Simon Swanepoel Email & Phone Number

My love for technology and electronics began when I was around 8, I have always been fascinated with the inner workings of electronic devices. I suppose my fascination with all things technical gave me the passion for paving my own way many years later. I got my first personal computer in about 1990. I was engrossed by the device, and through trial and error, I learned all the commands. I remember the goosebumps I got from the “new smell” and from looking at the microchips inside the box. I remember when I first connected to the internet on a 19,2Kbps modem, I couldn’t wait to connect to explore what this new world had to offer. This is when my obsession with Telecoms started. Fast forward to 2010, I founded Directel, a telecoms company formed in the loft of my apartment in Johannesburg North. From there, it was a hard, long road of combining my previous telecoms and IT experience to create a company that could compete with the best in the industry. I had the primary goal of providing innovative solutions that challenged the status quo and solved customer problems. Through countless, sleepless late nights, I began the journey of incubating Directel to become an ISP. We started by selling voice minutes to businesses and call centres in Johannesburg at discounted rates. The end goal was to automate systems, create processes, and build a company that staff loved to work at, so much so they would eat and sleep the brand. Internet access and consumer space have always been one of my dreams to serve and are my passion. I pioneered my business approach through self-study, casting vision, gut feeling and doing loads of reading and research. It was a hell of a learning curve. It was difficult because there are many intricacies involved in such a technical space. Today, our staff are our core focus – we believe if we look after our staff, they’ll ensure our customers are happy. Our success is based on putting staff as the most essential part of our business, even over profits. This has proved over the years that if you look after your staff, your customers will be looked after. In turn, you build a customer base of loyalty, just like Harley Davidson and Apple Computers have done. Once you have that mix, profits become a by-product. I have always lived by the mantra that you can succeed in what you believe in, and I’ve had a gut feeling about what will work in business. I have failed many times, but if you believe in something and can lead your team with that same love and passion, it makes ventures like this possible.