Kiln project showing its mettle

The young start-up communications agency Ntswembu Mobile has undergone a major makeover, engineered by some of the industry's most creative and influential minds, since its arrival at the project on 1 September 2009. Selected to participate in the initiative, because of their entrepreneurial spirit and innovative ideas, the two-man team specialises in mobile media services for effective advertising.

"While we knew that we would change both as an agency and as individuals from this experience, we could never have predicted how positive and path-altering the transformation would turn out to be," says Alec Mutlane, owner and founder of Ntswembu Mobile.

Alec and his colleague, Ayanda Dube, worked closely with the talented team to streamline their service offerings and more clearly define the agency's mission and guiding principles. In addition, they met frequently with group chief executive of McCann, Reinher Behrens, to develop their understanding of the financial aspects of running a small agency.

"We had many one-on-one sessions with him and his advice has altered our approach to business in a profound way," explains Mutlane. "Not only did we discover that we were uniquely situated amongst the best minds the communication industry has to offer, but that we also had our fellow Kiln members to learn from and share experiences with. We couldn't have hoped for a better springboard into what is traditionally a difficult industry to break into."