Phila Thikazi [1/2]

A dream for Phila

 

BY Maxine Myers

How a South African migrant to the UK went from car washer to six-figure money making mentor

SEVEN YEARS ago Phila Thikazi left his native South Africa with dreams of a better life in England.

With a strong economy and currency, he believed the streets of Britain were paved with gold. However, he was soon disappointed. Phila found himself working menial jobs making less than £11,000 a year.

“I came over here to better myself financially because I thought the UK represented one of the richest nations in the world. So in my mind I thought if I could get there I can have a better life,” he explained. But working long hours at two jobs and taking home just £350 a week, Phila soon became frustrated, especially as he had made a promise to his mother when she died that he would make something of himself.

TEMPTATION

“I cried when it dawned on me that I was not only behind with my bills but also behind on the many promises I had made to my immediate and extended family. The reality was that I was deep in poverty and people couldn’t understand it,” he said. At times Phila was tempted to return home after realising his dream of making a fortune was slipping away from him.

But he decided to stay and change his situation.

“I said to myself ‘now that I’m here I think I am making a mistake. Like everyone else I am looking for jobs instead of looking for opportunities,’” he said.

It was while he was reading billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson’s book about how he became rich that Phila realised he could be as successful.

“There was one statement from that book when a reporter asked him [Richard Branson] ‘How do I become a millionaire?’ and he said, ‘It’s easy to be a millionaire these days, stop everyone and ask them for £5,’” Phila said. He believed that if he offered a service instead of asking people for money, he could be on his way to riches.

However, with no start-up capital he found himself struggling to come up with a business he could launch. Then, while at his local supermarket in Luton, a man who wanted to wash his car approached him. Phila realised that car washing could be a successful business and asked the man to teach him the ropes.

Once equipped with the relevant skills, Phila had £1.50 available to him and bought himself a bucket, sponges and washing up liquid. But he faced difficulty.

“I got so many ‘No’s on that first day I ended up washing only one car, after knocking on 50 doors. There was so much discouragement I was unwilling to go back to knocking the next day. I hated being rejected by so many people,” he said.