In the month of August, as the country celebrates women, the staff at Blue Chip Lubricants (Pty) Ltd, known as “BCL”, could not be more proud of the woman at the helm of their company, Kathleen Marais. A woman who against all odds overcame numerous obstacles in not only her personal life but also in her career, to become the only 100% female owner-managed lubricant manufacturer in South Africa.   

Diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at the tender age of 12, Marais knew that life would be a lot tougher for her, yet she never flinched. She had an active youth, and was selected to play provincial hockey during high school. In 1991, Marais entered the working world as a receptionist for BCL. Ernie Campos, the original owner of BCL and a qualified CA, saw her financial acumen and mentored her over time to take on the role of financial manager. Marais’ career path however didn’t end there and in 2001, when she was only 28 years old, she bought the company.

She admitted that the decision to grow her career in this very male-dominated industry was challenging from the start and recalled how often people asked her if she knew what she was doing. Many were sceptical as to whether she would even be able to master the skills needed to successfully manage and run such a technical operation. It was this exact attitude that made her even more determined to not only personally succeed but to ensure she provided a gateway for other women to do the same.  Through the years Marais has made a concerted effort to employ as many women as possible, not only in front office roles but also on the factory floor.  “It is actually more than just trying to prove that women are capable of successfully operating on all levels within a business.  All things considered, it also makes good business sense to employ women. Not only do they tend to pay more attention to detail, but they can be exceptionally hardworking and reliable, and most of them have an unbelievable work ethic,” says Marais.

Being an independent blender also comes with its own set of challenges.    Even though BCL has an internationally accredited plant, audited and signed off by at least 5 different global lubricant brands, they have still found it difficult to break customers’ preconceptions about being an independent blender. So in order to ensure the company’s survival it became critical to align the company with a global brand, one that not only has products that are all OEM approved but that would also allow them to manufacture locally in order to remain competitive.   Abdulmohsen Homoud, the regional Sales Manager for Q8 Oils, part of the 6th largest oil producer in the world, Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, saw the potential in forging a strategic partnership with an SME like BCL in South Africa.  In 2015, after extensive negotiations, Marais brought the global lubricant brand Q8 Oils into the country. Through the unwavering support of Q8 Oils the brand is steadily gaining momentum in the country.

Marais concedes that even though she has successfully run her own company for the past 18 years, her biggest accomplishment in life was that of being a wife and mother to two boys.

Other questions and answers:

• In your career path, what has been some of the obstacles you have faced? I bought the company when I was only 28 years old, so no one really believed I knew what I was doing because I was so young. To be honest, looking back, I probably didn’t….. I brought my husband into the business to help me, as I had so many people questioning what I was doing. Thankfully my husband was my biggest fan, and he fully supported me and all my decisions.  I have made mistakes over the years, more than I care to mention, but I have learnt and grown from each one.  If anything it has made me stronger and more determined to succeed.  Working in a technical ‘male dominated’ industry has had its challenges. From the onset I was not prepared to accept defeat.  I made sure that I worked in every department within the company, from finance, sales, admin, reception, quality, blending, despatch, procurement, logistics, to even formulations and laboratory testing.  This helped me understand all possible issues and to come up with practical solutions to ensure that each department works as efficiently and smoothly as possible.  As a woman, I have taken the traditional manufacturing processes, and streamlined them with a woman’s “touch” i.e. Everything has its place “its home” as I put it and everything is clean, from the floors to the machinery.  Another massive obstacle has been trying to survive in an industry that is dominated by the Majors i.e. Shell, Engen, Total etc. These giants have huge budgets and deep pockets which can make for a very competitive space.

• What are the challenges, if any, that you face as a female owner?  Most businesses initially believe that I am just the face of the company, that I don’t really do anything substantial in the business.  That is until they learn that I am not only the owner but also the Financial Director.   

• Do you think that SA is changing quickly enough with regards to acknowledging women in leadership roles? – In my opinion, and with over 18 years’ experience, I believe that most of the work done in a business is done more efficiently by women (hence I employ a lot of women throughout my company, admin as well as in our blend plant).  A potential customer once walked around our company and asked me where all the men were, he was actually trying to find a man’s face In order give himself confidence in the company…  needless to say, he never became a customer.  I find women pay more attention to detail, can be exceptionally hardworking, they are reliable and have an unbelievable work ethic.  Sadly, ‘old school’ mentality still lingers in business, where women are still expected to stay at home and raise kids.  I believe it will still take many years for industry to trust that women are more than capable of handling leadership roles.  The old saying, behind every great man, is an even greater woman, always sticks in my mind…  Most woman have the leadership qualities and know how, they just don’t have the confidence.  Some of the shyest, most unassuming women that I have mentored in my company over the years’ turned into the most passionate leaders in their areas of expertise.

What encouraging words can you leave for future female entrepreneurs? 

• Stick to it! -  When people say “you can’t”, don’t believe them, listen to your gut.  Try every possible angle and avenue until you can. “Can’t” is not in my vocabulary.  There is always a way.

• Change has to be constant! – Your business strategy needs to be as fluid as your ever-changing market.  If something is not working, change it, act quickly and get ahead before your competitors even notice.  If something is working, don’t sit back and relax, think of other strategies to ensure you continue to grow as a business with constantly new innovative ideas. Where my company is today is certainly not where the company was 18 years ago when I bought it.  We have upgraded, expanded, diversified and changed course numerous times, all to keep up with the demands of the market and the ups and downs of the economy.

• Be careful where you get your advice from – over the years quite a few people have tended to offer opinions on how or what you should or shouldn’t do in various situations.    Sometimes you get good advice, other times you don’t.  All I can say is that before you listen to any advice, make sure the person offering the advice is experienced in what they are talking about.  

• Dress for success! – You will never be taken seriously if you don’t dress seriously.  Dressing smartly not only gives you more confidence, but also people actually listen to what you have to say, they immediately have confidence that you know what you are talking about…. Even if you have to fake it until you make it!

• Your person – Always have “a person”.  That one person in the company that has your back and who you trust explicitly. Who is extremely loyal, hardworking and passionate about you and the company.  A person who you can bounce ideas off and who is not afraid to tell you when your ideas are not that great.  Someone that will support every decision you make and will talk you off that ledge when things get tough.  You have to have a person!

• Believe in yourself – I know, a cliché……. but it is unbelievable how many women are brought up believing that we woman are not meant to have leadership roles, almost like we are inferior in some way to men in business (possibly because woman historically were always employed into secretarial positions and the like that supported the male managers, supervisors CEO’s etc.).  Traditionally, we were paid less, we were not given the same opportunities for leadership in the workplace than men were and we were not taken seriously.  But as woman, we work exceptionally hard, not only do we work a full day, we also raise kids, we cook, clean and manage a household, we do school runs, we supervise homework, we play sport and we have hobbies.  We are like Super-beings, and we don’t take ownership for this.   We need to believe that we have super powers and we can succeed in anything we set our minds to.