South Africa’s approach to SME development is broken
Introduction 28 years after the end of apartheid, the South African economy is starkly divided between so-called ‘first’ and ‘second’ economies. This common South African phraseology is a euphemism for ‘the rich’ (who do business in...The Case for Scaling SME’s to Stimulate The Economy – Part 3
BBBEE’s Enterprise and Supplier Development (ESD) seemingly misses the mark more than it hits the intended target.
Many people HATE the idea of BEE. But corporates contributing towards SME development should not be up for debate
The Case for Scaling SME’s to Stimulate The Economy – Part 2
South Africa has one of the lowest ‘Total Early-Stage Entrepreneurial Activity’ rates. Total Early-stage Entrepreneurial Activity (TEA) is the % of 18-64 year old population that is either a nascent entrepreneur, or owner of a business. At 6.9%, South Africa has one...The Case for Scaling SME’s to Stimulate The Economy – Part 1
Getting The Basics Right Is The Battle Worryingly, much of South Africa’s SME activity is locked into a subsistence paradigm, where the business supports only the financial needs of its owner, and fails to contribute to economic growth meaningfully. Less can be said...Why I ended up in prison
Twenty-five years after the end of apartheid, the South African economy is starkly divided between the so-called ‘first’ and ‘second’ economies. This common South African phraseology is a euphemism for ‘the rich’ (who do business in a certain way) and ‘the poor’ (who do business in a different way).
Worryingly, much of the country’s Small & Medium Enterprise (SME) activity is locked into a subsistence paradigm, where each individual business only supports the financial needs of its owner, and fails to contribute meaningfully to economic growth or job creation.