Pearl Ngomane
Small Business Connect’s Braamfontein readership has grown so much that the Small Enterprise Finance Agency (Sefa) now shares its copies with the local South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (Saica) branch.
This month’s Small Business Connect Champion, Pearl Ngomane – an avid reader since the newspaper first launched in September 2013 – says this is evident to how the demand for the publication has grown.
Ngomane is the regional administrator for Sefa’s Braamfontein branch, a Small Business Connect distribution point.
“I also have clients who come here monthly to collect copies of the newspaper, so it is in demand,” says Ngomane.
Thanks to the informative and inspiring success stories involving Sefa, Ngomane says the branch has also managed to attract more clients who now benefit from its range of services.
The publication has also helped the office to bridge existing information gaps.
“Small Business Connect helps to highlight many business owner-related challenges. This helps us to inform entrepreneurs about funding agencies that might assist them if an owner’s requirements are out of Sefa’s scope,” she says.
She says that she regularly witnesses that many entrepreneurs who visit Sefa’s offices are not yet familiar with online news platforms.
But, thanks to the print edition of the Small Business Connect, she says she regularly shares copies of the newspaper with small business owners who visit the office in search of ways to improve their businesses.
Reading the publication has also helped the office recommend existing channels of information and business assistance to help business owners gain a better understanding of the various industries they work in. She says a lack of access to marketing and business tools were challenges business owners faced.
“The newspaper is an impressive information tool as it provides business owners with guidance and encouragement,” says Ngomane.