Having successfully spring-boarded hundreds of young entrepreneurs over the past seven years, the 2017 SME Toolkit BUSINESS/PARTNERS Business Plan Competition for Aspiring Young Entrepreneurs provides you, a young and ambitious 18 – 35-year-old, the opportunity to try your hand at entrepreneurship by providing free business training workshops for all entrants, with the eight regional winners and one overall national winner receiving cash prizes and vouchers for mentorship sessions from leading business experts.
The competition comprises three phases – the first being a full-day workshop which equips all candidates with the necessary knowledge to compile a business plan. All the essential elements of starting a business are covered, including financial management, marketing, legal and employment issues.
During the second phase, you are required to submit your business plan, which will be assessed by a panel of judges. Eight regional winners will then be selected and each will be awarded mentorship sessions worth R6 000, which will help you to develop your business plan and get your business off the ground.
The third and final phase of the competition culminates during Global Entrepreneurship Week, from the 13th to the 17th of November, where a regional winner will be named the overall, national winner. The national prize includes R25 000 in cash, mentorship voucher worth R12 000 and a smart tablet or similar.
For more information and to enter the SME Toolkit BUSINESS/PARTNERS Business Plan Competition for Aspiring Young Entrepreneurs, please visit http://southafrica.smetoolkit.org/. The competition launches on 15 June 2017 and the closing date for the first phase of the competition is 17:00 on Monday, 31 July 2017.
About SME Toolkit:
The South African SME Toolkit provides how-to articles, business forms, financial tools, online training and information resources developed by leading experts. All aspects of business set-up and management are covered, from business planning to accounting, financial management, human resources, import /export, legal and insurance matters, marketing, sales, operations and information technology.
The site also offers a range of self-assessment exercises and tools, aimed at enabling entrepreneurs to take control of problem solving in their companies, and even to proactively implement strategies to avoid potential problems.
The SME Toolkit is one way Business Partners Limited are able to bridge this gap, by bringing the information needed to run a successful business to the entrepreneur.
About Business Partners Limited (BUSINESS/PARTNERS):
Business Partners Limited (BUSINESS/PARTNERS) is a specialist risk finance company for formal small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in South Africa, and selected African countries. The company actively supports entrepreneurial growth by providing financing, specialist sectoral knowledge and added-value services for viable small and medium businesses. Visit www.businesspartners.co.za for more information.
