Shumba Innovations – building on strong foundations
William Shumba founded Shumba Innovations in 2005 as a business focused on cabinetry and interior carpentry. Since then, the company has grown and expanded considerably to offer turnkey residential construction services. Having recently sponsored materials for the new Shumba Innovations showroom in Midrand, PG Bison caught up with William to find out about his business and secrets to continued success.
William says that he first began to diversify from pure cabinetry and carpentry into construction services in 2014 and today Shumba Innovations is able to manage complete renovation and construction projects, from start to finish.
PG Bison products
“I’ve been using PG Bison products for as long as I can remember,” says William. “We’ve been growing with them, from strength to strength. My clients are happy – they love the products. We’re happy with the quality of the products and we appreciate the support PG Bison has given us with our new showroom.”
He says that it’s much easier for customers to get a sense of the colours and designs available in a showroom than from a small sample. “With a sample box, it’s not always easy to see the full design or the grain, but in a showroom, you can compare different boards easily. Customers can touch, feel and see the boards and I’d guess that about 90% of the people that come into our showroom end up signing with us, because they can see the work we are able to do.”
Although COVID-19 has proved tough for Shumba Innovations, William says he is grateful to have been able to steer the business through the hard times and to keep his team employed despite the slow economy. Before the pandemic hit, he had run various community initiatives in Hammanskraal, where he was born and raised, and he hopes to be able to resume these activities soon.
He believes in giving back and supporting the community that first supported him, and has done everything from sponsoring school renovations to providing school shoes.
William believes that over the 16 years he has been running his business, his secret to success has been his passion for it and his creativity. “I’m fortunate that for me, ideas flow easily,” he says. “I think the culture at our company is also important. We believe in keeping our clients happy and so our clients market us to other people. We haven’t had to do much marketing because we get most of our work through word-of-mouth and we have some clients who have been with us since 2005. We care for our people and our clients, and we want to grow together with them. People know that if you want quality, we are the right guys for them.”
His top advice for other entrepreneurs is to be passionate about their businesses and to keep investing in them. “You can’t know everything, so you need to keep asking questions, researching and bringing in the right people and equipment,” he says. “Invest in things that will make work easier and quicker, such as quality tools, and motivate and encourage your people. Treat them and pay them well and they will stick with you, even through the hard times.”
Find out more about Shumba Innovations and see the company’s latest work on the website or Instagram and Facebook pages.
