Bellville resident Theresa Cupido, owner of ATN Group and Job Creator Award winner in the 2014 Entrepreneur of the Year competition says owning a business and empowering people has always been her dream.
Her business idea sparked in 2005 while listening to a debate on the radio about the shortage of black South African female entrepreneurs and the need for infrastructure in the country leading up to the 2010 Soccer World Cup.
At the time, she was helping her husband write reports for the Road Accident Fund (RAF). It was through her involvement with RAF that she developed an interest in the road-marking industry and took the decision to start her own business in the roadmarking and civil engineering field.
Since its establishment in 2006, her company, which employs 250 to 300 staff, has undertaken several projects for the state, civil engineers and property companies.
Gugu Mjadu, spokesperson for the Entrepreneur of the Year competition, said entering business competitions gave entrepreneurs the chance to look at their business from a different angle and mull successes and failures.
Now in its 28th year, the competition is open to entrepreneurs from all industries and for businesses of any size.
* Visit www.eoy.co. za, or contact Naseerah Farred at 011 713 6600.
