13. Last-Mile Delivery Innovations in South Africa's Townships & Beyond: The Delivery Ka Speed Story

This episode of CANDID features Godiragetse discussing the growth and business strategies of his company, Delivery Ka Speed.

The company, which originally started its operations in South African townships including Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and Gauteng, focuses on providing last-mile delivery services for fast food and groceries, addressing the unique challenges and opportunities within these communities.

Godiragetse shares insights into the company's early days, its current focus on preparation and planning for future growth, and its emphasis on both customer and supplier relationships.

Key developments include launching the Stock App to aid local merchants with inventory management and developing strategic partnerships to enhance service, such as with Telkom and Spar2U.

Moreover, Godiragetse highlights the company's focus on improving the customer experience and expanding into more urban areas, further supported by recent venture capital funding.

Lastly, he discusses the importance of maintaining strong connections with all stakeholders and investing in his team's well-being as the business scales.

00:00 Welcome to Candid: Unveiling the Success of Delivery Ka Speed
00:33 A Deep Dive into Business Operations and Future Plans
01:25 Exploring the Dual Convenience of Delivery Ka Speed
02:46 Innovative Solutions for Supplier Challenges: The Stock App
06:48 Expanding Reach: Partnerships and Last-Mile Delivery in Townships
08:38 Empowering the Township Economy: Opportunities and Challenges
09:50 Transforming Lives Through Gig Economy and Tech
14:06 Deliverica Speed: Beyond Delivery, Building Community and Dignity
16:38 Redefining Customer Service in the Township Economy
20:04 The Power of Personal Touch in Business
21:22 Supporting Local: A Visit to Soweto
22:04 Understanding Customer Convenience and Delivery Challenges
23:28 The Journey of Testing and Expanding Delivery Services
24:26 Navigating Logistics Challenges in Uncharted Territories
26:47 Leveraging Technology for Efficient Delivery Operations
33:16 Building a Competitive Edge Through Business Design
35:43 Funding and Strategic Partnerships for Expansion
38:00 Maintaining Customer Service Excellence During Scale
41:05 Fostering Team Well-being and Customer Satisfaction

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Transcript

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In this episode of Candid, we're gonna be talking about the business of Delivery Ka Speed, founded by Godiragetse, who literally has expanded this business into Limpopo, Mpumalanga, and Gauteng, primarily serving the townships in delivering last-mile conveniences, such as fast food, as well as groceries. Godi shares some extremely insightful practicalities around running his business together with where they're going next. I hope that you'll enjoy it. Godi, thank you so much for, for joining me for this episode on the business conversations format in Candid, Let's jump straight into it. I think first of all, how is business currently going? We're in February, 2024. What's happening right now? And we'll go from there. No thanks man. Thanks for having me on your platform. Look, I think first part of the year, which is, you know, Q-one for us is all about preparation and planning towards, you know, um, the later parts of the year. Um, there's really some exciting things that we'll be launching, some really exciting partnerships that, you know, are going to be, uh, known later this year. And I think for us, we've used this time to prepare, um, and plan. Um, and make sure that when that time comes all our systems are ready and the team is ready for all that demand as well that will come during that time. So, yeah, that's what Q.one looks like for us. So the one thing I shared with in the intro is very much focused on where your team or where your operations are currently based in terms of offering convenience customers for Delivery Ka Speed, now if you think about that convenience, I'd like to think about it as two sides of the same coin. So the one side is you've got the convenience for your customers whereby they're not needing to, you know, um, stand in queues, waiting for taxis or even, you know, spending on taxis or using, or asking people to use taxis and waiting queues to go fetch stuff for them. Yeah, for, for that side of the coin, I completely understand it. And I think the likes of UberEATS, Mr. D, they're very much positioning their businesses to take on that side of the coin. Yeah. But what I find very interesting around the other side of the coin, another type of, let's call it customer for you, is the suppliers. Is the fact that where you are targeting in terms of the, the Geo Geographic locations, primarily townships, underserved areas. In that capacity, then you're offering them not only access then to a previously inaccessible area, as well as safety. Just talk to me about how that relationship has, has evolved when it comes to your suppliers that you've actually been onboarding. Because I know about Telkom ,Spar2U, so maybe just elaborate into that. No thanks for that, man. I think, look, when we came in, I think in hindsight we just didn't know, you know, how the need is for a service like ours is needed, um, in, especially in the townships, right? So if you look at our platform, it's basically an ecosystem of. Suppliers, which we call them merchants. Um, and it's, it's the logistic partners as well, which are our riders. And then we have our customers, right? And we come in and try to mix all these guys together and make sure that there's a pleasant service, you know, at the end of it. And what we've seen with the suppliers, which is the merchants, um, is that they struggle a lot with stock. Hey, um, so, so you would see during the day they would switch off meals, um, because they ran out of stock. And it's not because they want to switch off. Um, and stop trading. But it's just because the, the, the hurdle of getting stock again, you know, they probably have to drive to town or have to catch a taxi or so, just so that they could replenish their stock. And with experience with what, one and a half years trading with these guys, because again. It's a, it's a bad experience on our side. When our customers go to our app and they realize that, oh, um, these menu, um, is, is half, you know, offline. So we now started a company called Stock App, which now provides these guys with stock, you know, um, within an hour. So when before they run out of potatoes or bread or cool drinks, they're able to order from our side and they don't even have to pay immediately. Um, because we already have their, you know, um, their, their financials on our side, so they could do a buy now, pay later because we still have some cash on our side that, you know, is due to them, um, because of the sales that they have been doing through our app. So that's something that I think it's, it's, it's been in its POC phase for some time now. And I think it, this is the year where we are looking at scaling it because we see that it's not even only for the local merchants here. You'd be surprised that even the big franchises switch off, you know, items, you know, because they run out of stock and they're waiting for the truck to come from the DC Right. To come and replenish that stock. And we are saying look for things that are, you know, um, not very. Um, unique. How can we replenish, you know, these big, um, uh, franchises as well, which is an opportunity that exists in, in our space. Yeah, excellent. And I think this is exactly what is required When anyone creates a marketplace where there's sellers and buyers within that marketplace, you needing to create that stickiness of not only keeping the customers, but also, um, you know, the, let's call it the, the buyers, but also keeping the sellers on the platform. I think this is, this is a great way through actually listening to the sellers, how you can even add more convenience, which as you've said, it adds just a better knock on effect, uh, to the, to the buyers at the end of the day, you know, ordering and not having unavailable items that they want in that moment, I. And I think because we've been, we've been through that road right then and it takes a lot of research to understand what these guys need. Right? And, and, and we are saying, look, as much as we are an aggregator, how can we help? Right. And obviously still make money out of it. Right. Um, and, and Stocker app is, is actually something like that. And now in every area that we go into, you know, when we present ourselves to these merchants, we also, you know, present the, the partnership with Stocker app, which they love, you know, because it saves them time. They don't have to go to town or anywhere to stock. Um, buy now, pay later is like a great, you know, uh, payment method that they, it helps them with cash flow. Um, but also getting stock delivered to them. Right. Which before was never, you know, a thing. They always had to go out and sometimes it means closing the shop, right? So Stalker app, we really see it as something that could be a game changer in the future. Yeah. So let's then jump into the relationships that you've formed, both with Telcom, but I would say more importantly in this case with Spark to you. And, you know, if there is any other grocery businesses that I'm unaware of, but right now, are you seeing that as really a great, uh, platform for you to then, uh, you know, jump from, um, in offering this, this value add to sellers and thereby, you know, as a consequence, um, benefiting the, the buyers. Yeah. So with what, what we've seen coming into the last mile, you know, business is that a lot of people want to deliver, right? Um, a lot of businesses want that part of last mile, you know? Um, and the struggle is they don't want to own scooters. They don't want to manage drivers, right? And what we've been able to do is grow massively in the townships, right? And we've. Sort of become the first guy who's like the last mile in the township. And we've done it quite well. You know, where we, we employ quite a lot of young people in the townships who are now the last mile partners and guys like spa, you know, when they want to penetrate townships, we are the go-to, you know, um, um, option. Right? Um, because we already have the infrastructure. We have the scooters, we have the team. Um, and it's a plug and play for them. And I think a lot more of these businesses are starting to think that way to say, look, instead of starting our own delivery business, how can we partner with someone who, you know, is doing quite well in that area? So the Spa one is an exciting one for us, and we are obviously looking forward to growing to more and more stores with them and, and just, you know, creating that sustainability, um, especially for our riders, you know, so that. They don't just depend on deliver speed orders, but they could get orders from spa and still, you know, um, fulfill them. Yeah. People overseas, they've got a specific idea, um, and a very limited idea of South Africa. Right? Um, you know, they think everyone's basically just running around a lot of the time and there's wild animals, you know, travel running around as well. So, um, we've got that stigma against us. But I would argue also that then South Africans and those that specifically haven't ever visited or, um, lived or been in a township before, they also have that typical type of, um, stigma or, or lack of understanding of what actually is happening, right. And where the opportunities are to together with the challenges. So taking that, taking that angle, if you were to think about what is currently happening right now within the township economy, um, I've heard the, the term, you know, economy basically. Would you say that there is quite a drive to people, not necessarily professionalizing, but formalizing a lot of what they're doing, taking business for, um, more seriously than they possibly have done in the past because they've got access to technology at a, at a lesser cost or access to, of course, your services. What are you seeing right now within the Rekasi economy? Yeah, no, look, I think, you know, if you look at the townships, just. The way they are structured, right? So a township is basically quite a distance, you know, from, from the urban area or the city. And in that you try to have everything to make a community work, right? So you would have your shopping centers, you'd have the schools, you'd have the, you know, all the government institutions in that part of the area, right? But the problem is the high, you know, uh, youth unemployment that exists, well, basically unemployment that exists in these areas. And it, it's, it. Tech and gig economy, we see it as, as, as a big, you know, um, um, enabler for, for employment, right? So, so we see it as, you know, um, for guys who are unemployed, you know, to now be able to make a living, right? Um, because things are changing, you know, I think before it was, it's always been go to school, you know, um, get your degree and then you'll get a fancy job at an office and all of that. But a lot of young people in the townships are realizing that. That is a small percentage of people who are able to go through that. Then what about the rest? Right? And, and what really matters is participating in the economy Right. In a meaningful way. And making a life. Right. And making a life in the townships. Right.'cause before we would see people who would come into or grow up in a township, go to school and then leave the township and stay in the suburbs and that, but now that's changing, right? So there's more and more, you know, uh, development that's happening in the, in the townships. There's a lot of malls. That have popped up, you know, in the townships between, um, now and 10 years ago. Right. And that shows that the buying power still lies in the township. I mean, interesting fact, majority of the South Africans, you know, stay in townships. Right. And that's a big number. Um, and, and now with businesses like us is saying, how can we use tech? Right. To enable people to participate, you know, in this economy, much better, right? Um, we, we exist as a convenience platform, right? And with convenience, we are saying, look, you're a schoolteacher, you're a police officer. You're a nurse at, in the townships. How do we make sure that during your lunchtime, you don't have to go to the mall in queue, right? How do you relax and we get the food delivered to you so that you can get to work? Um, and not waste time, you know, for the people. Right, because we know how, um, government, you know, uh, services can be sometimes. So we are saying, look, we'll bring the food to you so that you can, you know, be better at work, um, and focus on things that really matter, right? Um, but in creating, in providing that convenience, we are also like. Employing, you know, the young people who would otherwise be sitting by the corners and would otherwise be contributing to the high crime levels that we have in the townships. But now these guys are on scooters. They're making a positive living. I mean, if you check on our YouTube channel, you would see guys who started from. A bicycle to an e-bike to a scooter that one day he will own through, through the partnerships that we've been able to make, you know, for empowerment. So I think there's a lot of things happening in the township, but the good, um, um, things are popping up and I think it's just a matter of the mindset as well, right. Of the people in the township to, to, to look at gig economy as a way to really make some, um, sustainable, you know, um, life. Yeah. But again, like using that example, you know, from overseas and the interpretation that South Africans have for the U.S and, and the U.K, like, we've got such a, a. A lower view of ourselves in terms of what we can contribute relative to what's happening in the US based on, let's call it the media and based on the content, you know, that we're absorbing or, or based on the content that we're consuming there. And I think it's the same thing here, right? Where if you're gonna now give people hope, if you're gonna give them an opportunity where not only can they earn money, but, and, and, and be employed or, or kind of start their own business. There's a level of dignity and there's a level of pride that comes with that. And a lot can happen when I'm proud of what I do and I take ownership of what I do that has a ripple effect. Um, you know, that is, in my opinion, invaluable. Yeah, a hundred percent. And I mean, one of the coolest things we've done is, you know, understanding the market that we operate in, right. And. Look, growing up in a township and staying in a township myself, you know, I understood, you know, that people in the township, especially the men, you know, mentally, you know, they're not okay, right? They struggle so much. Right? And, and yes, we could say, you know, you know, they go towards alcohol and all sorts of other substances, you know, to try and, you know, feel better. But it's a real world challenge that, that people haven't. There's no business right in the townships that when you go to you get out feeling good, right? You know, the cashiers shout at you. You know, the taxi driver doesn't really give a good customer service. So imagine you're this breadwinner, you know, you've worked so much right for your family and that, but the people around you, you know, they don't appreciate you. You know, where, where you go and get services, they don't see your value. And we came in with delivered a gas speed and we started giving out motivational quotes. Right. For every order, you know, that we deliver, we would, it's literally in a, in a, in a paper. Right? We would give you, right. For you to read. And that costs us zero. Right? Like, you know, it doesn't cost us anything. But the impact that that does, you know, to that. You know, father who's the, who's a breadwinner, and he's reading a message every Monday, we always say, new week, we try again. Right? And, and it says, look, yes, we see you. You're trying. And guess what? It's a new week. We're not gonna stop trying. We're gonna keep trying. Right? And, and that's powerful, dude. And I remember when I did it, I only did it because it was for me. I just wanted to motivate myself. But now, you know. If, if a customer doesn't get one, they literally call the office. They're like, Hey, your driver didn't gimme a motivational code. What's happening? Right. So I think for us it's understanding, you know, that, that to say, look, we need to bring back the dignity, you know, of people in the townships. You need to feel good, dude, you know, when you spend your money, where you spend your money, you know, that's why a lot of people go to the fancy, you know, um, retailers and all that because they know when they get there. The atmosphere is great, you know, you're gonna get out there feeling good, right? And that's what we've been trying to do with Deliverica speed, you know, and it otherwise as well in reverse the driver who's giving out that, you know, motivation, you know, when they see the response, you know, from the customer, it also makes them feel good, right? So I think that's one thing we've been able to do, uh, quite well and we look forward to continuing that. Man. You know, my take, my takeaway there is like very much along the lines of. You're, you're moving this from just being a, um, providing a product and you're moving this beyond even a service to that relationship. Uh, creating relationships individually with your customers. And as a consequence, of course, there, there's, from a business point of view, especially from the marketing side with word-of-mouth, people love to talk about that experience then, and so it's very sustainable and it actually reminds me then. Um, of yuppie chef when, when they used to write letters, the, the packer or the picker used to write letters, um, to customers and they would leave it in their parcels as an example, right? And it just shows you how impactful it is because people realize this isn't just, you know, um, an item that they're getting delivered. These are, these are people, um, that are involved in this and, and, and we wanna make sure that we see you, if you know what I mean. But more than anything, we care, right? We, yes, you bought the food, you'll get it delivered. Gas-feed, that's standard, right? But, but we, we take it a step further to say, we care about you. We see you, you're trying. Right? Um, um, and, and I mean, our, our motivational quotes are not, you know, your typical, you know, quotes. You know, we go deep, right? To say, look, I mean, my favorite one was. Just because they are in your, what did I say? Just because they're in your circle, it doesn't mean they're in your corner. And man, that hit me, right? And I was like, wow, that's, that's, that's big. Um, so, so, so it's things like that for you to understand.'cause we go through a lot, you know, especially in the township. Guys are struggling proper, you know, and, and for us as a company and, and my frustration is why are the big retailers and all these big chains not doing something like that? And dude, it costs us literally a cent, right? To do something like that. But the impact, oh my God. It's, it's massive, right? And I think we need things like that, um, to really get the people feeling good. And when you feel good, you know, you do good as well, right? And, and we are just doing our small part. But this is a huge lesson then, you know, for, let's call it big business or corporate business. And what I mean by that is, I mean, where, where there are people that are so far. Or there are people that are so distanced from the actual, uh, interaction with the customer, right? Where they're looking at income statements, they're looking at, um, you know, profitability reports or, or any metric that they need to be measuring, but they're not really taking the time to invest in that experience and that interaction. Because a lot of the times, I mean, I would take this as just hypothetical, but like I can imagine, you know, a big retailer opening up in a township and going, okay, cool, we're gonna be opening up in a township. Um, okay, we're just gonna put a blanket, um, uh, stereotype here. Every single person is low income, therefore all the products need to be, you know, at, at the lowest cost. But we are gonna reduce our range, and it's only gonna be these, you know, kind of basic products. In fact, if they took the time to go within that particular community and really to understand what people are, um, you know, kind of needing and, and what that also aspiring toward, they could possibly tailor that better. And like you've just mentioned now, more likely than not come up with a, a, a, an initiative that can really show customers that they care. Yeah. Look for me, products, I don't even care, right? I think it's the service dude. You could sell the lowest of the lowest products, but the way you sell it, right? To me, as a guy who really had a terrible day, right? Last thing I want is a, a cashier, or, you know, a taxi driver, or you know, someone to shout at me or not make me feel good for spending my money. Right, and, and for me is, why isn't that the standard procedure, right? In all the businesses that operate in the township to say, guys, customer quality, I mean. Customer service should be of high quality, right? Let's treat these guys as kings and queens because they are, they're buying from you, right? So, so, so for me, it's all about the services, especially if you're in the services business, you know, in the townships there is, you know, um, uh, a competitive advantage that you could take, which is just provide a good quality, you know, service because the customers in the townships are so much in need. You know, of quality, um, services, you know, and, and, and that's, that's where we are trying to say, look, delivery, you'll get it a hundred percent, but let's give you more than that. Right. And which is what we are doing with the motivation. Yeah. I went to Soweto in, um, in December and just to support a, a friend, um, that has a, a, a brand called Tolokazi Beer. Um, and so we went, we went there and like kind of, we went around and what, what I found interesting. Was I met with a police officer there. Um, he, he also was there off duty. Um, and literally he just described around the fact that in the townships, um, there are so many people that are working that, that really just want, um, the convenience, that convenience that they normally experience within the city, or, you know, like in the. Uh, those individuals then that are your customers. So, for example, business owners or people that are self-employed, they don't have the time then to, you know, to, to run out and go get something. Or a police officer comes home and literally he then, uh, or she doesn't necessarily now want to travel because it's, you know, let's call it, uh, four P.M. or five P.M. They need that convenience and this just adds to that level and that offering. Yeah, because also, I mean, if you look with, with our townships, so if you look at your famous, um, you know, uh, top franchises, you know, um, in a township you'll find that there's one in the radius of like 30 kilometers, right? So, so during month end or peak. Or everybody goes there, right? And now think about that police officer, you know, who just wants to get that famous chicken. You know, they, and they're thinking, ah, really? That cute, right? And that's where we come in to say, look, I. You've worked hard. Last thing you need is to go and stand by the queue. We'll do that for you. Right? And, and it, it's that, it's all these dynamics that make, you know, delivery, guest speech, you know, relevant in the townships, you know, um, all these important parts. Uh, there's a lot of guys who cook traditional food, but just don't have the, the, the delivery, you know, system we plug in. Play with them and they're able to reach a much broader customer base. And look, it's not perfect. And I think for us it's always been a testing ground. Um, when we started, initially it was, look, we are testing this model, right? And so far the results are good. And, and that's why we, we are now. Close our, our, um, funding rounds to, um, go, um, national, which is something that we are really excited about this year. And yeah, man, it's, it's been a great test. Um, and, and someone was telling me was like, you guys tested at, you know, the worst place ever because where the maps, you know, are not mapped out. You know, uh, the customers, sometimes they struggle with network, you know, um, all they don't, sometimes they don't understand how the app works. So you've been able to answer all those. Um, and if you are to expand, you know, to an urban area, you'll definitely kill it. Yeah, I mean, that's, that's super inspiring. We're gonna get to the funding, uh, funding side just now. So. One, one thing is that I, I interviewed the MD of Ram hand-to-hand careers, Graham Lazarus. And, um, you know, he's of course in logistics, they're, you know, they've got a thousand people, 600, 1600 vehicles. So they're at a, at a, a massive, massive scale level. Yeah. But logistics is logistics and logistics is hard. Like it's extremely difficult and you're, and you're not entering into then, and let's call it a, um, a, a, a very seldom charter territory in the logistics space. So therefore, this is even like harder when it comes to now you trying to fulfill, you know, on a delivery when there are, let's call it not necessarily accurate maps or as you say, connectivity issues, these challenges. Perhaps are not at the level that, say the bigger logistics focuses on urban businesses. They, they kind of don't necessarily experience that even though it's even difficult for them just to get that done. No, and look, we, we put it on our shoulders, dude. We are like, look, we, we've grown now, right? By solving these problems, we've become smarter. You know, we've learned, we've created some new features on our app just to be able to tackle those challenges. And, and yeah, look, that's how we look at it, at our office, at the office, you know, to say, look, all these challenges are there to make us better. Right, and, and dude, if you could do it in the township, you could do it anyway. Right? And, and I think that's, that's been us for nami. We've been trading for what, two and a half years. And we've now said, look, our strategy this year is obviously to remain in the township, but also branch out out of the townships. Um, and, and 'cause we believe there's a demand, um, we can have, uh, you know, just two, you know, uh, players in, in the, in the, in the last mile, uh, delivery. Um, we see a gap as Deliverica speed, and we are, we are looking forward to participating in, in, in the suburbs and the urban areas, uh, this year. Uh, some cool partnerships, like I said, um, uh, in the pipeline, you know, and, and yeah, it's be a great year. Well, well, I promise, I promise, when, when, when you do expand, just let me know where you are and, um, 'cause I'm actually relocating now to, to Cape Town. So if you guys are gonna also go to Cape Town, then just. Uh, and I'll definitely be the customer. It'll be epic to support you. So if we then go into, into the practicalities now of running this business, right? So yes, logistics inherently is very difficult. You've now gone into an uncharted territory, which makes it even more difficult. But managing the business right now. There's so much content out there around entrepreneurs and their story, and you know, it's kind of very much romanticized in, in, in my opinion. But what I really want to get to here is the practicalities of running this business, what you've been facing, or what challenges you've actually faced, um, as a team, as a business, um, and, and, and how you are approaching, you know, the growth of your business. If we just start on one particular topic, let's. Um, currently right now the systems that you are using within a delivery car speed, you know, um, are you using, you know, Google Suites and Google Workspace? Are you using, um, Microsoft, um, the Office 3 6 5 system? Have you built certain technologies that you have your own? Like, just talk to me about, you know, what everyone is using, what tools people are using so that they can actually do more, be more productive, um, you know, with the same level of effort. Sure. Look, I mean, when we started in 2021 in July, all we wanted to do was to deliver ka speed, right? And, and we started on WhatsApp and we realized that, you know, that actually is not a good, you know, way to deliver gas speed because there's so much manual work. And, and for you to be able to deliver the speed you need to automate most of the things. Right. But I think us doing WhatsApp was, again, POC to see if there is a market, right? And six months later, you know, we had been able to reach, um, over a million in sales, right? Just on WhatsApp. And for us it was like, guys, we we're on the money now, right? Let's, let's, let's, let's automate as much as possible. So we were able to get a platform, uh, an app that's available on iOS and, and web. Um, as well as Android, um, that has three apps, you know, driver app, merchant app, customer app. Um, and that's what that, that's the platforms that we are using now. Um, and even on our side, on our, on our, on our, on our operations, you know, we obviously use, you know, the famous platforms, your Slack, your Google, uh, G Suite, and all of that just to manage the business from our side, um, and make sure that, you know, we are always, you know, efficient. Um, because at the end of the day, you know, all the things that we do at the office. Actually do affect, you know, the time it takes to deliver the order. Um, so, so things like onboarding a merchant, how long that takes, you know, being able to switch on a merchant, making sure that, that the menu looks great, making sure that the look and feel of the app, um, looks great as well. That's on us. Right. And we've been able to, you know, get platforms and where we don't know the answers, look, we'll get someone who can assist us, right? So on the tech side, we'll get someone who can assist us and make sure that our tech looks great and our customers, you know, can enjoy the platform. But I think so far we actually have a good ecosystem of platforms working together. You know, um, for example, with, with, um. Uh, big Safe, which is one of the clients that we have. They have a platform where the customers go to buy groceries. It's a website, but that is integrated into our logistic logistics, uh, dashboard. Right? And we do the delivery. And that's. Automated right through an API. So order comes from big safe, it gets to our logistics dashboard, it allocates a driver, the driver, uh, the order gets completed without us lifting a finger, right? So again, we've set up our platform to be able to integrate with other, you know, third-party platforms so that we can actually do the deliveries on their behalf. So look, I think so far we've been able to get good quality tech that can take us to where we need to be, um, by the end of this year. Yeah. So, I mean, I, I spent some time in, in my previous business, um, I, you know, we, we had to have a logistics element. We did, um, deliveries of hiring side, hiring products and so on. So, um, there was, there was a lot of, let's call it, um, platforms, software out there that I could then just off-the-shelf. I could buy, pay a certain usage license and then off I go. And even in South Africa, there's, you know, there's, um, there's a logistics platform company called Loop. Um. You know, owned by, um, or led by, uh, incredible women called Kim. Are you, are you building this in house or you, are you using a bit of, um, off-the-shelf and inhouse? Like, just talk to me about that. Sure. So it's a bit of both, right? So there are parts where it's in house and other parts that you know are off the shelf. Look, I think again, I. It's understanding where we are as a business, right? Yeah. Uh, um, and understanding what are we capable of doing at the moment and what is it that we could get from outside that could still work, you know, the way we want it to work. So most of the front facing, um, it's mostly, uh, off the shelf, but everything in the background, right? Um, it's, it's internal work that we've been able to build ourselves. Things like the analytics, you know, and the data. That we get, you know, from the customers and how do we make sense of all of that? We've been able to build systems, um, to make sure that all that data can actually translate to proper information that we could use, um, um, um, for, to grow the business. Yeah. So then you've actually then, um, been building, let's call it the, the logistics, um, operation, the logistics software. That's what you're, you, you have control over. Right? So what's super interesting there is that then you have chosen to vertically integrate the business by controlling the technology, as well as then controlling that last, uh, mile customer experience where a lot of businesses are focused on actually owning the technology. And I'll give this example loop. They just focus on technology. They're never gonna, you know, go into any other, um, kind of offerings other than that technology, to my knowledge. And for me, I think this is a competitive advantage that you have relative to say, new incumbents coming in because say they're gonna focus on, let's call it, um, owning the last mile, but you've got the tech. Um, and so vice versa can happen. So just talk to me then about how you see that playing to your advantage now going into the, the, the expansion into the urban areas now. Talk to me about that. Yeah, look, I think it's the business design, right? I think you, you know very well that, um, in this type of business, the margins are very, very tough, right? It's very, very low. And there's very few businesses that get to even break even. And, and we took time to understand why, you know, why these businesses are not making money, why these businesses, you know, not breaking even. And, and part of it is actually tech. Right. And, and they spend quite a lot of, you know, um, um, um, money on, on research and development, which is great, right? But I think for us, we looked at what does our customer actually need at the moment, right? Our customer just needs their food delivered to them 'cause feet. And how can we make sure that is done in the most. Cost-effective manner, right? And, and choosing these type of platforms and integrating them with what we had was the best way, right? So. If you, when we go into the urban areas, right? If you look at who we're competing with and you look at their business design compared to ours, it's so different, right? And we believe that will be our competitive edge. You know, we, because we're a small business, we move faster, right? We can literally deploy a strategy today and it's off. Um, and I think that will also be our competitive advantage. But more than that, you know, we just want to give customer the good quality service, you know, at a cost effective, you know, manner, which will also drill down right to the customer's, you know, cost, right? So, so if you look at what they will be spending on our competitors versus us, you know, it might be, it might be different, right? But again, for us is the business design, which I think a lot of entrepreneurs, you know, when they start, they don't think about to say. This business design, is it able to get me to break even? Is it sustainable that I can scale throughout Africa with this model? Or do I need to start, you know, co I mean, developing further as I grow and I grow? Um, and, and those are some of the things that we had to think about when, when we started Delibrica speed and post the round. Um, the funding round that, that we did now is to say, okay, how far can we go with this model and. What does it get us? Can it get us to really, really break even and be profitable? And I truly believe so. So then on that note, when it comes to the funding side of things, are you able to disclose who's funding, or at least give just an indication of is this like, um, you know, a big business? Is this a venture business? Is this private investors? Just maybe just share about that to see that mix. Yeah. So we'll do an announcement, um, uh, hopefully before the end of Q-one. Um, of, of the, the funding partner that we have. Um, it is, it is a VC. Um, but, you know, um, um, in partnership with some of the, the partners that we have. So, so I, I could disclose it's a partnership with Telcom, so, so that's something that, you know, came out at the back of Telcom. And look, we are also looking at growing our business, um, with telecom, you know, in that sense. So, so yeah, it's exciting. I think for us, look, we are very fortunate. We are currently in three provinces, and if you look at the partnerships that we have, these are big businesses. And for them to see value in us and saying, look, guys, we see potential as well in, in this small business, um, for us to scale. Um, it's, it's really, it's really, um, um, exciting. Yeah, a hundred percent agree. So, so then if we look then to the, the next stage of delivery, cut speed. I think, um, if every, by the way, if anyone hasn't, um, figured it out yet, delivery cut speed means speedy delivery. Um, I mean. I hope that's right. Right. Because I did also, when I did, um, when I did so, I didn't do off-recon. So I, I, when I, when I saw your name in Deliverico speed, I was like, hang on, I, I know that one. So, and directly in translation, and I know if it's Situ or like Situane or Corsa. Like a, is it? Yeah. Okay. Okay, perfect. Because for me, how I interpreted that, uh, from across the point of view was, um, d um, delivery of speed, like delivery with speed, tougher things. So, um, testing me again, properly English. It's probably delivery with speed, but that doesn't sound right, but no, exactly. Speedy deliveries far. Brilliant man. So if we were to look then at that next chapter, now you know, we've got this expansion. How are you gonna approach making sure that your team thrives with this expansion? Because this is the point of scale now where a lot of businesses can fall flat. How are you gonna focus on making sure practically that your team are gonna grow and the business is gonna scale, um, you know, past the point? Look, I think, look the team, it's, it's go, it's, it's sort of going to be like a mind shift, right?'cause, 'cause we've been so used to doing things the hard way. We've, we've been solving, you know, hard problems and coming into the urban areas, it's going to be fairly easy, right. Um, to, to. The problems that, that would exist there? Um, look, I think for my team, the one thing that has always been at the core is customer service, right? We, we, we value our customers to, you know, we value our customers. And in our business customers, it's three people, right? It's the merchant, it's the driver, and it's the actual customer buying the food, right? And what you, you would see is with our competitors, you know, the, the first two guys. Are not regarded as customers. You know, they're not treated as customers. And for us coming into this market, I mean, the way we talk to our drivers, dude, we address them with their surname, right? We call them mister and ma'am. Right? And, and you, you, you can see how that changes how someone responds to you. Right. When you call someone by their surname, it's, it's the small things, right? So same with the merchants, right? The way we interact with them and the way we work with them, how we pay them, and all of that, that matters to, to the end customer, you know, the service that they get. So for us is at the core of our business, no matter where we trade in a village, in a township, in a city, the customer must always be happy, right? And again. To my point, we have three customers. Right? I mean, that just gave me goosebumps because it is just so important and it just that if I were to think about one of the key negative impacts of a business scaling or growing to a, a size where they're dealing, you know, with tens of thousands of orders, it's, they start treating everyone like a number, like an order number, you know, like a sales number and. Really like that is what is the biggest differential in my mind of that feeling. Someone actually. Feels heard and they feel that you see them, and as you've said before, you genuinely care and you're looking out for them. In, in a world where we've got so many challenges, specifically in South Africa, and um, you know, and as you've shared specifically within township, there's a lot more challenges that a lot, um, of people are experiencing beyond what people, um, you know, are experiencing in the cities. So how do we make sure that everyone is treated with dignity so that they can be proud of who they are and also where they want to get to as well. And, and it should be genuine, right? I mean, it should not feel like it's a tick box exercise, right? And I mean, for example, you look at what you know, the call center people, you know, it's frustrating how they talk to you and how they call you, right? But you can tell, you know when it's genuine, dude, you can tell when someone really, really cares about you. And I think what we've done knowing that at the office, we are the ones who are pushing for that. We've also had to take, you know, some time to actually look after our mental health, right? So some of the things that we are doing at the office is everybody has, uh, access to a virtual, you know, therapist, right? Because we absorb so much, right? And these people talk to us, right? Um, we are absorb so much that we also need to. Let go right to someone. And, and my team has access, you know, to virtual therapists. Um, I'm implementing, um, um, uh, a lot of walking and, and hikes, uh, this year for the team just so that we can get to socialize outside of the office and, and be outside more. Right. And, and it's, it's all these things that I gained. If you win the mind, if you win the heart, you will definitely, uh, win the wallet, which, you know, sounds a bit wrong, but, uh, no, it's, it's, it's 100% correct and people are happy giving their money if, you know, they feel that they truly are getting something in return beyond just the product. It's also the feeling and, and, and the belonging. A hundred percent. Well, thank you so much. You've, you've definitely enlightened me today. Um, you know, what you are sharing online is exactly what you're presenting now in terms of that authenticity. So, so I just wish you the best and I'm so looking forward to the next chat that we have, say, in two years time because it's gonna now be with the cities and a definitely, uh, a different scale. So I'm just wishing you all the best and thanks so much for giving up your time. Thanks man. Thanks for the platform. And this is, I think, the first platform where we've announced our expansion plan. So looking forward to seeing it officially out. And yeah, we'll be announcing the cities and the urban areas that we will be, uh, launching it, something that we are really looking forward to. And yeah, once again, thanks for having me.