Yolande hails Govt’s policies as her business expands

YOLANDE Saesaria’s ‘Victory 8’ business has expanded in just five years.
The 37-year-old entrepreneur started out with 20 employees when she took operatorship of her first petrol station in Konedobu, Port Moresby, in 2015.
She is now running four service stations and managing more than 100 staff.
The country’s long-range development plan aims to grow the contribution of small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) to the gross domestic product from about 10 per cent today to 50 per cent in 10 years’ time, by then employing two million people compared with about 50,000 presently.
For Saesaria, enabling government policies were important alongside industry support which she believed had a major role in encouraging SME growth.
She operates her four stations for Puma Energy PNG.
She is now the operator of the new service station at Gerehu, Port Moresby.
“We have had to work really hard to make our business a success and it is vitally important to have a partner like Puma to support us,” Saesaria said.
“Puma has been good from day one when they had a representative on the site daily to teach me how to manage the site because everything was completely new to me.
“I learned a lot in a short time and that help, along with my family’s support and advice.”
She won a tender to operate her second service station at Lawes Road, Port Moresby, a year later and then took on a third site in Waigani in 2017.
A fourth site followed in Lae in 2018.
Saesaria started the business with the help of her mother until her death two years ago.
“Her backing and support was very important,” Saesaria said.
“She would be very proud that we are growing the business as she wanted.”
Her earlier experience working in a variety of roles for retailer Nambawan Trophy Haus was also important. She was a supervisor on the supermarket floor, in administration, and managed human resources, all experiences she applied to her own business.
“We have built a good team and we make sure they are trained and prepared so they can succeed,” she said.
“I was trained by Puma when I started.
“Now I train all our site managers on-the-job spending two or three weeks onsite helping them understand how to manage day-to-day operations ensuring we maintain the highest customer standards.
“I am not looking for people with the best exam qualifications.”
“I am looking for the right personality.”
“People who are willing to work hard, who get on well with others, are comfortable with working independently, and think before they make decisions.”
The Covid-19 outbreak was a time of uncertainty for most businesses and Victory 8 was no exception particularly as the pandemic came as the industry was adjusting to a major change in the retail and wholesale pricing regulatory structure for petroleum products, introduced by the Independent Consumer and Competition Commission (ICCC) at the end of 2019.
The government regulator reduced the margin for wholesale and retail petroleum sales and specified the split in the margin between the asset owner, the landowner and the site operator or dealer.
“It was a big shock and we had to take a close look at our business and adapt to survive. I took advice from Puma and from the network of operators of other Puma retail sites.
“I am proud that we have kept all our staff and nobody has taken a pay cut except for myself. Apart from when the country was locked down, our sales have continued to be strong and we are in good position to consolidate and continue to grow.”
Puma retail operations manager Gideon Karali said Victory 8 was one of their best service station operators offering high quality customer care.
“This partnership is a great example of a win-win relationship. We help each other and depend on each other.”
Puma Energy PNG has partnerships with more than 400 SMEs in PNG offering training and advice in business management, finance and day-to-day operations.
When she named the company, she called it Victory. In five short years she could claim victory but she knows enough not to take anything for granted. The future means hard work, dedication, good decisions and good team around her.