ActionSA President, Herman Mashaba and Gauteng premier candidate, Funzi Ngobeni hosted a youth workshop on March 7 at Soweto YMCA to give mentorship to young and upcoming entrepreneurs.
ActionSA is a political party that advocates for entrepreneurship and believes that entrepreneurs should be empowered to participate in the broader economy to access opportunities.
The purpose of this workshop was to assist young people with information that will set a foundation for their entrepreneurship ideas and motivate them into action.
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Business owners such as Mimmi Biggar and others from various parts of Soweto attended and took part in the workshop.
“To be in business you have to be able to take risks, accept failure after having tried,” Mashaba said to young people in attendance.
He also used his life story and journey as an entrepreneur to inspire and motivate young people who attended the workshop.
He spoke about the places he worked at when he was young like SPAR supermarket and how he was exposed to the hairdressing business at a young age before he ventured into the political path.
“As ActionSA we will introduce what is called inclusive empowerment policy so that we form an opportunity fund where all businesses will contribute towards it compulsory.
“The funds will fund black entrepreneurs who have been deprived of such opportunities instead of them going to ask for those funds from the bank.”
Dereleen James, another leader of the party in the province was one of the speakers who gave words of motivation to the youth.
She said, “Your gift will make room for you. Your challenges can’t stop you from going for your dreams because they are valid.”
She also highlighted how she used the challenges she has faced in life as a stepping stone to start her NGO that helps with fighting drugs in the community.
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She explained the importance of starting with what you have to create what you want. This includes getting qualified for the business you want to start as a young person.
Ayanda, is an entrepreneur who runs his own salon also took to the podium to speak to fellow entreprenuers.
He spoke extensively about the importance of compliance in business especially when one suns a salon.
He made mention of the fact that some entrepreneurs did not know that being pregnant and going to a salon can cause one to have a miscarriage due to products used at the salon.