SMMEs invited to apply for free office space
Believers Care Society (BCS) has established a fully furnished office space to house 50 SMMEs and provide business incubation support to them.
The office space is located at the EDGE Shopping complex, 69 Turf Club Street in Turffontein.
The lease duration will be for six months at no cost. The purpose of the business support and incubation programme is to assist young entrepreneurs that struggle with their businesses due to lack of office space and administrative resources, so that they can take their businesses to the next level and improve youth economic participation and mainstreaming. The type of office space is open plan.
Alexander Iheme, programme manager at BCS, said, “It is well documented that we in South Africa struggle with low levels of entrepreneurship.
“According to Global Entrepreneurship Monitor’s research results, South Africa displayed low levels of entrepreneurship uptake by its youth, in comparison to their counterparts from middle-income developing countries in other parts of the world.
“This indicates that there is a clear need to stimulate youth entrepreneurship in South Africa, by encouraging more young people to consider entering the entrepreneurship space as a viable career choice. By stimulating entrepreneurship among the youth, we will be contributing to South Africa’s economic growth and labour market absorption.
“The National Development Plan 2030 also recognises the importance of SMMEs as enablers for inclusive economic growth and employment creation. According to the plan, it is envisaged that the SMME sector will create 90 per cent of the expected 11 million jobs by 2030.”
SMMEs are now encouraged to apply, criteria as follows:
Business must be existing and a registered company in the republic of South Africa; business age should not be older than five years from the date of registration. Only businesses that do not currently have an office can apply.
Requirements for application:
Business registration documents, business profile, certified ID copy and proof of residence.
Type of businesses suitable for the office space includes: marketing and promotion companies, consulting services, hospitality services, IT-related services, suppliers and distribution services, freelancing/training, assessors and moderation services, business administration/accounting services and graphic designers.
The office space has the following benefits:
Computers with access to Wi-Fi and internet connectivity, printing, copying and scanning resources, general office administrator to respond to calls and transfer calls on behalf of businesses, Telkom 011 number as a central office business number, business cards, board room for meetings, mentorship and short workshops on business and finance management.
Formal business operation to resume in the month of November.
To apply, visit BCS at 118 High Street, Turffontein. For more information, call them on 011 434 4598/1894, WhatsApp 081 441 7758 or visit www.believerscaresociety.org
