Dialogues help small firms thrive

SMALL township entrepreneurs in Langa and surrounding areas are to get an opportunity to grow their businesses through dialogue to make them investment ready.

The business dialogue, facilitated by the Naledi Foundation is part of a monthly entrepreneurial development platform created for township entrepreneurs to meet and network with peers and create links with corporates, state entities and the public sector.

Naledi Foundation executive director Siseko Mgxali said when they dealt with youth development, they couldn’t ignore that young people constituted the majority of the population. The Naledi Foundation is a NPO, whose business is developing and advancing young people’s interests with education, art and entrepreneurship as catalysts. Transforming and developing the youth is the driving force behind these dialogues.

“The country is in serious need of entrepreneurs, not just business people; but entrepreneurs with viable and sustainable businesses that translate into job creation.

“What inspired this initiative was that the country is in dire need of successful young entrepreneurs, because youth entrepreneurship has a 70% failure rate. So creating a platform where young business owners can assist in reversing this high failure rate is crucial,” Mgxali said.

Khululekile Banzi, owner of Development Afrika Stratagem, an events and project management company, said the dialogues helped grow his business as they offered him cutting-edge information on running a successful small business.

“At one of the dialogues we met funders with whom we are in discussions about a multi-disciplinary arts event that we are hosting this year.

“Although we are still in discussions, it seems we can come to an agreement. Most township business don’t understand the concept of investing in their business,” he said.