Founder Fridays : Nyawo Group

Starting a business at 19 gave Thobile Nyawo an early introduction to entrepreneurship. After matric, a delayed bursary application meant she had to find work instead of immediately going to university. She took a temporary construction job as a safety representative, The experience gave her a different view of the construction industry and introduced her to the possibility of owning a company herself

“I was in a position where I was working after matric. I couldn’t go to school because I applied late for my bursary, so I had to get a job,” she said.

The experience also exposed her to the possibility of becoming a business owner. One encounter with the company’s owner had a particular impact on her.

“At that time, construction was a very male dominated industry,” Thobile said. “When this guy came in, he was the real boss. The whole perspective changed.”

That experience encouraged her to consider business ownership more seriously. She eventually returned to study civil engineering. Although she had initially wanted to pursue mining engineering, her experience showed her that construction offered broader opportunities.

From Construction to Telecommunications

Those early experiences gave Thobile a foundation in construction, but her entrepreneurial journey did not remain within one industry. Her company was incorporated in 2015 and later expanded into telecommunications. After facing challenges beyond her control, Thobile began reconsidering her future in construction. She still valued the industry, but the circumstances made her consider a different direction where she could apply the experience she had gained.

Telecommunications emerged as a suitable option, particularly during the COVID-19 lockdown, when Thobile was assessing industries that would remain essential. Her telecommunications division was established around 2019 and has since expanded its services to include civil works, fibre networks and 5G installations. The move was also based on how Thobile viewed the longer-term relevance of the sector. Rather than focusing only on immediate opportunities, she considered which industries would continue to have a place as technology develops.

“As an entrepreneur, you need to have goals. You need to be able to sit down and understand what business will still be relevant in the next 10 to 30 years.”

That long-term thinking has also influenced how she has built the business, particularly when it comes to people and the capabilities needed to deliver increasingly complex projects.

Building Through People and Partnerships

Thobile’s business now works across North West, Limpopo and Mpumalanga, with teams involved in network infrastructure projects. Its work has developed beyond civil construction, with engineers designing network infrastructure from the initial site through to completion. Managing projects across different locations requires planning, strategy and the right people. Her teams include network engineers, quantity surveyors, project managers and other technical specialists.

“You can have money, but if you have people who are incompetent, then you have a problem,” Thobile said.

For Thobile, having the right people has been particularly important because growth has not been built around outside investment. She started the business without relying on venture capital or private equity, instead using relationships and available opportunities to establish herself.

Before leaving employment, Thobile told her former bosses that she planned to return to university while starting her own business. One of them agreed to mentor her and helped her secure construction subcontracting work, giving her an opportunity to start the business without having to purchase all the materials and equipment herself.

Thobile believes people can start small, build experience and use partnerships to work towards larger goals. She uses farming as an example: someone without the money to buy land could begin by connecting suppliers and buyers, learning the industry and building relationships before taking on a larger investment. “You will pave the way to where you want to be,” she said.

Developing Skills and Young People

That focus on building through people also extends to how Thobile approaches skills development. Through her business and the Two Billionaire Foundation, she supports skills development, apprenticeships and mentoring for young people and women in business. She believes practical skills and knowledge are just as important as access to funding.

“You can have money, but if you don’t have a skill, then you don’t have a business,” she said.

Building the business from the ground up has reinforced Thobile’s focus on developing skills, building relationships and creating opportunities for others. For her, these are central to building a sustainable business.

Telecommunications and the Next Phase

The telecommunications sector remains an important part of that strategy. Thobile expects fibre infrastructure to remain central to South Africa’s connectivity, while wireless technologies continue to develop.

Her experience in the sector has also made her consider opportunities beyond South Africa, particularly in African markets where connectivity infrastructure is still developing. For Thobile, the journey from entering construction at 19 to building a business across construction and telecommunications has been shaped by practical experience and a willingness to adapt when circumstances change. It has also reinforced the importance she places on having a capable team, building skills and understanding where an industry is heading before committing to it.

Thobile’s Advice to Young Entrepreneurs

Thobile’s experience has also influenced how she approaches entrepreneurship and the advice she gives to young women entering construction, engineering, telecommunications or business. She encourages young entrepreneurs to know what they want, believe in their goals and keep building their knowledge and practical skills.

“You need to know what you want. You need to believe in what you want,” she said.

She also recommends finding people who have already succeeded in their industries and learning from them. Thobile draws inspiration from successful women in business, including those outside her own sector, and believes having the right knowledge can make the difference when opportunities arise.

“Skill is the biggest thing because you’ll get opportunities, but if you don’t have a skill, you don’t have the right information.”

For Thobile, building a business means staying clear about where you want to go, developing the ability to get there and learning from people who have already done it.