What they don't teach you about being an Entrepreneur

Entrepreneurial spirit needs to be nurtured in people, and traditionally South Africans have been educated to enter the existing job market with a clear cut career path ahead of them. Only a tiny percentage of university graduates consider becoming entrepreneurs; one of the reasons being that there isn't an encouraging entrepreneurial environment in SA.

While a fighting spirit, vision, passion and a good business idea are all key ingredients to being a successful entrepreneur, there are other more practical issues at stake; business principles, which if not considered, can be the downfall of a new business. It's common knowledge that up to 96% of start-up businesses fail in South Africa but this is avoidable when the entrepreneur is equipped with the required acumen and the tools to grow their fledgling business into the next Microsoft.

Most would be entrepreneurs buy books on "how to start your own business" before deciding to enter the world of entrepreneurship. These books deal with most of the practical issues. The real life issues are generally overlooked and are probably the most fundamental to the success of the entrepreneur.

"What They Don't Teach You About Being an Entrepreneur" is a new course that covers some of the practical aspects of being a successful entrepreneur. The workshop delves into topics such as practical methods of raising finance, supply side versus demand side entrepreneurship, networking, truly understanding your product, and many more relevant topics.

Course presenter, Allon Raiz, is a well-known local entrepreneur and mentor and chairman of local privately-run business incubator Raizcorp. In his keynote, Raiz uses his personal experience as an entrepreneur to highlight the events that evoke entrepreneurship, drive entrepreneurs and provide the insight into what it takes to become and stay a savvy entrepreneur.

Raiz consults to both corporates and growing businesses on retaining and maintaining the entrepreneurial flair within organisations. He is currently studying toward his Doctorate in Entrepreneurial Studies and runs a successful private business incubator. Raiz lectures both business and MBA students on entrepreneurship and incubation. In 2004 he was nominated for Jewish Entrepreneur of the Year.

For further information on the one hour "What They Don't Teach You About Being an Entrepreneur" workshops, starting in October (30 October), contact Allon Raiz on Tel: +27 +11 802 7415.