Barcelona - Day 2

My morning appointment was with Barcelona Activa and as I am in a hotel close by, the walk was brisk and fresh. It was good to be in the heart of 22@ and it is interesting to see how vibrant the streets are. There is activity everywhere as the area, which clearly was a strongly industrial part of town not too long ago, is being torn down and modern buildings are erected to house businesses like T Systems. There are at least two universities / training centres that I saw and a number of upmarket coffee shops etc. Architecturally the upliftment is done quite well in that some old "icons" are kept and deftly incorporated into the new modern structures.

The beach is a 15 minute walk away and beautiful with modern artworks popping up everywhere.

I was fully briefed on the model (like you all have) by Marc Sans, who works with Anna, Elena and Montse. He is very knowledgeable and so excited about their programme. What was interesting was to see how Spain's acceptance into the European Union boosted employment rates and economic growth. They have clearly developed models of support and integrate this carefully with training programmes and job placement programmes. About 40 people per day receive their introductory "brief" and in total 1500 companies are coached through the startup phase and 3 years beyond.

What I found interesting is that their incubator space, which currently houses 50 businesses, and I must say, is quite beautiful, has 10 full time coaches / advisors available at all times. Entrepreneurs are not assigned a specific mentor / advisor / coach, but simply "pop down" to speak to whoever is available. This is different to our TSiBA model, but interestingly so and potentially quite a useful way of transferring the onus of responsibility to the entrepreneur and "forcing" the entrepreneur to think clearly about what the question is and where to get the answer. Our model relies more on the building of individual mentoring relationships as we believe this is more needed at the early stages of a business. Who knows? Certainly interesting to consider alternatives.

My second visit was to "SURT" - Foundation for the integration of socially marginalised women. This group focusses more on integrating vulnerable women into the workplace and tuning in on the need for social services to be involved where necessary. Sex workers who want to change profession are also encouraged to join their re-training programmes as well as women over 45 (eek!!), "housewives", immigrants and women who might be highly qualified, but who need to reskill to be marketable.

What was impressive was their resources to do research - they have published several books and large works. They also have efficient connections with government and their seamless integration with other services is impressive.

Signing out until Colombia,

Barcelona - Day 1

Arrived in Barcelona yesterday and was quickly introduced to Barcelona's most famous tourist detraction... pickpockets... in 3 seconds I was detracted and they were gone. Unfortunately for them they chose a South African to bully, so they had to saunter (yes saunter!) away empty handed. I always spread my important items throughout my luggage and booby trap them, so heh, they got nothing for their trouble and I got a few teaspoons of adrenaline coursing through my veins. Veins, I may add, that have up to now been saturated with the best cafe con leche's in the world. Man can these Spaniards make coffee!

I am situated in Barcelona 22@ and find the area very interesting. One can clearly see that the area used to be industrial and are now being revamped as we were told when Activa visited Cape Town in October. Unfortunately though, I am told that Spain suffered particularly badly in the financial crisis and here in 22@ in particular it is evident, as the property industry suffered the most.

Today I was hosted by an organisation called Trinijove (Trinitat + Youth). The director, Elizabeth Diaz introduced me to their programme and we went for a long walk through the neighbourhood. Trinitat is a very poor neighbourhood where unemployed is rife, drug dealing is commonplace, and a group of people live here at the terminal stages of AIDS (most infections here are from needle sharing). Motivation is low, education is poor and a number of gypsy families have illegally occupied buildings in the area. Most of their children either do not attend school at all, or attend erratically. Many of the youth are immigrants and although given residency permits - they are not given work permits!

Informally I picked up similar antagonistic views to "these foreigners who take our jobs"I was pleased to be able to look at the social services and support in this area. Trinijove supports the youth with training programmes like welding, cooking, cleaning and gardening. They help with placements and social reintegration. They also started a local radio station and have courses in social enterprise. Although I was not given specific statistics, they do anecdotally speak of successes in stimulating entrepreneurship. As in our own informal settlements, the initiatives remain small e.g. hiring oneself out as a painter, managing a group of ladies to clean houses or gardening.Trinijove gets half its funding from the government (and pays their students stipends akin to our learnership programmes) and supports itself with some income generating activities such as their successful recycling programme at the airport (employing mentally disabled staff)

The "La Caixa" (pron. kaiisha) "bank" was discussed, but I am still a little unsure how this differs from a "regular" bank.

That's me for now. Will blog tomorrow after meeting with Activa and a programme called "Fundacio Surt" dedicated to integrating vulnerable women into the economy.

Tirama Manufacturers secures investment from Old Mutual Properties

In a major breakthrough for the three entrepreneurs of Tirama Manufacturers, Sonwabo Rasimen, the MD of the company, announced that it has secured a further investment of R50,000 from Old Mutual Properties in their quest to start up a concrete products manufacturing company in Khayelitsha.

The money is to be used to start a pilot production facility to obtain SABS (South African Bureau of Standards) approval for core products. This is a key milestone to earn credibility with potential customers. Old Mutual Properties has previously provided Tirama with financial support to develop their business plan together with TSiBA's Entrepreneurship Centre.

Off to look at several Activa's

Following Peter's involvement in the "importing" of the Barcelona Activa model to Cape Town, I will be also have the privilege of seeing Barcelona Activa in action next week. I'll report soon on how this model was adapted in other coutries notably Colombia and Ecuador.

Congratulations to the two TSiBA Entrepreneurship students who received brand-new lap tops from Northeastern University!

Prior to class discussion last Thursday, ENT-2 students settled down in their seats and waited for a lecture to begin. However, class was special on this day as visitors from the main office came into the classroom and joined the group. As the students began to look around with curiosity and anticipation, ENT-2 lecturer Peter Kraan appeared and was holding a box with “DELL” written on the side. The classroom was filled with intensity and two students in particular were glowing and radiant with smiles.

Last July, 20 students from Northeastern University in Boston, Massachusetts collaborated with BBA-2 students at TSiBA for the purpose of engaging in a business consulting project. The students learned first hand about the obstacles entrepreneurs are faced with when starting and growing a business. The students worked one-on-one with their entrepreneur to overcome these problems by providing them with advice and resources that will promote growth in their business.

In addition, the students took trips to Robben Island, learned first hand about the dramatic effects of Apartheid, went biking to Cape Point and visited the Desmond Tutu HIV/AIDS Foundation. On weekdays, they gathered together in the TSiBA arena and listened to hero speakers. They also learned about each other’s different and varied cultures. In addition, they had the opportunity to be taught by Professor Dennis Shaughnessy from Northeastern University.

Near the end of the programme, the Northeastern students were presented with the opportunity to provide two TSiBA students with brand-new laptops. This was a token of appreciation for their dedication and commitment to the NEU/TSiBA Field Study Project. The Northeastern students had given a silent vote. By majority, Phumzile Fatyela and Charne Fortune were chose and honored to receive these special gifts.

Once again, congratulations to Pumzile and Charne and a special thank you to all the TSiBA and Northeastern students for making the Field Study Project a memorable one which will last a lifetime!

TSiBA Entrepreneurs raking it in!

TSiBA mentored entrepreneurs are having a field day! After the news that Abus Hiring Services had won R15000, we heard today that Silulo Ulutho has won second place in the national SAB Kickstart competition. That's worth R150000 (yes, one hundred and fifty thousand rand). That brings total prize money won this year to R285000 by three different entrepreneurs, Silulo Ulutho, Aneliese Creations and Abus Hiring Services.

The SAB press release reads: Second prize of R150 000 went to the entrepreneurial brothers Lonwabo and Luvuyo Rani of Silulo Ulutho Technologies in Khayelitsha in Cape Town. Silulo Ulutho - which means “bringing value” - provides computer access, training, sales and repairs at seven centres and Internet cafes situated in in the underserviced markets of Khayelitsha and Gugulethu. The brothers – who see themselves as social entrepreneurs in terms of their impact on society, as well as businessmen, who do not lose focus on profit and return - currently employ a staff of 26 and train more than 340 students a month. They plan to franchise their operation around the country.

The full press release can be seen on http://www.sablimited.co.za/sablimited/view/sablimited/en/page62?oid=1611&sn=Detail

TSiBA Entrepreneur wins JET Community Award

Mandla Khusela, owner of Abus Hiring Services, received a cheque for R15000 for winning the regional Vukuzenzele Young Entrepreneur Award in the 2009 JET Community Competition. The annual Jet Community Awards aim to reward those individuals or organisations working tirelessly to improve the lives of local families and community members.

The award coincides with Abus best month ever: Mandla beat his own targets and achieved a turnover of R18000 in September, well before the festive season starts! Thanks to a generous donation by the Dell Foundation, we have been able to mentor Mandla for the last 12 months.

Mandla is very excited about this award and he is planning to plow the proceeds back into the company and buy new equipment for his business.

Planning a party? Abus specializes in kiddies parties: Jumping castles, slides, fun rides, tables and chairs and more. Need a clown? Catering equipment? Includes delivery. Contact Mandla Khusela at 073 251-3119 or email info@abuhiringservices.co.za.

Grand West CSI Women’s Day

In celebration of Women’s Day, Grand West CSI hosted an Exhibition at Grand West Casino in Goodwood on Friday 7 August.

A number of TSiBA Entrepreneurs showcased their skills and knowledge with other emerging women in the Small and Medium Enterprise industry. They also benefited from over 3000 visitors to the exhibition and took advantage of the opportunity to advertise and sell their products and services. The exhibition also gave them the opportunity to network with other emerging business people as well as with the Grand West CSI team.

The day was extremely festive with fun events, live entertainment, guest speakers (including TSiBA Education) and spot prizes. Grand West CSI judges visited each stand to determine the winners of three cash prizes: R15 000; R10 000 and R5 000.

And the second prize of R10 000 was awarded to our very own Evelyn Mbenyane, owner of Anelisa Creations. Evelyn’s sewing company has been housed in the garage at the TSiBA Entrepreneurship Centre since March 2007. It is from this site that she manufactures her products and runs her business under the guidance and support of the Entrepreneurship Centre. This year Evelyn completed the Micro-MBA training programme at TSiBA that assisted her in taking her business to another level. She plans to invest the prize money in her business. Contact Evelyn Mbenyane at 0835965208.

Other TSiBA exhibitors included MP Solutions (Design and Printing of Business Cards, Brochures, etc. – Rochelle Swartz 0785343309); Coiffure “M” Hairsalon (Professional Hairstylist – Tersia Kearns 0733592034); Mhani Gingi Social Network (hand-crafted products made by local women using recycled materials – Lilian Masebenza 0824654687) and Sithabe African Crafts (exquisite hand-crafted Nguni beaded items – Mathokoza Nhlapo http://www.sithabecrafts.co.za/)

This Women’s Day exhibition also served as the platform for TSiBA to enter into a meaningful relationship with Grand West CSI due to the visible synergies between the two institutions. We look forward to their continued involvement and support.

BBA-2 Student at TSiBA Enters the World of Entrepreneurship

Nqobile Bhengu, a dedicated BBA – 2 student at TSiBA, has put her management and creativity skills into action by starting her own business in designing personalized cards. She started the company with two other members, and faced a challenge almost immediately after formulating a business plan. The two original members left the group and Nqobile was then faced with her biggest obstacle: Does she join her competitors, who consist of 6 members, and share their passion, or does she continue to follow her own passion and carry on the business alone? With much thought and discussion amongst herself and the competition, she decided to stick with her gut and take on her business by herself, under the name Design4U. Nqobile has been chugging through the process of starting a business by creating cards to sample her work, building financial models to track sales and profits, and by networking with other professionals in the industry. She knew that her product was something that people really appreciated, and this was evident when she made her first sale back in May. Nqobile’s personalized cards are unique in that she works one-on-one with her customers to create a card that caters to their liking. Her customer will then have a chance to write their own personal note or greeting which is then printed on beautiful hand-made paper. “I named the company ‘Design4U’ because it tells the customer what I do. I design personalized cards specifically for my customer.” – Nqobile Bhengu

Today, you may find Nqobile in the Entrepreneurship Centre making calls or writing e-mails to potential customers, or working with her mentor who has experience in this particular field. Nqobile’s passion and dedication to her business is sparking much interest among her network of supporters. She has had three personal and independent investors who also believe in her and the business to the point where they are willing to help fund her venture. Nqobile has found a hobby that she enjoys doing and then turned it into a business by first discovering the market potential for her product and service. This, along with her self-discipline and motivation will be the factors that will contribute to the success of her own business that started here, at TSiBA.

Silulo Ulutho Opens in Charlesville Mall

This Saturday, August 15, Silulo Ulutho opened the doors of its fifth location, Charlesville Mall in Gugulethu, and its first outside of Khayelitsha.


Among many other guests, members of Parliament were there, SAB Breweries, and Vodacom. Silulo's unrelenting pace is astounding. They now count 24 employees and a yearly turnover of over R3.5 million. For once, I'm speechless...

Your Home Away From Home

Written by: Zakiyah Toefy, Nicole Russell and Manuel Kirkwood

Nurjehan Singh, proud owner of 41 On Cedar Bed and Breakfast realized her dream after working in the corporate environment for 15 years. Following a traumatic setback in 1995, Nurjehan spent the next five years planning her business. Being a people’s person and wanting to pursue a business in the hospitality/ tourism industry, 41 On Cedar was officially established in March 2007. It has since hosted accommodation to companies like Cola SA, Hydra Marine, SOS Children’s Village and was also contracted to FIFA for the 2010 World Cup.

Recently 41 On Cedar Bed and Breakfast was involved in the TSiBA/ Northeastern University (NEU) Field Study program where students from TSiBA and NEU combined their diverse knowledge and skills to assist Nurjehan on how to run her business more efficiently and effectively.

Our group visited the bed and breakfast and was astounded to see what a great place Nurjehan had. After that, we were so enthused to get to work.

This cosy, home away from home bed and breakfast hosts accommodation solutions for short, medium and long term stays.

Centrally located, this abode is just minutes away from Grand West Casino, Canal Walk Shopping Centre, N1 City Mall, Howard Centre, Cape Town CBD and many more.

Some of the facilities available include a single bedroom, double bedroom, twin bedroom and self catering cottage.

Breakfast is served daily between 7-10 am.

Supper can be supplied upon request as well as a shuttle service which will be charged additionally.

41 On Cedar is strictly Halaal and does not allow alcohol on the premises.

To contact Nurjehan (Nora) Singh:
Tel: 021 531 6223
Cell: 072 310 1338
Fax: 086 546 7553
E-mail: info@41oncedar.co.za
Website: http://www.41oncedar.co.za/

Consulting With a Cause

Written by: Naseebah Souma, Asanda Panda and Marvin Stoffels

Siteti Consulting is a consulting business owned by Fraser Siteti. One of the main focuses of Siteti Consulting is to help upcoming entrepreneurs with their start up businesses within the surrounding areas. Siteti Consulting is situated in Khayelitsha, (Greenpoint) and is functional from Mr. Siteti’s house. The consulting business has been in operation since 2006. Mr. Siteti, who was a school teacher for 15 years, has a B.Com from Vista University and a Secondary Teacher’s Diploma from Mxenge College of Education. He has a passion for training and teaching others. Some of the clients that Siteti Consulting has include, Violence Prevention through Urban Upgrading (VPUU) Project and Radio Zibonele.

Mr. Siteti has been financing his business by offering other services such as book selling and cleaning services. The book selling and cleaning services businesses was started by Mr. Fraser because he needed collateral after being denied by several banks for not having the required security.

Our project was based on helping Mr. Siteti with his marketing material and creating networks other than the ones Mr. Siteti already had to keep the business sustainable. Our project group consisted of four members namely, Stephanie, Michaela, Asanda and Marvin. We helped Mr. Siteti’s consulting business by creating brochures, coming up with better ways to improve his client base, lining him up with potential partners and revising his business plan for his consulting business.

Special thanks to Mr. Siteti for having us help him with his dream and all the team members for making this project a success.

If you want to contact Fraser Siteti:
Mobile: 084 626 7914
E-mail: frasermzukisi@yahoo.com

Mhani Gingi Micro-Finance

Written by: Fatima Vinoos, Shivon Jacobs and Shakeel Hashim

We would like to tell you more about a remarkable woman named Lillian Masebenza. She is the CEO and founder of Mhani Gingi Entrepreneurial Networks and is a living embodiment and agent of her vision for an empowered Africa. She sees her company becoming a renowned leader in providing innovative solutions and business opportunities aimed at alleviating poverty within the global society.

Lillian has a soft spot for impoverished youth and women in her surrounding communities. She would do anything in her power to help those in need. She is also an Ashoka Fellow and is connected with many other institutions with the same values as Mhani Gingi.

Lillian is now in the process of opening a micro-finance institution to help the youth and women in the impoverished communities to start up their own businesses. The loans will be made using social collateral because those who are going to apply for the finances are people without any assets to use as collateral at banks. For the past three weeks we have been helping her to set up the framework for this institution.

Mhani Gingi is a good network to belong to as all the businesses under the Mhani Gingi umbrella work together to help each other get business. They focus on the power of the collective and work hand in hand with one another which contribute to everyones success.

It was a pleasure meeting and working with her because it was clear to us as a group that her intentions were purely to help uplift the lives of others. We will definitely be keeping in contact with her and have offered our help to her in any way that she may need us in future. If you feel that you want to be a part of this network, contact Lillian for more information.

Lillian Masebenza
Tel: 021 532 2750
Cell: 082 465 4687
Email: nlrestio@telkomsa.net

17 CJ Langenhoven St.
Parow North
Cape Town
8000

Comida Catering and Their Amazing Cakes

Written by: Nodumo Kuse and Natheema Abbas

Comida Catering is a company that specializes in confectionary and assorted cooking that will take your breath away!! The owner and head chef is Jose Joao; he has a blazing passion for confectionary and cooking and has been putting his skills to the test professionally for five years. The business is located Cape Town, South Africa. Jose employs quite an enthusiastic group of women of which one of them is his wife while the other two are qualified, experienced cooks.

Comida Catering caters for any event, from formal occasions such as weddings, corporate functions to more casual events like birthday parties, braais etc. Whatever the event, our qualified function chef and experienced staff are on hand to make your occasion a memorable one. Let Jose Joao take care of the catering while you enjoy the company of friends or colleagues.

My classmate and I, along with two Northeastern University students were given the privilege to consult his business for our project. It was a wonderful experience because we got to see him in action. He showed us the whole process of making his scrumptious, delicious cakes. Jose has a passion for the art of confectionary.

Some of our favorite cakes that Jose specializes in are chocolate mousse, black forest cake, florentine cake and butter cream cakes.

If you want your event to go smoothly and have a memorable event no one will forget, contact Jose at:

Jose and Teresa Joao
Tel: 073 245 3407
Email: info@comidacatering.co.za

YEP! Clan

Written by: Charne Fortune, Samantha Pieterse, Phumzile Fatyela and Sizwe Matoti

YEP! Clan (Youth Empowerment Project) is a young dynamic structure within the community of Khayelitsha, using diversified ways of encouraging active participation for young people through community development programs.

As part of our Social Entrepreneurship field study we had an opportunity to consult this organization. We (three TSiBA and two Northeastern University students), worked in collaboration to ensure that YEP Clan in future can move from being solely dependant on donations to being a sustainable business. We were educated about the programs that they use to “replace negativity with activities”, as they say. These programs are Cycling, Greening Young Minds, Pride of Hope and Life Skills Workshop.

Earlier this year YEP Clan took 15 boys from Khayelitsha to participate in the Cape Argus Pick n Pay Cycling Tour for the first time. All of them completed it successfully.

Greening Young Minds is a program that takes young people to the wilderness so that they can gain exposure to a different environment than what they are used to. This also equips them with the necessary knowledge to ensure that they are aware of the environment and how they can protect it.

Pride of Hope ensures that the youth goes to other organizations and impart their learnings by spending time with children in orphanages.

The life skills workshop deals with the issues that the youth are being faced with and creates a platform for them to voice their opinions and learn from one another.

If you think you can contribute to a specific program or the organization as a whole, we would love to get in contact with you to discuss your involvement with the organization. If you are ready to contribute in any form of a donation, feel free to contact the following person directly via the information below.

Sizwe Matoti

Managing Director, YEP! Clan

076 394 9006

http://www.yepclan.weebly.com/

ProTeam SA Website Launched!

My friends and I recently had the privilege of taking a township tour through Langa Township led by MC Mgobozi.

MC was introduced in a previous blog entry as the owner of ProTeam SA, so I won't go into too much detail. The basics of it is that his company runs township tours as well as corporate team building activities.



Our tour was amazing and completely customized. We went on a Sunday, and MC took us to his church where we were introduced in front of the congregation.

While the tour was phenomenal, the real reason for this blog was to announce the creation of MC's website.

http://www.proteamsa.co.za/ is live!!

Check it out and tell all your friends.

If you want to contact MC, all his information is located there.

The Entrepreneurship Centre works for you!

It is always great when you see hard work is paying off.

Today, one of the Entrepreneurship Centre's clients found out. His name is Simpihwe Ntshayi (aka TaSimpra), a young photographer from Makhaza, Khayelitsha. Instead of living from street photography he decided to focus on more specialised services like wedding & children photography, lamination and CV-building. We spent quite some hours working on target markets, costing and financial planning. The main challenge was the gathering of all the information needed to make a sound business plan, the main advantage in making things happen was the large network of contacts TaSimpra has built throughout the years.

First of all, he managed to get a loan from Africa Jam which enabled him to purchase a computer from Silulo Ulutho Technologies. In that way he is able to offer more advanced services. Secondly, he was able to obtain sponsorship from Nikon to get a state-of-art camera. The recently launched Nikon D500 that TaSimpra will receive this week has a retail price of R 7000. I believe this speaks for itself!

For enhanced photography jobs you can phone TaSimpra on 0825828936.

"Not everyone who chased the zebra caught it, but he who caught it chased it."

--South African Proverb

I know the purpose of this blog is mainly meant to talk about the entrepreneurs we help and how they are working hard to become successful.

But what about us? What about all the behind the scenes work that most people have no idea about. What about the centre?

The TSiBA Entrepreneurship Centre was founded in January 2007 as part of TSiBA Education to provide entrepreneurs a place to plan, develop and grow their businesses.

Successful economies are built on small to medium-sized enterprises. Lack of resources and insufficient managerial talent has hindered the growth of these in South Africa. According to the 2008 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor survey, South Africa only has a new business prevalence rate of 2.1 percent which ranks it 38th out of 43 countries meaning that only 2.1 percent of new businesses survive. The TSiBA Entrepreneurship Centre has created a hands-on operational assistance method including very practical skills development programme and one-on-one mentorship to solve these problems.

All entrepreneurs that go through our programme will learn how to develop their skills, create jobs for others through their businesses, become sustainable and have a positive social impact in their community. When the entrepreneurs leave our centre, they are self-sustainable and have the tools to successfully maintain and grow their businesses.

The work at the Centre is also a cornerstone of the entrepreneurship curriculum at TSiBA Education: the case studies developed at the Centre are used in the classroom and the Centre provides our students with an opportunity to cut their teeth at helping to run real businesses.

In our first two years, we have served over 100 small businesses in the surrounding communities since our founding and currently house four of those in our facilities.

So what does all that mean?

From my very brief time here so far, let me give you a few of my insights.

The centre isn’t just about helping businesses. That’s a huge misconception that I had when I came here. The centre is about helping people. Obviously those people must have a business, but it is more complex than that. If people need help with building their confidence, the centre will coach them with that. If they need help figuring out how to use a computer, we’re ready to show them. Even if it’s something as seemingly simple as the person has had a hard business week and needs to vent, we have open ears.

Each of the staff members in the centre deeply cares about the entrepreneurs that come through the centre and want to succeed with the necessary hard work. The centre is not just a place that says they are here for the people, they really are.

I feel like my eyes have been opened so widely by the entrepreneurs and staff here. There is so much determination and drive behind everyone that it makes me question myself.

You have to be willing to work extremely hard to be successful at the centre. You also must have the right attitude because without that, you will never succeed. But if you’re willing, the centre has the tools, determination, and compassion to help your business.

Iziko lo Lwazi

I had the honor of visiting Iziko lo Lwazi a week ago to prepare for the Northeastern Project with Peter and Johan.

Iziko lo Lwazi is a non-profit organization that helps women from the nearby informal settlement Imizamo Yetho earn money while learning. It started as an adult literacy program that offered free English lessons but has now grown into a business that helps empower women.

The company decided to help the women earn money through paper making. They have now expanded into cards, beadwork, and other gifts.

Johan and I had the privilege of watching paper being made (a beautiful shade of pink) and received a cool explanation about different materials that can be used in the process.

Did you know that paper can be made out of rooibos tea, seaweed, or dung from horses, camels, or elephants? Neither did I. Each material gives the paper a different look and feel. It can also be dyed any colour under the sun and would go beautifully in any scrapbook or journal.

We then were shown where the women do the beadwork. I'm not that crafty with my hands, and I was amazed at what all the women can make. We saw a coin purse, key chains, and pins being made among other things.

Then we moved on to the trailer where English classes are taught. Training is also given to the women about business skills, product development, and marketing.

We finally ended up in the store. I couldn't resist myself and bought the most beautiful beaded necklace that I'm saving for a special occasion. I also bought some cards with wired animals on them. Later that day when I showed them to my friends, they begged me to go back and buy some for them.

Eventually, Iziko lo Lwazi would like for the 12-16 women that work there to take over the running of the business. I left with a sense of hope and excitement for the company. You can't help but feel it when you're there.

If you're interested in assisting the business financially or through funding, or if you just want to buy some of their amazing products, you can e-mail them at izikoll@gmail.com. You can also visit their website at http://www.izikoll.co.za/ or call administrator Fezeka Dyani at 021 790 2273 or 084 580 8684.

TSiBA's 5th Birthday Supports Local Entrepreneurs

On Friday, May 22nd, TSiBA Education celebrated its fifth birthday party. The party included a ceremony, a clown, DJs, and local entrepreneurs from the entrepreneurship centre.

Abu’s Hiring Services and Comida Catering provided their services to help make the big day special.

Abu’s Hiring Services is a business that provides assets like cutlery, furniture and kids entertainment. It was started in 2006 and is run by Mandle and Zoleka Khusela.




For the birthday party, they provided the clown, and the jumping castle. The kids couldn’t get enough of them! They also provided the chairs and the tent where the ceremony was held.



Comida Catering is another local business that assisted in making the birthday memorable. The company currently does the catering for TSiBA Education in the canteen and provides wonderful food every day. It is owned by Jose and Teresa Joao.

Comida provided the beautiful cupcakes that spelled out TSiBA and had the number five on them in honor of the birthday. They also provided other delicious finger food. All the goodies were gone in minutes.

The ceremony went on without a hitch and was made even more memorable by supporting TSiBA entrepreneurs.

If you want to contact Abu’s Hiring Services, you can call them at 021 361 2775 or 073 251 3119 (mobile). Or you can send them an e-mail at info@abuhiringservices.co.za.

To contact Comida Catering, you can call them at 073 245 3407 or 021 532 2750 x113 (business). Or you can e-mail them at info@comidacatering.co.za.

Next Gucci in South Africa?

Will the next Gucci come from South Africa? Not a doubt, according to Mluleki, maker of sandals, bags and belts from Crossroads in Cape Town (below right). And he is going to extraordinary lengths to achieve that goal. After completing our micro-MBA course in February, he realized he was getting nowhere selling his products from his container in a quiet street in the township of Crossroads. No traffic, no sales.


But Mluleki does know his struggle history, and was aware that two youngsters, Mabhuti Fatman and Goodman Mali, had been shot and killed by security police in October 1985 next to his container. The Human Rights Media Centre got involved, a book was written (see this link for more information), and, recently, a graphical artist and a wood sculptor commissioned to design a simple memorial to the slain men. The container was repainted with a detailed description in Xhosa of the events, a sculpture erected and a gravestone carved into the trees where they were slain.



Now that the site is finished, tour operators are being approached to make this a stop on their tour of the townships. The first group of Norwegians were very impressed by this simple but very elegant memorial site!

Micro - MBA Follow Up Session

One and a half months ago, the Entrepreneurship Centre conducted its first Micro- MBA workshop. The week long program aided 21 develop and grow their businesses by providing valuable business training. Unfortunately, in any workshop there is always a gap between acquiring knowledge and putting it to actual use. To bridge this gap, the Entrepreneurship Centre ran the first of three Micro - MBA follow up sessions on April 7th. The purpose of theses follow up sessions is to ensure that the entrepreneurs’ businesses continue to grow, that they use the skills learned from the original workshop, and also build upon them.

The session began with many familiar face, smiles, and pats on the back as participants chatted about what has been happening since the last workshop. After exchanging pleasantries, the entrepreneurs gave speeches, detailing the obstacles and successes they have experienced in their business since the Micro – MBA. Various other exercises were conducted throughout the session including group brainstorming on why some small businesses fail and why others succeed. We also had a brief ceremony in which participants were given their Micro – MBA certificates.

To finish off the half day session, the group was given assignments for the month ahead to ensure that their skills developed in the Micro – MBA would be put to good use. Overall the session went quite well, and the participants had quite a lot to say. They even went so far as to write to us about how the course has affected them.


I am really happy that I took the opportunity to study about business at Tsiba in the Micro - MBA.

I gained knowledge on a lot of things like how to start a business, how to keep the customers you already have, how to keep the business booming, how to get the business well known among the people, and how to calculate the cost of sales and selling prices.

I also got friends that I can contact when I need assistance and advice.

-Nongqele Kalashe

What I have achieved from the Micro MBA course is how to price and add my markup, how to keep my books in order and balancing, how to create a marketing plan and how improve my purchasing strategy.

After the course I developed a marketing plan and orders have started to come in. I am busy processing many orders these days. Thanks to the Micro MBA course I was able to add value to my business.

-Evelyn Mbenyane




Through my encounter with TSiBA I have found the right attitude in dealing with my customers by reading in minute detail possibilities for potential customers. I learned how to tell apart the buyers from the window-shoppers. I found business should not be isolated within the notion of merely closing a sale. Instead it is important to realize an opportunity to build sustainable relationships with each customer.

-Mluleki Sinuku

Day 3 of MIT Start-up Workshop

After yesterday's action-packed day, I was prepared for a relaxing Friday. Jessica Jackley Flannery shattered my hopes immediately and completely. She told another improbable story: how a few friends, making a few loans of a couple of dollars each, helping a few farmers in Uganda, grew within the space of a few years to kiva.org, an international community of 470,000 lenders providing US$ 65,000,000 in loans to 95,000 entrepreneurs. The recovery rate of these loans is an amazing 98% with interest rates about 10% below the norm for most micro-finance programs. Go to www.kiva.org to learn more and become a lender yourself.

What strikes me again and again listening to stories of Jessica and Alicia yesterday (pictured below), is how improbable they sound and how they rely more on character, grit and determination than on anything we can teach in an Entrepreneurship class.

What is especially heartening is that many of these very modern success stories are being told by women. In fact, a decade or so ago, a conference like this would have attracted very few women. Today, almost half of the participants were female. In fact, if you leave out the age groups north of 40, I would wager that women were in the majority. In entrepreneurship, the glass ceiling has not only shattered, it has disappeared completely!


And then there was William Kamkwamba from Malawi. His story is so unbelievable, all I'm going to provide you with is a link to YouTube: Moving Windmills. Who said there was no entrepreneurial spirit in Africa?


And so ends a magnificent three day event. There was a lot of networking going on. I'm especially pleased that South African organisations pitched up in great numbers. Richard Branson School of Entrepreneurship, Raizcorp, SEDA, DTI, Wits Business School, the City of Cape Town, the Bandwidth Barn, TSiBA of course, and just about anyone who is anyone in SA entrepreneurship was there.

Day 2 of MIT Start-up Workshop

Wow! What a day! Almost every event was superlative.

A session on Entrepreneurship Support Structures was highly relevant to our work at the Entrepreneurship Centre. It started with a very provocative question and one I continually grapple with at TSiBA: how on earth can a non-profit organization (university, incubator, government agency) teach entrepreneurs to make a profit? Can a non-profit truly produce the aggressive tigers that thrive in the market place or do they produce tame lions that die once they are let out into the wild? A troubling question with no easy answer...

Another highlight was Mansoor Mohamed (pictured above), Executive Director for Economic, Social Development and Tourism of the City of Cape Town, whom Leigh and I had just met in his office last week. He gave a compelling overview of the steps that the City is taking to foster entrepreneurship and innovation. One of his pet projects is an innovation hub, an area of about 10 hectares; where organisations in the entrepreneurship space will be housed together to create synergies and economic opportunities beyond their individual potential. One of these is a well-known provider of a tertiary degree in Entrepreneurial Leadership. :-) A serial entrepreneur himself, it is heartening to see a dynamic business person like Mansoor in such an influential position within city management.

And just when we thought it couldn't get much better, Alicia Polak, an ex-investment banker who left Merrill Lynch well before their demise, told her story of starting Khaya Cookies, a very profitable venture targeting unemployable women from Khayelitsha to produce high-quality cookies both for local consumption and for export to the United States.

The icing of the cake goes to Cebisa, who entered the Elevator Pitch Competition. He did really well, and tomorrow we will learn whether he can go through to the finals. "I have never been so nervous in all my life", a visibly relieved Cebisa confided to me after the event.

And just as we were completely exhausted, the Managing Director of the MIT Entrepreneurship Center, Kenneth P. Morse, pulled off an entrepreneurial show of epic dimensions. Whatever I try to say about his performance, you wouldn’t believe it. So I won’t even go there…

Day 1 of MIT Start-up Workshop

Cebisa and I are attending a three-day workshop on Business Start-ups (http://www.mitgsw.org/) organized by MIT and the WITS Business School. We are being sponsored by the McCoombs School of Business of the University of Texas (thanks David!). The day started of with a riveting keynote address by Euvin Naidoo of WITS. Later, there was an excellent panel discussion by university students that started their own businesses while they were still studying, something we have often discussed at TSiBA. Tomorrow has several highlights, but I will especially be following Cebisa in the Elevator Pitch Competition! Between sessions, there is a lot of networking going on and Cebisa certainly works the crowd.

L'Oreal likes our Micro-MBA students

There is nothing better than walking on the streets after you had a fresh haircut. Yesterday was one of those fresh-hair days. Bart and I went to Tersia, our new hairdresser. Tersia worked over ten years in the Sheraton Hotel (it is the Westin Grand now), but now she works from home in Thornton, only 5 minutes from our campus.

In February, she participated in our very first Micro-MBA course. What did she get from it? "I used to hope for the best each day," she said, "but now I am actually able to run my business effectively and can predict my numbers." Tersia learned about marketing and marketing research, resulting in a 40% boost in clients. She specialises in upscale service (a nice head massage and very smart advice), and is always ready to give you a new look.

We were not the only ones impressed by Tersia's skills. Recently she struck a deal with L'Oreal, the French cosmetics giant (they employ 63 000 people) as advertised by the beautiful Penelope Cruz.

If you think you fancy a great new haircut, you can reach Tersia at the following numbers: (021) 532-3366 and 073 3590234.

Letterpress at Design Indaba

I have always loved the work of Anton and Gitanjali at The Letterpress Company. But their newest creation has surpassed my wildest dreams. A stunning series of cards depicting indigenous South African trees. These were a highlight of this year's Design Indaba.


Here is what Gitanjali had to say: Design Indaba Expo showcases the cream of SA design in various disciplines. One of our popular products, which received lots of attention at the Expo, was a boxed set of large folded cards featuring indigenous trees of southern Africa. Created using earth-friendly and tree-free papers and hand-operated printing equipment, our artisan stationery will soon be exported as there was interest from Japan, France and the UK. Visit our website for more details - www.theletterpresscompany.co.za.