Onias: Self-Taught Craftsman Pursues Dream
Pauline Dikuelo | Monday May 25, 2020 14:16
Onias Industries is a custom wood and metal crafting business that was founded in 2017. The company manufactures doors, furniture and does fittings for both households and corporations.
Narrating his journey, Onias said he dropped out of school during his last semester of Applied Geophysics to stoke the already burning fire inside of him.
At first he tried his hand at the IT business, but the space did not really satisfy him, and only later on landed in woodwork during his quest to find himself.
“Since then it has been the love and centre of my life. I was raised by parents that greatly believed in business. From a young age we were taught the value of money and the hard work behind each thebe. My mother sewed mateisi for a living, so all of us had to be hands-on for the dresses to move. Since then, I knew I wanted to start my own thing, which is deeply rooted in my passion,” he said.
A few months after opening doors to the public, Onias said their first sale was to a local couple seeking a large custom-made front door for their first house.
“It was a strenuous job because I only had one employee. The job required about four individuals to make and fit the door with its frame. It was a worthwhile learning experience because I then realised I would need more employees if the company was to be engaged in bigger projects,” he explained.
Since then the company has grown in leaps and bounds boasting of corporates and parastatals compared to business from individual walk-ins. According to Onias, they mostly manufacture custom-made products, as these unique pieces are not readily or easily available locally.
“We consider everyone in our line of work to be our competitor because they are all gifted in their line of work. We, however, prefer to position ourselves amongst the high-end suppliers of furniture due to the quality of our products, which is what distinguishes us from most local businesses as our products are of high quality and are customised,” he said.
Moving forward, Onias said he wants to branch out into an institution of higher learning that specialises in carpentry and metal works.
“This way I can do what I have been doing on a larger scale, as I get a lot of people contacting me requesting private carpentry classes. I train my staff as they do not have qualifications in wood or metal work,” he said.
With the dream of making Onias Industries go international through online sales, the company currently employs seven people directly and four indirectly.
Youth Development Fund initially funded the business at inception, but he had to dig deep into his pockets to make it successful.
Onias Industries has won two awards including second position in manufacturing at the Annual Youth Business Expo in 2017 with its Onias Doors product line. In 2019, its Origins Furniture Line won first position in Manufacturing and the Overall Most Outstanding Business Award.