Gaps – or business opportunities – challenge what businesses offer the market and how they offer their goods or services. With more and more “me too” SMEs trying to find points of differentiation in various industries, incubators need to assist the entrepreneurs with which they partner to identify “real gaps” in the supply chains […]
Teach SMEs to spot the gap for growth opportunities Read More »
Full Menu Catering, a small enterprise mentored by The Hope Factory, was awarded the best SMME stand at the Absa Enterprise Development Expo hosted at Smart Procurement World. “The Expo award is recognition of how far Full Menu Catering has progressed since joining The Hope Factory’s Entrepreneur Support Programme,” says Busi Raphekwane, a Business
Award recognises one SMME’s progress under mentorship Read More »
In order to revive and strengthen economies around the globe it is imperative to stabilise the fragile world economy and relaunch it on a new growth path that places small and medium enterprises (SMEs) at the centre of the quest for future growth. Consequently, facilitating SME access is central to Absa’s activities, says Happy
SMEs must be at the centre of future economic growth Read More »
While key subjects such as marketing, finances and business processes are fundamentally important to business success, ‘professional development’ (corporate communication skills, corporate expectations and personal branding/image) poses a greater obstacle when breaking into the first-tier economy, says The Hope Factory’s Sean Krige in this months’ SmartProcurement. More than any one thing, presenting an unprofessional
Entrepreneurs are often unaware of big-company expectations Read More »
Securing space and loyalty in the hearts and minds of clients remains a formidable task for most small businesses. With rivalry in sectors intensifying, developing and maintaining positive client relationships is critical for SMEs to survive and, ultimately, thrive in the formal economy. However, considering that many entrepreneurs have not been formally exposed to
Help SMEs to move beyond marketing roadmaps and convert these into sales pipelines Read More »
In a bid to give hope to thousands of young people, Absa has partnered with the City of Tshwane (CoT) in a Youth Development Programme called “Tshepo 10 000”, Sisa Ntshona, Absa Head of Enterprise Development tells SmartProcurement. Tshepo is a Sesotho name that means hope. The project will deliver skills programmes that balance
Skills programme initiative brings hope to 10 000 youth Read More »
How often have we heard it? Small businesses are the answer to South Africa’s work crisis. We all nod our heads approvingly, and continue to hope that this wonder will happen sooner rather than later. “I use the word wonder,” says Sean Krige of The Hope Factory, “because short of supernatural intervention, SA’s competitive
SA’s SME-unfriendly economy remains greatest threat to employment creation Read More »
Finding a solution to the perceived “shortage” of ready finance available to local start-ups, could involve assisting entrepreneurs to better understand the role of money in their businesses, and giving them the means to manage it appropriately. If SMEs have viable operating models in place prior to approaching finance institutions, and can clearly define
Bridging the expectations gap between SMEs and banks to facilitate finance Read More »
In every growing economy around the world, small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) are the engine of employment creation. It is through entrepreneurship that South Africa aims to create five million much needed posts by 2020. Procurement professionals need to be aware of mechanisms created by local financial institutions that can support the development
Supplier development: Access is everything! Read More »
In his role as a business mentor at The Hope Factory, Sean Krige often promotes mentorship by saying that it helps business owners to work ON, rather than IN, their businesses. This statement is almost always unanimously met with a nodding of heads and grunts of approval by those in earshot, at least at
Developing an enterprise often means working ON their business with them Read More »
