Time for new business ideas, more jobs

"It's time for new business ideas," said the owner of an events organising company, who recently co-hosted a business skills workshop in Grahamstown. About 20 local entrepreneurs of all ages came to learn basic business skills at the workshop, which was held at the town hall last Friday.

"It's time for new business ideas," said the owner of an events organising company, who recently co-hosted a business skills workshop in Grahamstown. About 20 local entrepreneurs of all ages came to learn basic business skills at the workshop, which was held at the town hall last Friday.

The training was organised by 4ward Movement Entertainment (4ME), Cula Iculo Events, the Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC), Rhodes Business School and Makana Municipality to pass on business skills and advice local entrepreneurs.

Owner of Cula Iculo, Zintle Madikizela, told Grocott's Mail that when she visited Grahamstown recently after she left in 2004, she saw countless business opportunities. "When I visited Grahamstown last year, I noticed that some businesses were closed down and some were still offering the same old services," she said. "And I thought that it's time for new business ideas".

Madikizela completed her BComm degree in Economics in 2004 at Rhodes University. She said that she then met Sizwe Saliso (former Umhlobo Wenene DJ) of 4ME, and they decided to run a business plan competition and a business workshop in Grahamstown.

"I looked at Grahamstown and I saw a potential for growth," she said. Madikizela said they would have liked to see more business people at the workshop, but a change in date and venue had caused some confusion.

Prof Matthew Lester from the Rhodes Business School talked about basic entrepreneurship principles, and said that any person starting a business needs to choose something that they love.

"That love will produce energy, and that energy will give you profit at the end of the day," he said. Lester added that one of the most important things in business is to create jobs: "Businesses also need to focus more on cash flow as opposed to profit, and most importantly create jobs, because that is what we need in South Africa at the moment."

One workshop participant, Monwabisi Sikilana from the Inqawa Yethambo Youth Initiative in Ward 7, said that he learnt a great deal from the workshop, but would like to learn more. "We still need help because we have been waiting for our registration certificate for two months now, so we need some advice," he said.

Sikilana said that the information he got from the workshop was going to help him grow as a young entrepreneur.