Life in the fast lane with Jojo Tsheola
Jojo Tsheola is an inspiration. Barely into his 30s, this once-unemployed entrepreneur has a youthful zest for life, an unfailing belief in himself and a passion for tourism.
After completing high school in 1996, Tsheola was unable to advance his education and struggled to secure employment. He eventually landed a job as a cleaner for the Shongololo Express Train in 1999. Two years later, he was presented with an opportunity to drive a tour vehicle alongside a professional tourist guide. Some three years ago, in 2007, he started Tsheola Dinare, his own transport and tour company.
This impressive fleet is used to transport visitors around Gauteng.
“Our aim is to offer the industry a real choice when it comes to tours and corporate shuttles, along with world-class services in private transport hire,” Tsheola says. “We offer various customised travel packages designed to give clients choice and superior service.”
Aside from managing a highly professional team of drivers and tour guides, Tsheola owns and operates a fleet of microbuses and sedans to meet the growing demand for transport.He recently added two coaches to his fleet to service the local corporate market, as well as overseas visitors.
The Johannesburg Tourism Company’s Visitor Services Bureau first encountered Tsheola in 2008, when it was scouting for small, medium and micro enterprises (SMME) to develop in the tourism sector. At the time, Tsheola was responsible for VIP transport at the TD Jakes Megafest. Impressed with his determination, positive outlook and professionalism, the company facilitated business linkages and supplier opportunities for him.
Jojo Tsheola is the treasurer and co-founder of the Gauteng Tour Operators' Association.
In 2009 Tsheola scooped the Gauteng Emerging Tourism Entrepreneur of the Year Awardand was named first runner-up in the national competition. Since then, his business has continued to expand. Tsheola Dinare was recently named a finalist at the Africa Growth Institute’s 2010 SMME awards.
Tsheola, who is treasurer and co-founder of the Gauteng Tour Operators’ Association, describes himself as “a self-driven, results-oriented person with a positive outlook and a clear business focus on profitability”. He says he is a meticulous planner, who critically assesses his own performance in order to achieve excellence. He prides himself on his entrepreneurial flair and is committed to expanding his horizons through new opportunities, both within South Africa and beyond its borders.
“I plan to mentor young entrepreneurs who are still starting out,” says Tsheola. “We aim to continue our profitable growth and to develop satellite offices as business opportunities are secured in the forthcoming two-year period.”
Originally issued by the Johannesburg Tourism Company