More business owners are expected to apply for the Western Cape Department of Economic Development and Tourism’s Black Economic Empowerment (BEE) Verification Programme, which has already assisted more than 1 000 firms. This follows the recent amendments to the BEE Codes in October, which will see the threshold for Exempted Micro Enterprises (EME) increase from… [Continue Reading]
In business, networking is the key to success, and this is exactly what an intrepid business networking forum is focusing on to boost the fortunes of entrepreneurs and economies in the townships. Ekasi Business Network, which means “township” in isiXhosa, was established by entrepreneur Luvuyo Rani, who realised that there were no platforms in the… [Continue Reading]
Interns can be a valuable resource for small businesses if the recruitment and management of the interns are dealt with effectively. MIKE JOUBERT of BrandsRock reflects on their experience with Fetola’s GAP programme. I first became acquainted with the Graduate Asset Programme (GAP) after being introduced to Catherine Wijnberg, who runs this programme with her… [Continue Reading]
Small Business Connect offers business owners the opportunity to connect with mentors via the Mentor Connect Feature. Wahlied Cole of ISCI (Pty) Ltd writes: ISCI is a logistics business. We focus on three elements of business. We do imports and exports, and we are a registered clearing and forwarding agent. We also do warehousing… [Continue Reading]
More than 60 budding entrepreneurs will be graduating this year as part of the Imbizo Business Acumen Programme, which is jointly managed by Nedbank, Old Mutual, Mutual & Federal, Masisizane and Wiphold. It seeks to increase economic activity and financial inclusion in rural communities. According to Nkosinathi Msiza, senior communications manager at Nedbank, since launching… [Continue Reading]
Entrepreneurs with technical skills but lacking in formal education have now been given the opportunity to start their own companies through a Soweto-based incubation programme. The Seed Container Park (Secopa) incubation programme was introduced by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) with the intention to help highly skilled machine operators and manufacturers to start… [Continue Reading]
A new Co-operatives Development Agency, and Co-operatives Training Academy, will open soon, says the Deputy Minister of Trade and Industry, Elizabeth Thabethe. Speaking at the DTI’s national SMME Summit, Thabethe said that these institutions, together with a Co-operatives Tribunal, will help develop the sector. Further details are sketchy at this stage, but it is likely… [Continue Reading]
ACCORDING to the Finscope 2010 survey, between 1985 and 2005, small, micro and medium firms created 90% of all new jobs in South Africa. Professor Neil Rankin of the University of the Witwatersrand’s school of economics and business science goes further. He estimates that 73% of employed people in South Africa work for firms with… [Continue Reading]
Entrepreneurs from smaller towns and rural areas often find it difficult to grow their businesses to the level of success they believe is possible. CLAIRE ALLISON explains why boosting trade to off-the-beaten-track areas increase business activity in remote areas and how Open Africa supports rural entrepreneurs. TRADE ROUTES have been around since the beginning of… [Continue Reading]
AFTER participating in the 2012 Smart Procurement Expo, Lesedi Rakgokong, the MD of Puisano Telecom – a Telkom supplier – enthusiastically explained how it benefited from Telkom’s enterprise development support. “We made use of every minute we spent on the exhibition floor to market ourselves. Our interaction with fellow exhibitors has re-ignited our passion and… [Continue Reading]