to

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.” W

inst

on

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l

Projects: Testimonial/Comment:

FotoXpoSA: FotoXpoSA is a Large Format Digital Image Printing studio

focusing in the high-quality imaging industry – including the retail

industry, advertising agencies, high-end photographers, etc.

FotoXpoSA services some of the top international brands – including

Issey Miyake, Gatineau, BVLGARI, Chanel, Japan Tobacco

International (JTI) to mention but a few.

LathithaBDS supported FotoXpoSA from Business Planning through

to structure financing, vertical integration strategy design and

implementation, commercialisation, operation design to marking

(including online presence) and negotiating an equity transaction.

“It is important to distinguish who are your customers and users. Change the way you market your business and its product and services. Determine the perceived value you want your customers to see and understand.”

“I have learnt why I am not getting clients or job orders, looks like I did not do my research or business model before doing my business plan.”

“Unique Value Proposition, Revenue Stream & Unfair Advantage – (I) learnt that

there must be a flow and understanding of my business (business to be in my head)”

“After having worked in the photographic imaging industry for over 31 years – well before the digital era – I decided to take an opportunity to buy-out a division of my former employer’s business that they were not able to effectively manage – after all the business was generating ±60% GP, so what could go wrong. Well reality soon set in when I wanted to get funding to finance my dreams, because of the uniqueness of our business not even banks in the Country understood our business and this is when Lungisa came to the rescue. His immediate grasp of the business concept led to him assisting in the Business Plan development process. After failing to raise start-up capital from all conversional sources (include Development Finance Institutions) – Lungisa developed a proposal for one of our major clients to fund our start-up capital – soon after he raised working capital from one of the major banks. He not only assisted in soliciting a credit account with our major supplier but went on to secure our biggest client to date – JTI. Thanks to Lungisa, we are now not just one of two Companies in Africa to own & operate the Lambda Digital Larger Format Imager, we have a catchy name, a marketing portfolio, and have already attracted equity investors into our business, to mention but few. Without Mr Dyasi’s support FotoXpoSA would probably not have started and we are forever grateful for your continued support.” Clive Hendricks – Founder: FotoXpoSA

RMH: RMH’s core business is in the Hazardous Material Remediation

sector with clients ranging from PetroSA, BP, Shell to mention but a

few.

As far back as 2008, LathithaBDS facilitated the repositioning of the

brand including B-BBEE transaction.

StratoTM: StratoTM is one of the formidable fashion houses in the Country

under the leadership of a young dynamic woman. The dynamism of

the company has seen its success story featured in some of the

country’s renowned publications – include SAA’ in-flight magazine

“Sawubona” – while finding representation is some of the local and

national radio stations.

CONTACT



LathithaBDS – “Investing in future memories”


Lungisa Dyasi Founder and Head of Strategy

62 Gazania Street

Norwood Gardens

Cape Town

South Africa

7460

Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected]

www.lathitha-bds.co.za

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

http://www.lathitha-bds.co.za/

Lathitha bds corporate_profile2013

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