Clyde Ackerman and Rael Lasarow are behind Thirst, a specialised, full-service bar company with several complementary divisions that enhance its core offerings. Their expertise extends beyond just mobile bar services for small private gatherings or large-scale corporate events. They also provide mobile coffee bars, operate a renowned bartender training academy, and manage brand activations for leading liquor companies. Thirst has branched out internationally, and co-founders and directors Ackerman and Lasarow say that among their most remarkable recent achievements was their involvement in this year’s Ambani pre-wedding and wedding events in India. “We were entrusted with managing bar services for 56 bartenders in March and July 2024. This prestigious opportunity highlighted our ability to operate on an international scale, delivering excellence at one of the world’s most high-profile events.” Closer to home, the company is deeply invested in the future of South Africa. “With the rapid growth in the number of hotels, restaurants, and bars, there’s an enormous demand for skilled service staff in the hospitality industry,” say the business partners. “Recognising this need, we have partnered with the accredited culture, arts, tourism, hospitality, and sport sector education and training authority (CATHSSETA) programmes and leading alcohol brand sponsors to offer comprehensive training and upskilling opportunities for unemployed youth. “Upon successful completion of the training, we assist graduates to find employment, either within our company, or with key industry stakeholders with whom we have established strong relationships. Through our efforts, we are contributing to the growth of the hospitality sector while making a positive impact on the lives of the youth in our community.” Ackerman and Lasarow say they’ve learned to focus their offerings over the past decade. “When we first started, we tried to be everything to everyone, providing a wide range of services that didn’t really complement our core offering, namely bar services. In 2015, we held a strategy session with a professional who guided us to cut out the extras and focus on the low-hanging fruit, all centred on the liquor space. By concentrating on what we do best, we’ve experienced exponential business growth and new service offerings and divisions have emerged.” They have benefitted from exposure to fellow entrepreneurs, particularly Anthony Stein, whose business mentorship, they say, has been the cornerstone of their success. Lasarow is also part of a business network called Civitas, which gives daily support, while Ackerman is grounded through his Entrepreneurs’ Organisation (EO) membership. “EO has given me access to some of the brightest minds in South Africa,” he says, “offering invaluable perspectives and experience sharing.” Thirst’s founders themselves offer a fair dose of inspiration to aspiring entrepreneurs who may face hurdles. While Lasarow has a reading disability, and listens to audiobooks to learn and grow, Ackerman suffers from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. “People always doubted me, and I have proved all my doubters wrong,” he says. While attending to key clients and larger events personally in order to ensure consistency and maintain strong relationships, “I also carve out some time for myself each day, doing things such as going to the gym to stay balanced and energised,” says Ackerman. He’s still learning what true balance means, he says, but uses breathwork to help centre himself each day. “I don’t have an off button,” he admits. “I’m deeply committed to my work, but I also make time for exercise and other hobbies that keep me grounded, and I prioritise weekends as a time to unwind with my wife.” Having a strong team of department heads who manage most of Thirst’s operations also allows him to focus on making strategic decisions. Ryan Chaitowitz A born entrepreneur, Ryan Chaitowitz, the chief executive and founder of eyewear wholesale distribution business Eye-In Eyewear, grabbed the opportunity to establish his own business in 2022. It followed a successful career in real estate, during which he received the prestigious South African Property Professional of the Year Award. “My greatest challenge was making a career change after 21 consecutive years into an entirely different industry,” he said. “I used the skills set I had developed over the years. My resilience and never-give-up attitude is what got me through the tough real estate markets, and the change to the eyewear industry.” Eye-In Eyewear began with the successful acquisition of the exclusive distribution rights for Carolina Lemke, a proudly Israeli and Jewish brand. “Up until two years ago, Carolina Lemke was purely a stand-alone mono-brand retail concept in Israel,” says Chaitowitz. “We pioneered its wholesale distribution channel, and were the first territory to do so in the world.” The brand is now being distributed through wholesale channels in more than 20 countries. This includes multiple African countries and more recently Australia and New Zealand, where EyeIn Eyewear has recently started an international division. The company has also secured exclusive distribution rights to some of the world’s biggest brand names against tough competition from established distributors. Brands distributed include Roberto Cavalli, Lamborghini, Yohji Yamamoto, and many more. Closer to home, Eye-In Eyewear has collaborated on an eyewear range with wellknown South African fashion designer, Gert-Johan Coetzee, and is poised to introduce its own original brand to the market. “We have also formed business relationships with local black South African eyewear designers to help them with brand design, strategy, and distribution,” Chaitowitz said. “We’re passionate about our country, and we believe in its potential.” For Chaitowitz, giving back to the Jewish and broader South African community is a priority, something he plans to do through one of his proudest endeavours – The Chesed Project. “We’re partnering with optometrists to provide glasses to those who aren’t able to afford prescription spectacles,” he said. “This initiative will be conducted with Jewish charity organisations and certain charities that assist underprivileged South Africans.” Chaitowitz believes overcoming challenges and change is about creating the right company culture that consistently defines the business. “We also ensure that our service and the customer experience exceeds expectations. We have different areas of revenue generation. We keep our overheads as low as possible, and most importantly, we have the ability to adapt quickly to change where necessary.” Chaitowitz works consistently to become the best version of himself. “My humble background and upbringing have shaped me into the highly motivated, and driven individual that I am today, and have instilled in me an attitude of gratitude as well as a growth mindset.” Charles Freedman Charles Freedman has carved an unusual path to business success in South Africa. Leaving a good corporate job in 2009 with Barclays in London where he was born and grew up, he moved to Malawi and later to South Africa. “My aim was to accelerate my learning, make an impact, and build a life,” he says. “I arrived with no permit, no job, and no network. Since then, I’ve worked across the rest of Africa, including a year in Nigeria, across management consulting, financial services, and venture capital. I thrive on doing hard things in hard places through people.” After many years in Africa sharing his management consulting expertise, empowering start-ups in a sustainable way, and doing pioneering work for financial institutions, Freedman joined ServCraft in 2021 as its chief executive. For the first time in his career, he was running a business. Upon identifying ServCraft’s challenges, he worked to overcome them and stimulate growth. “I led an intervention from shareholders as part of an effort to right-size the business and redeploy capital in pursuit of our shared objectives to grow it,” he says. Today ServCraft offers South Africa’s leading jobmanagement software, supporting trade business owners including those in the installation, repair, and maintenance fields, through the power of technology. “Through our web and mobile app, we digitise their operations from the moment their customers reach out to the moment they pay,” says Freedman. “By putting them in control and powering productivity, we help small and medium enterprise business owners to win more work, get paid faster, and have happier customers.” “I’ve got the most joy from seeing how ServCraft doesn’t just transform businesses, it transforms lives and livelihoods,” he says. Freedman’s proudest accomplishment in this role is to build the business from 100 to 600 customers over the past three years. These customers power 4 000 teams across multiple industries. “I’m excited about redefining and uplifting the industries we serve,” he says. The business is expanding its offering through its recently launched, industry-first ServCraft Mastery. This educational platform allows trade business owners to engage with content, curriculum, and coaching to grow their businesses. “Our vision is to extend the value ServCraft creates by expanding our offerings across software as a service, e-commerce, and financial service in South Africa and beyond,” says Freedman. Among the many elements that define his business philosophy, Freedman says he’s dedicated to maximising his team’s potential. “Stretch – don’t snap,” he says. “People can do more than they think they can with the right support, tools, and environment. Unlocking that can be transformative for them and your business.” On a lighter note, Freedman admits that Captain Jean-Luc Picard from Star Trek was one of the biggest influences in his life because of his strong values and principles. As a result, he even secured a scholarship to become an officer in the British Army. “I ultimately chose not to join the army, but never stopped wanting to be like Picard,” he says. 37 The Eric Ellerine Entrepreneur Award nominees Clyde Ackerman and Rael Lasarow
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