Johannesburg – Dennis Chiume got fed up with the rat race and moved onto his second startup. He talks to IOL about his experience.
Q. Is ChillTimedia your first startup?
A: Not at all. I started off with a small IT company called Umshini Technologies. A friend and myself got tired of the late nights in server rooms and early mornings for daily health checks and thought we cannot go on living as if we are caught in the rat race. We were fortunate when Sun International hired us to install set top boxes (STBs) in hotel rooms in Dubai. It was a massive success and we ended up being hired by many of the other top hotels in the Gulf region and so began the beginning of our entrepreneurship dreams.
Q: What gave you the idea?
A: The idea to start a business was always there, however that initial step and push to chase one’s dreams was always a daunting task. I feared being ridiculed and, worse failing, and then having to get back into the market. My business partner Blessing Maseko is just as passionate as I am about technology and we felt our skills were really being wasted and we always knew that eventually we would be the go to guys for anything video-on-demand (VOD)-related which turned out to be true.
Q: How is it doing?
A: Umshini Technology evolve,d and we decided to make it a specialised over-the-top VOD supplier; the first in South Africa and the African continent. This led to the birth of ChillTimedia in our home market as an addition to the VOD service we were supplying abroad to the hospitality industry. We knew we could do it and with the connections we made abroad, it was a lot easier to get them to back us up as we have a proven track record. OTT VOD is only beginning on the continent. It started off hard, but has picked up nicely.
Q: Did you always want to be an entrepreneur?
A: Most definitely. I love being the go-to person for really challenging issues, and there is nothing better than knowing you worked hard and fulfilled dreams many before myself have tried and failed. Being an entrepreneur is hard work but the results speak for themselves.
Q: What made you choose this career path?
A: It found me. I never had any intention of being in ICT. I have an obsession with railway tracks so I always wanted to be a railway engineer. I do have a BSC in railway engineering, but my love for technology threw that out the door very quickly. To be honest I am happy where I am. ChillTimedia has still got a long way to go and we will keep going from strength to strength.
Q. What's next on your list?
A: The continent. Africa is an untapped market, where we think we could make a significant difference. ChillTimedia’s vision is to give those who never had the luxuries of fancy TVs, internet and satellite the opportunity to access these technologies. There is no greater joy than seeing a person smile when they can turn on their own TV and their viewing experience has risen by over 300 percent.
Q: What would you say to someone who wants to be an entrepreneur?
A: Nothing is easy. There is a saying I live by. “ Throw me to the wolves and I will return leading the pack”
Q. Would you say you need a degree to get started?
A: Not at all, you just need to know what is trending and find ways of making it accessible for everybody to access on the World Wide Web. The days of buying music are dying; many artist have been discovered on YouTube and it last year paid out more than any record label. For ChillTimedia, we constantly want to know what our subscribers want and we develop apps just for their specific needs.
IOL