Ten years ago, Jonathan Hore was running his fledgling business from a spare bedroom at his home, sending dozens of emails each day in search of his first client.
Today, the company he founded, OPRACON, advises some of Botswana’s largest financial institutions, listed companies, parastatals and private businesses on taxation, compliance, human resources and corporate governance.
The firm celebrated the milestone last Friday, with clients crediting OPRACON’s growth to technical expertise, reliability and its ability to help organisations navigate increasingly complex regulatory requirements.
Delivering the keynote address at the anniversary event, Mohammed Osman said reaching 10 years in business reflected resilience, credibility and the ability to build lasting relationships.
Osman, whose relationship with Hore dates back 15 years to their time at KPMG, said Hoare’s ability to simplify complex tax matters had made him a trusted adviser.
“When you are making important business decisions, you need someone who tells you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear,” Osman said.
He said Hore’s advice had consistently provided confidence in major business decisions because it was practical, timely and able to withstand scrutiny.
Osman said OPRACON has become a key adviser to Sefalana Group, supporting the business through tax health checks, compliance reviews, transaction advisory services and annual training for finance teams on changes in tax and labour legislation.
He said the firm’s strength lies in translating complex regulatory requirements into practical solutions that businesses can implement.
Similar sentiments were shared by representatives from Lucara Botswana, Orange Money Botswana and the Debswana Pension Fund, who described OPRACON as an extension of their internal finance teams.
They said the firm has helped them manage complex tax matters, compliance reviews and independent advisory requirements while allowing internal teams to focus on their core operations.
Reflecting on the company’s beginnings, Hore recalled that OPRACON started with limited resources after he left KPMG to establish his own firm.
Operating from a bedroom in his home, he spent weeks sending more than 60 marketing emails daily without receiving a response before securing the company’s first client.
Although the first assignment generated less revenue than initially anticipated, Hore said it provided the breakthrough that proved there was demand for independent advisory services.
“It was not easy in the beginning, but every business starts somewhere. The most important thing was building trust and delivering quality work,” he said.
Over the past decade, OPRACON has expanded significantly and now serves seven of Botswana’s nine commercial banks, telecommunications companies, state-owned enterprises and numerous organisations across the private sector.
The firm has also broadened its services beyond taxation to include human resources advisory, corporate training and wider business consulting, responding to growing demand from organisations seeking integrated solutions.
Hore said the next phase of growth will focus on strengthening the firm’s footprint in financial services and expanding its advisory offering while maintaining the technical excellence and client-centred approach that shaped its first decade.
He credited employees, clients and his family for supporting the journey from a home-based startup to one of Botswana’s recognised business advisory firms.
