Month: June 2020

‘I can’t breathe’ – these words resonate for most Black, White, Indian and Coloured owned SMMEs right now in South Africa.

Most SMMEs have not received any form of help from the current COVID-19 interventions including the ones by government because the criteria for helping SMMEs is written by people who have never run a business of their own on a full time basis.

With due respect 90% of the people who are responsible for ESD and approving loans in financial institutions are not involved in the overall profitability of the organisations they work for as that is how companies are structured but this then creates limitations in the way these important people tasked with helping SMMEs understand business and look at applications by SMMEs.

Without consulting or shadowing SMMEs these decision makers shoot in the dark as to the ideal criteria when you set out to help an SMME who at times goes for months with no personal income but making sure his/her employees get a salary.

We implore the government, big business and all stakeholders to hear the cry of the SMMEs.

If you are an SMME and you want to help our petition please register here: https://vcdugout.co.za/register/

#entrepreneurship #smallbusiness #economy #marketing #management #business #branding #sustainability #news

In 2019/2020 most ED/ESD Programs claimed to spend R500k to develop one SMME with no cash that goes to the SMME directly. This is the most expensive MBA model we have in the country that is not SAQA accredited and adds very little value to SMMEs.

An ED company that claims to know what they are doing, must actually have the 500k invested as cash in the SMME’s business, hold joint signing powers and or shares, turn that 500k into an asset that pays them and the SMME well.

The biggest challenge for SMMEs is the ability to implement their ideas due to lack of funding and poor administration (systems and controls).

To succeed an SMME must have the entrepreneurial ability and this is not learnt as Entrepreneurship is a talent. What you can teach someone is Intrapreneurship and not Entrepreneurship.

Once you are sure you have an Entrepreneur then give them funding and help them with admin. Learning admin cannot cost them R500k while they still have to employ the people (accountant, administrator) to implement the admin things you teach them.

An Entrepreneur already has a vision and plan (strategy) on how they think they will achieve their vision, if you find yourself having to to teach this then we are not dealing with an entrepreneur. With right talent your role should be to guide and polish.