Is 2020 the year you finally get started on that business idea or take your business to the next level? We showcase some of the country’s biggest and best support organisations offering a wide range of acceleration, incubation and support services.
The support networks in this series are:
– Township Entrepreneurs Alliance
– AlphaCode Incubate
– Tshimologong Precinct
– FinFind
– Youth Ideas Development Tech Program
– Proudly South African
– Entreprenerdy
– Riversands Incubation Hub
– Fetola – Business Growth Professionals
Entreprenerdy, formerly known as the Lean Business Platform, is a free entrepreneurship support programme available on a digital platform. According to Marang Marekimane, business strategist and the platform’s managing partner, entrepreneurs can use the platform to learn how to formulate strategies to access markets and to get development support. “As they continue their entrepreneurship journey, they progress with learnings from masterclasses, experience and mentorship to create a sustainable business.”
Entreprenerdy collaborates with public and private sector entrepreneurship programmes to facilitate access to markets, resources and development finance for entrepreneurs. Vodacom sponsored the Employer Support Program run by Entreprenerdy.
Marekimane shares the benefits of Entreprenerdy and its Employer Support Program, and how entrepreneurs can make use of it:
What kind of businesses/sector does your programme target?
Entreprenerdy is a free resource for entrepreneurs. Anyone that would like to structure their ideas, develop a business model or grow their business can use it.
Given the need for small businesses to expose job opportunities within the sector, the Employer Support Program is designed to assist those transitioning from self-employment to employing others, and for current employers to improve their leadership skills and be better employers, especially as they expand their teams.
What kind of entrepreneur are you looking to support?
The Employer Support Program will support those who are afraid of becoming employers. Often that fear is driven by a lack of information on how to navigate the process of becoming an employer. Not just from a compliance perspective, but also answering questions like “when is the right time to employ?”, budgeting for salaries and managing productivity.
Current employers that are scared from their experiences have the opportunity to redress the issues. All in an effort to become better employers.
What are some of the resources that they have access to as part of your programme?
– All the applicants will have access to Entreprenerdy, an online support programme to build a sustainable business. Beyond documenting the business model, Entreprenerdy enables entrepreneurs to:
- Set growth objectives
- Manage tasks to focus on what’s relevant to the business
- Forecast finances
- Prepare for proposals or funding applications
– Those selected to participate in the programme will also have access to mentors that will provide both technical and business support.
– Vodaworld has boardroom facilities which the participants will have access to for meetings. Vodacom Financial Services will introduce them to products and services they can use, if it fits the business.
– Entreprenerdy will also provide insights to Vodacom Financial Services on how to improve their product offerings for small businesses.
What costs are involved for the entrepreneur?
Entrepreneurs will not have to pay to be part of the program, but must agree to fully commit to growing and that means showing up for the sessions and doing the work.
What is the duration of the programme and what kind of time commitment are entrepreneurs be expected to make?
The Employer Support Program is six months long. After documenting their business model and growth strategy on Entreprenerdy, they will link to a mentor and attend half-day masterclasses on:
- Mapping business processes to identify opportunities to create employment and leverage technology to grow the business
- Managing productivity, employee benefits and the impact this has on recruiting and retaining staff
- The rules and regulations of being an employer
- Reviewing operating costs and setting budgets for growth, including affordability to employ and provide employee benefits
- Using digital tools to manage operations
- After each session, entrepreneurs will apply lessons learned and update their business model or growth objectives on Entreprenerdy.
Online Learning for Entrepreneurs
What can the entrepreneur expect to gain from the programme?
Beyond scaling their business operations and given that the entrepreneurs will engage with each other, we expect to see peer-to-peer knowledge sharing. We encourage accountability circles for additional support. Typically we see collaborations forming as the participants get to know each other.
Post the program, the entrepreneurs can continue to use Entreprenerdy to manage projects and track the growth of their business.
What is the best way to approach your organisation (email, walk in etc)?
Entrepreneurs and those involved in entrepreneurship development are welcome to email marang@entreprenerdy.com
To use Entreprenerdy online, they may visit: https://tools.entreprenerdy.com/
