Business advice from serial entrepreneur, Catherine Wijnberg

Catherine Wijnberg

Catherine Wijnberg brings a wealth of experience from having charted her extensive business journey as well as through her ongoing role at Fetola, a company that is geared towards supporting small businesses and helping them become more profitable.

Here are just a few of the insights Wijnberg offers to assist entrepreneurs:

Follow your passion

According to Wijnberg, “As entrepreneurs, we have the choice to make the world what we want it to be. So be grateful for that choice – and find a way for your passion and your work to align.”

Understand the market

Identify if there’s not only a gap in the market but “a market in the gap you’ve chosen!” In other words, customers who are willing to pay for the service and product you wish to provide.

Start Small

Wijnberg advocates starting small. “Don’t be hobbled by the misperception that you need a large loan to get a business going. Starting a business with a huge debt to pay back can be the proverbial albatross about your neck,” she says. “A new venture is stressful enough on its own. Rather build from a small base with less risk.”

Reconsidering Capital

Start thinking about your capital, and capital is not just money. Wijnberg explains how capital comes in three forms:

• Networks: “Think about who you know that you can connect to for markets, expertise, support.”
  
• Expertise: “What information and skills do you have that are of value”, and lastly,
  
• Money: “What money do you have and how much do you need? Can you leverage the other two forms of ‘capital’ to get money?”