It is on rare occasions that we have the privilege of interviewing our Facebook page members. Having said that, we have been given the honour of interviewing Ray Ceder from Cyfslensmedia. We asked Ray a few questions, so with no further ado, let’s allow the man to speak for himself.

Tell us a bit about yourself and your background
My name is Raymiel I Ceder. I was born in a little country called Suriname. I am the firstborn of 3 kids. I moved to SA in 2011 have been here ever since. I am married with 2 kids. My passion is to create and I love to cook. I am motivated by my late father, my superhero trying to live to his standard.

At what stage in your life did you decide to come into the business?
As mentioned above, doing business is in my upbringing. My dad is the driving force behind this. He always told us that he came out of a poor family with only His mom, (my grandmother who worked as a cleaner to take care of him and his siblings). He did not want that life for us, so he was forever working and at the same time still having time for his family. So to answer the question, the moment I had finished school, it has been my driven inspiration to own a business of my own.

What sets your business apart from other businesses in your industry?
Well, I try to give quality products/ service with the middle man in mind, as everyone caters either for the little man or for the rich and fab. Also, we pride ourselves in our work and we take each and every job not as a job, but as our own personal project. It becomes part of our identity.

What has been your driving force as an entrepreneur?
My dad, my family, people telling me I won’t make it, life throwing everything it has to keep me from succeeding. Knowing that when we make it big, this company belong to me and I have something to hand over to my kids (Legacy)

How did you come up with the name for your company? How easy or difficult was it?
Very easy, it’s named after my wife and her name means “Beauty”.

What kind of culture exists in your organization, and how did you establish it?
Our rules/culture is to always improve over our previous work. The only competitor is yourself. Be humble. Use what you have, start small, and think like a giant. These are the morals I was brought up with.

What does your business do? What products or services do you offer?
We create digital content for private and or personal or corporate use. Photography, Video, Design

How has being an entrepreneur affected your life?
It has driven me to adapt quickly and to think out of the box.

Would you change anything in terms of your journey in business?
Yes, I would tell my younger self to trust the process, walk don’t run! Don’t kill yourself, you come first!

How do you manage the balance of being an entrepreneur?
We don’t, each day we wake up we PRAY and do what needs to be done.

What motivates you every day?
My wife and boys.

What is your vision in business? What is your mission?
To become one of the Big Digital Content creators /Marketing companies.
Mission: Giving high-quality photography and video service.

What are your values in your business?
Humble yourself to learn, never feel to big, don’t look down on other but also don’t allow yourself to be looked down upon.

How do you define success in business?
A bit of a complicated question but, let see for me. If my company can sustain itself and also sustain its employees and also make a profit then for me that is a start to success.

Do you believe that entrepreneurs are born or made and why?
Entrepreneurs are made! Why: short answer being an Entrepreneur requires skill! And Determination! And the open mind not just to change yourself but to also convince people around you to not just support but to believe in your goal! Leaders are born! Not all leaders are entrepreneurs and not all entrepreneurs can be leaders!

What is your favorite thing you like about being an entrepreneur?
Knowing that all my sweat, tears and blood is going into something that belongs to me and not just some corporate giant. I wake up to work for me and not some executive who only sees me as a number or a provide chart!

What has been your greatest achievement in business?
The knowledge that I started with a beginner DSLR Camera and that camera opened the door to us buying many of my other gear, a car and allowed me to train not 1 but 2 understudies!

Could you please give us links to your business?
https://www.facebook.com/Cyfslens/
IG: https://www.instagram.com/cyfslensmedia/
www.cyfslensmedia.com ( temp down for maintenance )

Thank you Ray Ceder for allowing us to see into your world. We appreciate your honesty, and wish you the best with all your endeavours to excel in business.

Your BESAPRO Team