What you need to know about the new direct marketing guidance note
Nadine Mather and Chloë Loubser
SAB KickStart announces KZN finalists
SAB KickStart, the South African Breweries' (SAB) youth entrepreneurship programme, has selected its top candidates in KwaZulu-Natal as part of the Class of 2013 national finalists. The three young entrepreneurs will move on to the final phase of the programme which includes an intensive 12 months of individualised mentorship and business development.
The finalists are Sboniso Mtshali of Afronic Data, Mthandeni Ngidi of Hlobane Waste Management, and Sicelo Mzimela of Ilanga Elihle, trading as Tender Taste.
They were selected from a group of 60 candidates across the country who completed a two-week long business training programme facilitated for the first time by the University of Pretoria's Gordon Institute of Business (GIBS) where they were schooled on how to develop an effective business plan for their start-up.
Focus on development
The SAB KickStart model was recently re-engineered to focus more on developing and supporting sustainable businesses and high impact entrepreneurs who are able to make a contribution to South Africa's job creation needs.
The KZN SAB KickStarters businesses will undergo a thorough needs analysis to help define a growth strategy for each. This strategy on turn will inform the seed capital awarded to each business of between R100,000 and R200,000, as well as the programme and terms of their business mentorship over the coming months.
During the year-long participation in the programme, interventions will help move each business from start-up to growth phase. The KZN SAB KickStarters will be part of a national group of finalist for the final awards ceremony in late 2014 where the top three entrepreneurs are announced after being selected by a group of independent adjudicators.
