This is disappointing news to me...
South Africa is ranked last out of 54 developing countries with regards to entrepreneurship. The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, a non-profit |academic research consortium, attributes this to a lack of networking, skills development and access to finance. To further aggravate this situation, 1 million jobs were lost in 2009 due to the recession.
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Out of a sample of 2 500 small, medium and micro enterprises participants, only 20 percent reported that they were profitable.
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Too many South Africans assume that any idea is an opportunity - but by entering a competition such as the Business Launchpad, entrepreneurs will hear the truth about business ideas and it may just save them from investing their life's savings into an idea that will never be a viable business.
http://www.busrep.co.za/index.php?fSectionId=552&fArticleId=5664427
I used to believe that the entrepreneurial spirit in SA was thriving but it appears not. I really hope that changes and I hope to be a part of that change. I believe the future of our beautiful country (I'm proudly South African) depends on entrepreneurs. It's up to people like you and me to come up with ideas and change the market. For example, I offer a service where you can get a website for R350 for the whole year. That's dirt-cheap. The catch is you have to build it yourself but, you know what, that's better than nothing!
A designer contacted me saying that what I offer is rubbish but I beg to differ. He went on to say that people should save up (a site normally costs R6,000 at least) before they buy a site or not build one at all! I say that's rubbish. That's the mindset that keeps money in the hands of the few instead of empowering the many to create it for themselves. Screw that mentality! I'd rather be the guy changing the market than the guy supporting "old ideas". Just look at Henry Ford and the hell he went through when he made cars accesible to the masses. People said the same things to him and now look - most of us would hate to think of life without a car.
Reading entrepreneur stories to your kids can encourage them to take that leap of faith later on in life. Tell them about Richard Branson, Donald Trump and Steve Jobs. Teach them about perseverance, persistance and how to manage money. Encourage them to learn more so they can outdo you. I think we owe that much to our kids!
The bottom line is that SA has huge potential but if we're going to get "there", we need to start supporting our entrepreneurs. I truly hope that competitions like the Business Launchpad (see the quote) and business initiatives like mine (http://www.just1.co.za) will help us get there. It may take 10 years but it will be a very worthwhile 10 years! I'm excited and drooling with anticipation to see what this country can do!
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