The way township entrepreneurs work just isn’t working
ALEXANDRA – Creative Minds Movement will host a workshop for entrepreneurs on 26 May at Sankopano.
Alexandra’s Creative Minds Movement will host a workshop for entrepreneurs on 26 May at Sankopano to explore the reasons behind the failure of township entrepreneurs to penetrate the markets.
Creative Minds Movement is a social entrepreneur organisation that seeks to foster an entrepreneurial spirit in the township and has been working tirelessly in this sphere since its inception more than five years ago.
One of the founding members of the movement, Mokopane Ledwaba believes the major contributing factor to the failure of township entrepreneurs to make headway in the markets is simply in the way they operate.
“I believe the way we are working just isn’t working, and hence the need for this workshop to explore the underlying reasons behind this failure to penetrate the markets,” he said in an interview with Alex News.
He said entrepreneurship was a key driver for job creation and economic growth but the rate at which township-based entrepreneurs were penetrating their relative markets suggested a lack of necessary business skills to do a good job of it.
“It is the responsibility of every civil citizen to help deal with the current socioeconomic challenges that we face as a nation, but the reality is that the levels of entrepreneurship in South Africa are worryingly low.
“The amount of failure that entrepreneurs endure, particularly those in small business ownership is shockingly high. These challenges depict that local business owners are unable to breakthrough in the markets that they understand the most, and this, in turn, tells us that something needs to be done very quickly,” Ledwaba said.
He said the workshop they were organising will seek to address these issues and find solutions, and possibly map a pathway for entrepreneurs to achieve the required penetration of their chosen markets. Large urban investors and international entrepreneurs were able to generate millions of rands by investing in shopping centres and malls while local business owners were struggling to survive, Ledwaba added.
“These issues and others will, fortunately, be outlined and discussed in depth by local business and experienced business leaders in the forthcoming entrepreneurs’ workshop.”
The workshop will be entitled, The Entrepreneurs Event in Alexandra, #TEEIA. It aims to empower entrepreneurs in an around Alexandra by unlocking their true potential while at the same time exposing them to business opportunities through networking and a sustainable startup strategy.
Details: 081 771 3313; alexmaboneng@gmail.com
