FIX FORWARD

Fix Forward connects people to quality, hand-picked building contractors that provide advice and support in getting home renovation projects done on time and within budget. They also have a non-profit that offers entrepreneurial development support to all the contractors they work with. In the last 5 years, their support to entrepreneurs has approximately created 200 to 300 new jobs.

Their entrepreneurial development support to contractors has a positive impact in low-income communities.
The future goals for the business are to expand the tech aspect while also hanging onto the human interaction component that has been a huge part of the success with customers.

Tell us a bit more about your business and what it offers?
We connect people to quality, hand-picked building contractors and provide advice and support in getting home renovation projects done on time and in budget. We also have a non-profit that offer entrepreneur development support to all the contractors we work with.

What important role does your company play in Cape Town, and abroad?
We are having a positive influence on an industry that has a terrible reputation for exploiting customers. We are also creating impact in low-income communities through the contractors we support.

When considering Cape Town, what factors made you choose to start here? Why Cape Town and what prompted the decision?
Cape Town is my home town. It is also a hub for tech start-up businesses. Tech is an important part of our business and being connected into that network has been helpful.

What do you enjoy most about operating your business in Cape Town? What are the benefits of running a business/investing in Cape Town?
We get the benefit of running a serious business in a city that also allows an amazing, healthy, outdoor lifestyle. Cape Town is unrivalled in this regard as an economic centre.
What are the highlights/success stories you can share since starting your business in Cape Town?
We have seen some contractors we work with grow their business from just a handful of labourers to almost 30. We also love seeing our contractors celebrated as leaders in their industry, despite their low-income background.

What challenges, if any, have you experienced in setting up your business?
There were significant delays in getting the non-profit set up well, however, I believe things have improved significantly since then.

Have you had any interactions, positive or negative, with the City of Cape Town in setting up or running your business?
Not directly with the city, no.

How has doing business in Cape Town, or with City of Cape Town, been different to anywhere else?
We also operate in Gauteng and it’s been harder to grow our customer base there. I think people from Cape Town are more open to transacting via tech platforms. As an indication, I heard there are more AirBnB listings in Cape Town than any other city in the world.

What’s next? What is the future of your business?
Our goal is to scale our business from here. To do so we need to build out the tech, but also hang onto the human interaction component, that has been so much a part of our success with customers.

If your best friend was on the fence about opening a business/investing in Cape Town, what would you tell them?
Do it, absolutely. There are great entrepreneur networks, a great tech community, fantastic co-working spaces and an audience of customers who are open and willing to test new products and services.