Stories to tell

“These are their stories”

David White - A single minded and respectful approach

David White’s professional career has been driven by a passion for the development of people and especially creating employment through helping people to build their own enterprises. White says that his greatest strength is in his single minded approach to life, which has assisted in his company, DRG Outsourcing, reaching 20 years old in 2016.

Although he has always been “involved in the trenches”, White said that his company’s success would not be possible without the support of his team of employees. He said, “Everyone has very similar values, genuinely like people, and focus on our clients’ needs. Having skilled people who are trusted and caring has helped us to build a company culture that has geared us to arrive where we are today. In addition, they are all empowered to lead rather than follow. If they perceive themselves as leaders and have confidence in their own abilities, they can pass on these traits to our clients. For me it is important to respect and look after my team, so they look after our clients.”

A major goal of DRG Outsourcing’s service offerings has always been to help companies to do things better. This goal includes developing innovative responses to helping small and medium sized companies meet their operational objectives, as well as meet reporting requirements and comply with relevant legislation.

“In its early years DRG Outsourcing grew very quickly, which was very exciting,” said White. “Initially our ideas were ahead of their time. We had to wait for the market to catch up and also had to educate our clients to the advantages of using our services. In addition, there was no support for our industry. We greatly benefitted from the Netherlands PUM Programme that provides a fantastic mentorship service,” said White. Through PUM, Loet Schledon, a 73 year old gentleman and seasoned outsourced service provider, visited DRG four times over a four year period to help create their “outsource” service model. (PUM stands for ‘Programma Uitzending Managers’, which is Dutch for ‘Manager Deployment Programme).

This growth resulted in White being named as one of the leading entrepreneurs in South Africa in 2006. The early success of the company also saw DRG Outsourcing listing and then 18 months later, due to the dot.com collapse as well as some other factors, having to delist. White reports that this situation was a major setback and that starting again from scratch was very challenging and a hugely stressful time in his life.

The regrowth of the company saw DRG Outsourcing winning a KZN Top Business Award in the Business and Finances Sector in 2010. White said, “Now being 20 years old in 2016 is great. We have a competent and confident team with well designed systems and processes in place.” Under the DRGSiyaya brand label, the company is looking to grow further through the establishment of a country wide system of franchise outlets.

White said, “In addition, through BusinessFit, an enter- prise development entity, my goal is to create employment and help people to access the many opportunities that exist in South Africa. I believe that South Africa could be the entrepreneurial capital of the world.”

He said further, “We need more entrepreneurs and the BusinessFit methodology is magnificent in assisting them to move from start-up to a successful, established business. Furthermore, we need to encourage experienced people with business skills to spend time with such entrepreneurs to guide and support their development.”

White concluded that South Africa is in real need of an economic leadership team. He said, “I am positive about South Africa and the people of South Africa but we don’t always hear from our leaders about avenues already created and how we should access them.”

When not working White and his wife, Daisy are to be found enjoying the outdoors either walking their greyhounds, on the beach or in a wilderness area, where he says he feels most alive