Soweto-bred Siboniso Dhlamini couldn’t help but notice the potential of a career in tourism. In 2009, he was training as a tour guide at the University of the Witwatersrand in order to qualify for a business venture in the tourism sector.

He quickly started his business, Dzedze Travel and Tours, to give customers a unique cycling experience while seeing the sights in Gauteng and the North West.

In the 10 years since then, says Dhlamini, running Dzedze Travel and Tours has taught him a lot about dealing with his diverse team. Starting the business was also a practical lesson in managing business funding, and he is proud that he has never faced any financial crises since launch.

Here are four pointers from Dhlamini for budding business entrepreneurs.

Passion

“You’ve got to have passion for what you are doing, especially in the tourism industry. You have got to have the best services if you want to be in the tourism industry.”

Professionalism

“Regardless of the challenges we have had, even on the morning of the tour we could have some arguments and scream at each other, but once the client is there we will master the service. The clients will not even catch that we have differences with each other.”

Take risks

“I’ve taken a lot of risk – I could write a book. At some point you have got to risk it all, but of course those risks have to be calculated.”

Be determined

“You have to be determined about what you are doing. Find the will to do what you are passionate about. Nothing can stop you from doing it. I haven’t achieved everything in life that I want to achieve but I know nothing can stop me.  Even a neighbour who does witchcraft couldn’t stop me.”

To celebrate 10 years in business, Dzedze Travel and Tours is offering a free Soweto tour that will start in February and continue for 10 months. Connect on Twitter: @DzeDzeTours