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Special feature: November 2011
Seda Free State Entrepreneur’s Day
Well attended Seda Free State Entrepreneur’s Day 2009 held at Zoka Baloi Stadium, Welkom.
The annual popular Seda Entrepreneur's Day for the Free State is to be held 16-17 November 2011 at the Phuthaditjhaba Staduim, Qwa Qwa. It is to be hosted by Seda Free State in conjunction with the Thabo Mofutsanyana District Municipality an its local Municipalities.
Some 500 attendees are expected to attend the event, consisting of stakeholders, existing as well as prospective SMMEs and cooperatives and Seda clients.
Some 10 stakeholders will promote their products and services, with exhibitions by the DTI, SMAF, Khula, TEP, the DETEA, FDC, W & R Seta and NYDA.
There will be ample networking opportunity and attendees will be afforded time to have meetings and discussions with other entrepreneurs. This includes opportunities during morning tea and lunch in the huge marque tent.
Moreover, free advice on “how to start, build and grow your own business” will be forthcoming from Seda business advisors and stakeholder consultants on an one-on-one basis with entrepreneurs, prospective entrepreneurs and members of cooperatives.
Under the item “Speaker's Corner”, companies and experienced business persons will make presentations, availing themselves also for one-on-one consultations.
Thus Seda Entrepreneur's Day constitutes a unique opportunity for synergy between everybody involved in the SMME sector in the province – as such an event not to be missed!
South African Institute for Entrepreneurship
The South African Institute for Entrepreneurship has a vision of a dynamic culture of entrepreneurship in South Africa that promotes entrepreneurial behaviour and resourcefulness in youth and adults, and assists in the eradication of poverty through the creation of effective entrepreneurs.
The SAIE develops innovative materials that utilise original, creative methodologies and trains educators, trainers and community-based organisations to convey business skills, uncover entrepreneurship qualities and ensure sustainable economic development and wealth creation.
For more information, please visit www.entrepreneurship.co.za
Seda Technology Programme
The Seda Yechnology Programme (Stp) has merged the National Technology Transfer Centre (NTTC), the Technology Advisory Centre (TAC), the Technology for Woman in Business Programme (TWIB) the South African Quality Institute (SAQI) and the GODISA Trust, to create a single national Programme that is responsible for a broad array of business incubation, technology transfer and quality and standards services and support.
The staff of Stp has extensive experience and capacity in fulfilling their mandate, in so doing focusing on three main areas: Establishment and support Technology Business Centres for business incubation / Promotion of ‘Quality” Systems and Standards / Technology transfer and diffusion through structured support.
The main reason for the creation of Stp is therefore to: Increase accesibility to, and technical support for small enterprises / Facilitate technology to small enterprises, particularly those operating in the second economy / Facilitate the establishment of woman-owned small enterprises.
Emandulo Pottery at Qwa Qwa, one of many Seda success stories in the Free State.
New initiatives from Seda to fast-track business development - also in Free State
In line with its mission to develop, support and promote small enterprises throughout South Africa, ensuring their growth and sustainability in partnership with relevant roleplayers, Seda is currently introducing some brand new initiatives with a view to fast-track small business development.
These incentives, also being rolled-out in the Free State, are spearheaded by the National Business Plan Competition and the Seda Technology Programme.
In this feature, Seda Free State briefly outlines how these two initiatives apply to the province.
At the same time, the spotlight is also put on how the Seda Hotline is available to fast-track payments owed by the public sector to small, medium and micro enterprises.
As stated by national government, South Africa is in dire need of job creation and economic growth incentives and these Seda initiatives are designed to assist in this drive.
Present at the Free State launch of the National Business Plan Competition on 2 November 2011 at Bloem Spa, were, from left Mr. Lemmy Mule (Programme Director), Lorinda Volschenk (Seda Lejweleputswa Branch Manager), Jackie Ntshingila (Seda Free State Provincial Manager), Lusanda Dyani (Special Projects Seda National), Nancy de Sousa (President BCCI and keynote speaker) and Ernest Boateng (SA Institute of Entrepreneurship).
New Business Plan Competition to drive sustainable entrepreneurial development in the Free State
The first-ever Seda national business plan competition to stimulate and strengthen the spirit of enterprise among young South Africans, is currently being launched nationwide.
Called the Small Business Stars – Seda National Business Plan Competition, the project is targeting up to 8 000 dynamic and ambitious entrepreneurs from all provinces in the country.
The Free State launch took place on Wednesday, 2 November 2011, at the Bloem Spa Lodge & Conference Centre, Rayton, Bloemfontein.
There were some 150 attendees at the event, with the keynote speaker Nancy de Soussa, President of the Bloemfontein Chamber of Commerce & Industry (BCCI). She emphasized that entrepreneurship is the key to economic development in the Free State. The programme director was well-known entrepreneur and businessperson, Mr. Lemmy Mule of Welkom.
Small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) account for approximately 40% of South Africa's gross domestic product, and employ more than half of the private sector work force. However, 80% of small businesses fail within their first five years, and according to the most recent Global Entrepreneurship Monitor study, South Africa lags far behind many developing nations in terms of its entrepreneurial activity levels.
Despite its sizeable geographic footprint, the Free State currently contributes just 5.5% of the country's annual gross domestic product (GDP), partly due to the lack of entrepreneurial education and infrastructure in the region.
The Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda) now aims to encourage more entrepreneurial growth within the Free State, with the launch of Seda Small Business Stars, a national business plan competition with a unique focus on entrepreneurial education at a provincial level.
The competition runs from 2 November until 11 April 2012, and aims to drive sustainable venture creation by providing small business owners – who often struggle to survive after launching into business unprepared – with a more systematic approach to business planning.
“Traditionally, business competitions receive thousands of entries, but only end up benefiting the few who ultimately take home the top prize,” says Seda's CEO, Hlonela Lupuwana. “Our aim with Seda Small Business Stars is to provide real value for the entire entrant base, all of whom will receive access to free specialised training, designed to strengthen their knowledge of sound business principles, which they can then apply to their business plans going forward.”
Entrants can register for this free training at any Seda branch.
Despite over R4 million worth of prizes on offer, including laptops and software for all winners, as well as a R50,000 cash prize for the overall winner, it is this free, intensive and specially developed training, available at Seda branches across all nine provinces, that truly differentiates Seda Small Business Stars from its predecessors, says Dr. Robin Stead, CEO of the SA Institute for Entrepreneurship (SAIE). The institute, together with Traction, a specialist small business development consultancy, was awarded the tender by Seda to run the competition.
“Whilst funding is certainly critical to the success of a start-up venture, the strength of the business plan will ultimately define the sustainability of a business model,” says Stead. “This training is designed to ensure that all candidates are best equipped to devise realistic plans that can be successfully implemented with a long-term vision in mind.”
Lupuwana says that the competition will help small business entrepreneurs to approach their planned or existing business in a more structured way.
“Passion and business acumen are obviously important in any startup, but too often businesses fail because they have not carefully thought through exactly how the business is going to operate, and made inadequate preparations for potential pitfalls. They also frequently overestimate revenue and underestimate expenses. Our guided process will help to ensure that start-ups are much better prepared to enter the business world.”
Entry to the competition takes place exclusively via the on-line competition system on the Seda website, thus protecting business plan confidentiality, and allowing entrants to work on their entries irrespective of their location.
“The online entry system has been designed to maximise security, as we can ensure total confidentiality of business plans on-line. It is far more difficult to protect printed business plans, especially given the fact that our judges are located all over South Africa,” says Lupuwana.
The competition will be adjudicated by a panel recruited from top business development agencies and service providers. The judging process will identify 20 national business idea winners and 20 existing business winners, all of whom will receive their share of more than R400,000 in cash, as well as laptops and Seda business support to the value of up to R60,000 each.
Special prizes will also be presented to the best woman entrepreneur, the best youth entrepreneur, the best disabled entrepreneur and the best “job-creating” entrepreneur.
The competition is open to any South African citizen over the age of 18 with a business idea or existing small business. From the 2nd of November, candidates will be able to register on the competition website, and download the business plan template to prepare their entry.. Entries close on 31 January, 2012.
For more information, please visit www.seda.org.za or follow Seda Small Business Stars on Twitter or Facebook.
