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Incubator aims to help SA's small business boom flourish
Startup advisor Heike Kannemeyer has developed a startup business incubator programme for local aspiring entrepreneurs.
Heike Kannemeyer | image supplied
The New Business Launch Programme is three months long and is designed to simplify the process of starting up, building and launching a new product or services-based business. Participants receive the right tools, resources, and access to experts to learn from and lean on.
The incubator is ideally structured to help entrepreneurs formulate their business concept and launch it within three months, aspiring business owners can take up to a year to complete the programme’s 12 modules.
Aspiring entrepreneurs can look forward to finding their personal ‘why’ and connecting it to their business, conceptualisation, branding, building an online presence, understanding SA legal matters for small businesses, pricing strategies and so much more. The 12 multimedia-packed modules include hour-long one-on-one live advisory sessions with Kannemeyer (or a suitable mentor), video, podcasts, input by external industry specialists, and over 55 downloadable resources.
Additionally, the programme comes with an online business lounge and a virtual goodie bag with access to preferred suppliers Kannemeyer has used in setting up her business, Season Seven; opportunities to meet industry experts and participants; and access to motivational InSeason podcasts, blog, and workshops.
Click here to register if interested in starting a new professional journey or already own a business and need support.
The programme is available at R7,750 per user, and at a discounted launch price of R6,750 in July only.
“There is a small business boom - a time where more small businesses are started than before- taking place in South Africa and all over the world. There are multiple reasons: people have lost their jobs during the pandemic, resigned for freedom, and many more reasons. The result is that people are looking at other forms of income through starting a new business.” This small business boom is an upside of The Great Resignation movement seeping into the world. Knowing about the business boom while aware of South Africa’s notorious SMME failure rate, Kannemeyer’s drive to help others fuelled her development of The New Business Launch Programme.
Knowing about the business boom while aware of South Africa’s notorious SMME failure rate, Kannemeyer’s drive to help others fuelled her development of The New Business Launch Programme.
“The programme was born through my struggles as an entrepreneur while building brands and businesses for almost 14 years. I always knew I would have my own business one day, but with no business or financial training, only my PR education and experience, the journey was tough, to say the least. There are many individuals like me with an entrepreneurial mindset and great ideas, but little-to-no training to set a good foundation upon which to build their business.”
The business incubator provides these individuals with an option to prepare themselves while, even before leaving their 9-to-5, on the programme allowing them to prepare ahead for their professional journeys.
The rising movement doesn’t mean that South Africa has been making progress in expanding its (successful) SMME pool. SMMEs account for approximately 98 percent of South Africa’s business network. Only about 39% of SMMEs contribute to the country’s GDP. In the case of many ex-employees pursuing professional happiness outside the corporate world, sustaining a business can come at a quicker loss than expected. More than 71 percent of SMMEs fail within the first year.
