MEDO is a company that assists large organisations in meeting their BBBEE goals, but are now also helping entrepreneurs to develop their supplier relationships through a programme and an international tour.
Joined by their entrepreneurs, the company visited the USA recently in attempts to understand supplier relationships with minority-owned businesses and made an encouraging discovery.
In the USA, there are no BBBEE requirements, but organisations continue to engage with minority-owned companies because small businesses value their business partnerships and they are lower risk than larger enterprises.
It is for this reason that the company invests their time in small business owners such as Deenin Padayachee, who created Little Thinkers development programme, and Honey Ndlovu who started Umthombo Hospitality Services.
The programme allows entrepreneurs from around the country attempt to learn how to take their businesses to the next level.
The programme, which is of no cost to the entrepreneurs, begins with a rigorous screening and interview process to find people to take part in the boot camp.
The boot camp then takes place in Cape Town, during which the selected applicants will take part in a number of activities to propel their businesses towards significant development.
Applications for the boot camp opened officially on 27 May and will afford entrepreneurs the chance to win a spot at the 2015 Supplier Development Programme in August.
Details: www.medo.co.za/entrepreneurs
