Many of our sports celebs go into business when they retire from the game. Some choose restaurants or sports clothing outlets, but former Bok hero Andre Snyman opted for the more practical field of home maintenance, writes Lee Currie
Having retired from rugby in 2007 after a four-year sojourn at Leeds Carnegie Rugby Club in the UK, Andre and his wife Phillipa moved on to Mount Edgecombe Golf Estate, and were joined shortly afterwards by their baby daughter Keira.
At the time Andre was employed as project manager for property development company, Lorber Projects. He began to notice that there was a definite gap in the marketplace for smaller maintenance jobs, such as putting up shelves, installing a new shower door – even hanging up pictures – tasks that are second nature to Andre.
“I grew up on a farm in Northern KZN and being isolated from many resources made us very self sufficient and able to repair just about anything,” he remembers. Farm life, he says, also sowed the seeds of his impressive rugby career, as he would play the game with his brother Naas, developing skills by literally side stepping around cow dung, bales of hay and various farm animals.
Giving up a job and starting a new business can be risky, particularly during an economic downturn, but Andre, confident that he was filling a need, launched Handz On Home Maintenance in January this year. “Not many people have the means to build from scratch, so it becomes a question of improving the value and comfort factor of what they already have. For instance, we do quite a few kitchen and bathroom renovations, or the client may simply want to brighten his home with a coat of paint or have his driveway high pressure-cleaned.”
Many of Andre’s clients live on Mount Edgecombe estate which has provided him with something of a niche market. “Elderly people often find it difficult to do jobs like cleaning gutters, or fixing broken tiles. I also carry out maintenance work for the Estate Management. No job is too small, plus I believe personal service and professionalism are vital components if you want your business to succeed. Phillipa does all the marketing and admin; she’s brilliant at this, as she used to be in the marketing industry. She does what she does best, I do what I do best and together we make a good team!”
At home Andre is very much a Handz On dad with 22-month-old Keira. Around the time of going to press the Snymans were expecting another baby, a boy, in November. “I am determined to always be around for my children and long ago decided that I would wait to start a family until after I’d retired from rugby. I’ve seen the strain players with small children are under when they are on the road for long periods of time and how much they miss out on with their kids.
“Keira arrived at a perfect time for us. I love going on walks with her in safe, wide open spaces and showing her the wildlife on the estate. I am still a farm boy at heart, but this is the next best thing.”
Andre still looks in peak condition and one has to ask: How does he keep fit? The answer becomes fairly obvious watching Andre doing several impressive sprints to rescue his toddler who moves with astonishing speed (a chip off the old block?) from potential danger.
“Keira keeps us busy 24/7. She’s been walking since she was 8 and-a-half months old and now just hits the road at speed; we literally have to run after her. She is incredibly curious about everything and quite fearless,” he says, not without a hint of pride. “I think she’s going to be quite sporty. I also play golf, and of course Handz On keeps me fit with tasks like loading sandbags and other heavy equipment.”
Says wife Phillipa: “I may handle the marketing and admin, but with Andre, no matter what the job, it’s a case of ‘n boer maak ‘n plan!”
Useful info:
Contact Andre: 076 044 0088