The more online we move, the more door to door delivery services are demanded by the consumers. This has led to a growing number of delivery companies throughout the country and more opportunities to try and test. Easy Deliveries is one of those new and growing delivery companies based in Gqeberha, formerly known as Port Elizabeth. This company was founded by Banele Moyi, an incredible young man and entrepreneur that is ready to get his slice from the bigger cake.
We had an excellent engagement with him where we wanted to hear from him, about his background and what he think the delivery industry is doing well so far - this is what he shared with us, "Well as far as I can remember, dyslexia has been the most significant part of my background, it has had a significant role in my childhood past as a "troubled boy", and it has certainly had a significant role in the present as an entrepreneur. I was born and bred in Motherwell, where I still currently reside, raised by my grandmother who has played a huge role in the person that I am today. I think the most important thing that the on-demand delivery industry is doing right now, is that we're seeing more big players in the industry like Uber and Lyft open-sourcing various APIs related to their platforms, which makes it easier for smaller players to enter the market without big budgets".
When did you commence with ED, and what drove you to start this kind of business? "I was just sitting at home on a lousy Saturday in December 2021 and I happened to have this scooter that I had bought, which I had no use for anymore considering that I bought it to go to my then part time job at a restaurant - which had closed down last year December. SO, I was just curious on how I could possibly monetize my scooter, quick search on Google and found an article that spoke about delivering food with your scooter, immediately it grabbed my attention and on that same December I started delivering food. At first, it was a nice side hustle until I realized how much demand there was for this kind of service, so I quickly realized that If I'm going to meet the demand, I'm going to need systems, which I built, and now 9 months in we have over 10 drivers working as independent contractors".
What challenges have you come across since inception and how did you overcome those challenges? "The first challenge was insufficient supply from our side due to inadequate operating equipment like scooters. I had 1 scooter at first and yet I had a dozen orders to fulfill, so I raised R10 000 from an investor and bought 2 more second hand scooters - so , I now had 3 in total and gradually bought more but as time went by I realized that we had a negative cash flow situation, expenses were becoming too high due to maintenance of the scooters which I hadn't anticipated, petrol and driver error, so I decided to use third-party delivery drivers who are also our partners".
What has been your business highlight since you started? "My business highlight thus far would be the impact Easy Deliveries has had in markets where we serve and the smiles I see from our partner-drivers every day because the platform gives them an income, on a very flexible basis".
Where do you see your business in 5 years time? "I wish I could answer that question with absolute certainty, but my vision is for Easy Deliveries to become Africa's biggest food delivery company".
Lastly, when not working on the business, what do you do to unwind? "In my spare time, I read a book from my collection or doing some creative work of my own, either painting, building a cupboard, a bookshelf etc".