Mentorship: Adding invaluable outside skills to your business
Entrepreneurs are often exposed to duties, situations, problems and opportunities that many have never had to face before. Entrepreneurs also rarely have someone to discuss common problems with, or to turn to, for objective advice and honest feedback and this can sometimes lead entrepreneurs to feel like they have the loneliest job in the world. […]
Environment needed that is conducive to SME growth
Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are widely considered a major contributor towards the South African economy and one of the biggest contributors to job creation, yet despite this, the SME community continue to face various challenges that limit their growth. According to Lionel Billings, head for national consulting services at Business Partners Limited, government needs […]
Top tips for marketing your business in 2013
During an economic recession small and medium enterprises (SMEs) often adopt a survivalist mentality by focussing on cost cutting strategies that ensure short-term success but, ignore long-term prosperity. According to Gugu Mjadu, Executive Manager of Business Partners Limited, marketing tends to be one of the first spending areas to be cut when times are tough. […]
Increasing business sales: tips from an expert
In the current challenging economic environment, SME owners and entrepreneurs need to do what they can in order to keep their heads above water. A sure method to ensure that a business survives tough periods is to increase sales or services, which will result in a direct increase in profit. Christo Botes, Executive Director of […]
Increasing sales in a tough economic environment
In the current challenging economic environment, SME owners and entrepreneurs need to do what they can in order to keep their heads above water. According to Christo Botes of Business Partners, co-sponsor of the Sanlam / Business Partners Entrepreneur of the Year® competition, a sure method to ensure that a business survives tough periods is […]
2013 EOY competition launches
25 years on and still committed to fostering entrepreneurship in SA Entrepreneurship is crucial in stimulating a country’s economy, as well as fostering critical skills development and job creation. It is therefore vital that entrepreneurship is embraced and celebrated locally. Celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, South Africa’s pre-eminent entrepreneurial showcase, the 2013 Sanlam / […]
Welcome to 2013
Feed on the positive SME entrepreneurs! The Sanlam / Business Partners Entrepreneur of the Year® team welcomes you to 2013! May we feed on the positive this year and not allow the eternal pessimists to shape us into a negative frame of mind. May we celebrate entrepreneurs and their relentless drive to grow their businesses […]
Entrepreneurs urged to embrace online tools to overcome challenges
It is essential that South African entrepreneurs and small business owners utilise all tools and resources available at their disposal, in order to reduce the relatively high current business failure rate in the country and to overcome challenges they are experiencing. This is according to Nimo Naidoo of the Sanlam / Business Partners Entrepreneur of […]
Entering awards best promotional tool available to SA’s entrepreneurs
Entrepreneurs in South Africa often struggle to generate a credible reputation in a turbulent sea of competition, which often consists of large market players. Local entrepreneurs are also generally financially limited and unable to utilise traditional promotional tactics and national-scale advertising campaigns. Through entering competitions and awards, entrepreneurs are often able to overcome these challenges […]
Photos: 2012 Pretoria business insight workshop
The topic for our Pretoria workshop was the latest economic trends that will affect your SME going forward. The 2012 Sanlam / Business Partners Entrepreneur of the Year® competition breakfast workshop featured an address by Ulrich Joubert, an economist from Kruger International, who is also involved with the Bureau for Economic Research at the University […]