Past winners of the EOY® awards – Tinny Masesi Nkuna
Tinny Masesi Nkuna – Ngaraga properties t/a Lindiwe Sanitary Pads I started Lindiwe Sanitary Pads because I wanted to solve problems that I and the people around me encountered,” says Tinny Masesi Nkuna (also known as Lindiwe), founder of Lindiwe Sanitary Pads. Lindiwe Sanitary Pads are a brand of feminine hygiene products with a focus […]
Past winners of the EOY® awards – Theo Baloyi
Theo Baloyi – Bathu Theo Baloyi established the South African footwear company Bathu in 2015. His goal was to create sneakers that not only reflected South Africa’s diverse and rich culture but were also aesthetically pleasing. This was motivated by his market research, while working abroad, which revealed that there was no leading African sneaker brand. […]
From stand-up to start-up: How top entrepreneur’s comedic insights shaped his business
Long before the concept social media influencer became ubiquitous, a young marketer in London started planning his return to South Africa to start his own agency to help brands harness the power of internet virality through popular social media personalities. His foresight paid off remarkably. Today, after a “wild” decade of surfing the upheaval of […]
Fake News Damage Control for SMEs
Events such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent spate of riots have demonstrated how fake news can have far-reaching effects, not only on individuals but on businesses. “Fake news,” a neologism of the digital age, began as a social media phenomenon and has come to describe the proliferation of false content posing as news. […]
Innovator leads local retailers’ embrace of ecommerce
Wynand Geldenhuys was still at school when he sold his first computer programme. It was to the owner of a cell phone shop who wanted a computer-based repairs booking system, and Wynand, who fell in love with computer coding at 16, had no problem writing the programme. At that stage he had no idea that […]
Five questions to consider before going into business with family or friends
Almost every aspiring entrepreneur gets their chance to weigh up whether it is a good idea to have a close friend or family member as a business partner. The answer is not always simple and almost always varies from scenario to scenario, and person to person. There is certainly a reason why the adage, “never […]
Pioneering duo opens new path in marketing industry
As ad agency CEO, Taryn Hunter Sharman knew how to spot talent, and had more than once tried to convince a young marketer, Perri King, to join Ebony+Ivory which she ran. Perri, who was carving a career for herself in the corporate sector, always turned her down, mostly because the pay could not match whatever […]
Negotiating a fair trade exchange – what businesses should know
Maintaining a constant stream of cashflow is a common challenge that many businesses experience. Strategic business partnerships involving a barter exchange (the direct exchange of goods and services for other goods or services) can, however, be a great alternative solution for preserving much-needed working capital. If done correctly, a barter system can help less established […]
Bright future ahead for fast-growing lighting company
It is hard to imagine a more difficult time start to a business than that of Mario Roos’s experience with his lighting and energy company LighTec, a finalist in the 2019 Business Partners Ltd Entrepreneur of the Year® competition. The initial spark was a massive fall-out that Mario had with his employer. He was general manager […]
Finding the right mentor to help grow your business
Any business owner worth his salt can acknowledge the fact that there is always something new to learn about their business or market. Especially when starting a new company and guiding it through its initial years of operation, the value of learning from other, more experienced entrepreneurs, cannot be overstated. However, finding a suitable mentor […]