A new initiative aims to help South African health and beauty entrepreneurs address common barriers to growth, including skills shortages, fragmented business systems, stock management and limited revenue streams.
Amazi co-founders Divya Vasant and Sekela Lisa Mgcotyelwa | image supplied
Amazi Connect, launched by social impact beauty brand Amazi, brings together resources and business solutions designed to help small businesses improve their operations and build capacity to grow.
The initiative draws on the experience of Amazi co-founders Divya Vasant and Sekela Lisa Mgcotyelwa, who have spent the past decade building the business. The company says more than 3,000 women have graduated through its skills development programmes.
“When the everyday barriers to running a business become easier to manage, entrepreneurs have more capacity to focus on growth,” says Vasant.
Four areas of support
Amazi Connect focuses on four areas that can affect the ability of small service-based businesses to expand.
The first is procurement. Sourcing professional products and treatment essentials from multiple suppliers can cost entrepreneurs time and money, particularly when travel and transport expenses are factored in. Amazi Connect offers ready-to-use professional treatment kits intended to simplify purchasing and help standardise treatments.
The second is skills development and recruitment. The initiative aims to connect beauty businesses with skilled workers and provide opportunities to upskill existing employees, helping owners build teams capable of serving more customers.
The third is business management. Through the initiative, entrepreneurs receive early access to Shiio, a business management platform designed for beauty operators. It brings bookings, customer information, inventory, staff commissions, payments and business insights into one system.
The fourth is product sales. Participating businesses will have access to locally made Amazi Beauty products that can be used in treatments or sold directly to customers, creating a potential additional source of revenue beyond services.
Collaboration as a growth strategy
The initiative is built around the idea that businesses operating in the same sector can compete for customers while collaborating to address shared operational challenges.
Although the solutions focus on health and beauty businesses, the underlying problems, including procurement costs, staff capacity and disconnected management systems, also affect other small service-based enterprises.
For entrepreneurs, the potential benefit lies in reducing the time spent on administrative tasks and day-to-day operations, freeing up capacity to serve customers and develop additional sources of income.
Amazi Connect plans to host events where business owners can access the initiative's resources and solutions.
Find out more about Amazi Connect or book a slot at the next event via the Amazi website.
