A BT Global Services-sponsored international trade programme recently took 15 local entrepreneurs to the UK.
The trip included visiting an incubator in London; a visit to South Africa House hosted by the trade commission, two days at the University of Coventry and its engineering centre as well a visit to the Serious Gaming Institute.
Entrepreneurs also had 'free days' where they were asked to set up appointments (pre-trip) with local UK businesses and encouraged to sign deals on the trip.
Before leaving SA, the entrepreneurs were taken through a serious boot camp at the University of Stellenbosch's business school.
Joanne Shields, COO at BT Global Services, who will be taking over leadership of the programme for BT Global Services from its current head, Martin Springer, business development and strategy director, BT Global Services, is excited about the programmes future.
"I am excited and committed to the programme of support into next year. It is important to grow entrepreneurs and BT Global Services would like this growth to extend to these entrepreneurs becoming suppliers to our business. In fact, we are already using as a supplier someone who benefited from this programme."
Springer praises the Micro Enterprise Development Organisation (MEDO) for an excellent programme. "In the complex environment of creating change in South Africa it is imperative to have a partner such as MEDO."
He says that teamwork is the key to success. "No entrepreneur can go this alone. The partnership that is created between MEDO, ourselves and the entrepreneur is what makes this work so well. But we cannot take the credit; it is the entrepreneurs who have made a difference. Their stories are inspiring and they are set to blaze a path into the future.
"The experience in the UK was invaluable. It has been rewarding to see how the entrepreneurs grow and how their businesses have grown."
He points out that the journey was not just about compliance but about contribution. "We all have a duty to try to grow small businesses in this region. We need to develop people and their skills for our business. BT Global Services supports 12 programmes and eight bursaries," says Springer.
The scorecard, originally an obligation, is now much more meaningful to the business, he says. "I have seen how this can make a positive contribution to your business if channelled properly. It is represented at board level at BT Global Services, which speaks volumes about the emphasis we place on it."
He says the company will continue to align with entrepreneurs and remain involved with the MEDO programme in the future. "The programme has reached a point where it must now be formalised with partners."
Noluthando Tutani, programme manager of MEDO, says that success for an entrepreneur is not overnight. "It is a process and journey and entrepreneurs need programmes such as this one if they are to succeed. The support of the Department of Trade and Industry (dti) is very important. It is a lonely journey starting a business, a long walk with mishaps and faltering along the way, but you have to rise again.
"Companies such as BT Global Services need to support these entrepreneurs. It has been shown that these types of businesses need the most help in the first two years of their existence. Big business must support small business in South Africa."
MEDO has also unveiled a call centre to assist entrepreneurs. It offers legal and financial advice, purchasing discounts, business advice, corporate governance, HR advice, tender alerts, listing on corporate lists, 24 /7 personal assistance, and new business leads, among others.
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