Women who are interested in participating in the 2010 programme should be the controlling shareholder in their business and fulfil any one of the following criteria: the business must be older than six months but less than five years, employ fewer than 10 people, or have an annual turnover of less than R10 million.
"Deloitte matches entrepreneurs to mentors at a 'speed matching' session to ensure that each participant has access to the different skills of three to four professionals throughout the programme," says Dee Botha, chair of the women's leadership initiative at Deloitte.
"The programme serves as a source of advice and support to enable women entrepreneurs to develop their businesses. We provide advice on finance, sales, marketing, operations, human resources, legal and information technology, depending on the individual needs of the entrepreneurs.
"If South Africa is to weather the current financial crisis, entrepreneurs need to be encouraged and nurtured and the programme plays a role in uplifting individuals in this important sector," concludes Botha.
