By Mpho Shelile
MASERU – Mr. Molemo Taolane who is a technician by profession and a prominent security systematic and data management specialist, the owner and manager of Mr. Alarms and Cameras- which has been offering security services for Basotho for years now.
Mr. Alarms and cameras is an alarm company which was founded in 2012 and has been providing reliable security to its clients over the years, allowing them ease in their homes and offices. What the company does is to ensure safety, making people feel safe and secure, whether at work or in the comfort of their homes. They offer services such as; cctv and alarms installation, guard services and monitoring and tracking of stolen goods or properties.
“When I started working on MR Alarms, I had only one thing in mind, which was offering something that Basotho or should I say my clients could benefit from immensely. And trust me when I say coming up with funds for my business was not a walk in the park. It actually took me about five years to do the ground work so that Mr. Alarms can be established. The concept came to me in 2008 and shortly after I started working on its establishment”, says Mr. Molemo.
Molemo filled us in on what his day entails; managing and checking on his team and making sure that all client’s needs are met. He indicated that he categorizes his clientele in two divisions; formal and individual clients. The formal being companies or businesses the other category is obviously individual households. His client base is quite broad, encompassing about 300 clients combined.
“We have both hired and grown a dynamic group of talented professionals who represent what we stand for as a company”, he says.
When asked about the kind of people he hires or is looking to hire, he answered by saying “the core of our business is to work mainly with people who are actually skilled in IT and technology, but we however give a chance to others with competencies that meet the needs and wants of our clients. The nature of our business is to protect our clients and we pride ourselves in doing so; protecting their lives, their properties and their information. So anyone who fully understands our brand and is in line with our mandate and prioritizes customers actually stands a chance of employment.
He further went on to say that even if someone has a qualification in IT and Technology, as long as they do not show dedication towards their job the qualifications might as well be useless, his company would rather hire someone who is not qualified or is underqualified but is eager to learn and do the job. So he cannot say they are looking for so and so who has a certain qualification but are looking for someone who is willing to give their all into making sure that their clients have the best services and are happy. “Our team makes us the success we are today. They are our strength, our passion and our commitment to professional service delivery across the diversity of client compliance needs,” he proudly adds.
“We have been through some hardships as a company like any other establishment, especially when we commenced the business. Securing clients was a mission as most Basotho were not keen or did not put much value to security however slowly they started warming up to our existence and reaching out to inquire about our services. Of late lately they do and I can also add that almost every client now understands the importance of having a remote controlled gate while in the past they thought it was just prestige”, Molemo emphasised.
Advising people who might be interested in venturing in business, Molemo said establishing a business is not a child’s play, “Do your homework before taking any major steps, one cannot believe it when I say I used to own a bakery which was well known as (ALL BAKERY SUPPLIES) before Mr. Alarms and believe me it is now shutdown due to lack of knowledge regarding the kind of business I had gone into and believe me when I say I ran that bakery for six to seven years. You can just imagine how it must have felt to loss something I have invested so much of my time, sweat and money into, but then I had to put on a front and give myself time to heal, then get up to try and built something for myself again. So I would tell them to just go for it! Loss is part of any business but the trick is not to focus your energy on it, the ultimate goal should be Success!
“The essential part of delivering positive solutions is trust. It is our trust that we will provide the intellectual knowledge and capital to protect our people and properties. We deliver on that. That’s our job. We are our clients’ ‘safe pair of hands’ and we take that trust as a pillar of our business”, he indicated.