Need help organizing the finances of your business?

The Entrepreneurship Centre has recently made available a free, customizable financial administration template for Excel. This user-friendly template can assist businesses to keep track of their revenue and expenses by category, month, and by year.

The Summary sheet tracks net profit and total expenses by category for the entire year, and acts as a snapshot of how the business is doing.

To request an electronic copy of these templates, email mentor@tsiba.org.za or phone us at 021-532-2750 ext. 128

Generic invoice and quote templates are coming soon, stay tuned!

Micro-MBA hits Grand West!

In its quest to contribute to economic and social development in the areas surrounding Grand West Casino and Entertainment World, the Grand West CSI division identified small enterprise businesses that it could partner with. This partnership aims to grow these businesses financially as well as to ensure their sustainability.

TSiBA Education was contracted to facilitate a micro-MBA workshop to some of these entrepreneurs. The workshop took place from 12-16 April and was attended by 18 small business owners.
Of all the modules covered during the workshop, Money Management was by far the most popular due to its practicality and simplicity. This was closely followed by Costing and Pricing which came as an “eye-opener” to most of the business owners. Other modules focused on Market Investigation; Using a calculator for business; Buying; Selling; Writing a Business Plan and Stock Control.
The initial 5-day workshop is followed up by 3 days of mentoring to ensure that the entrepreneurs apply what they have learnt in the classroom. The delegates from this workshop receive certificates of completion in July 2010.

TSiBA Education is proud of its association with Grand West CSI and will continue to support its objectives by delivering these much-needed skills development programmes.

Entrepreneurship develops at TSiBA Eden

Last week some of us at the Entrepreneurship Centre visited TSiBA’s Eden campus in the Karatara village. In October of 2009, TSiBA Cape Town merged with the Eden campus, forming TSiBA Eden. The two schools share the same vision, and now share the same name as they hone the skills of eager students and aspiring entrepreneurs.

TSiBA Eden is a rural community green business and entrepreneurial college. The campus currently provides approximately 70 students from the surrounding community with a two year course in business and entrepreneurship, with an emphasis on green enterprises. The curriculum includes water conservation, permaculture and environmental management components, and may soon develop an additional energy component.
The TSiBA – Northeastern University (NU) Field Study Programme is coming up again, and part of the programme is a week-long service project in rural South Africa for the 40 NU students. We visited Karatara to check out the local project options for the students, and left with many new ideas and friends. We also met many local entrepreneurs!

As a TSiBA student, running a business is part of your education. As a result, many students at Eden run their businesses right on campus, including a clothing and convenience shop, bakery, and vegetable garden. Local entrepreneurs set up shop on campus as well- the group of senior citizens below created and sold jewelry at the entrance to the auditorium.
The trip was a success and we are close to finding a service project for the NU students. Stay tuned for more updates as the field study programme approaches!

Afriversity/TSiBA Entrepreneurship Centre Strategy Workshop

On May 3rd Afriversity Cape Town, together with TSiBA Entrepreneurship Centre hosted a free 3-hour Strategy Workshop where they focused on various aspects of growing small businesses in South Africa.

Afriversity Cape Town, is a not-for-profit organization, founded to train, support and provide incubation for promising Entrepreneurs.

The workshop focused on questions like:

1. What will your business look like 3 years from now.
2. What will you be doing to grow your business.
3. Do you have a clearly defined strategy to ensure growth and success or are you "flying blind" like so many business owners today?
4. Do you own your business or does the business own you?

The workshop was held at the TSiBA Entrepreneurship Centre, where 25 Entrepreneurs attended. The purpose of the workshop was to develop and implement new strategies, that ensure growth and sustainability, and to assist the small business owners persist through the current global economic slow down.

The sessions were very interactive, and gaging from the responses we received from the entrepreneurs the workshop came at a critical time, because many of these entrepreneurs are at a crossroads with their businesses.

Here is just a few of the responses we received from the attendees:

1. WOW, this is great stuff we received here today, Thanks ones again for inviting me.
2. My business will greatly benefit from todays workshop, I'm so happy to be invited.
3. I wanted to give up, but after this workshop I have a new focus to grow my business, THANKS SO MUCH!!
4. I've gained such alot of insight today, please have more of these sessions we need this.



The TSiBA Entrepreneurship Centre will stay committed to help entrepreneurs, and will continue to partner with other organizations like Afriversity to give our entrepreneurs the services they need in such a crucial time like these to help them stay afloat.

A big thank you to Brian Adams and his team from Afrivesity for the time they invested to help entrepreneurs achieve their goals!!

For more information on Afriversity go to their website or:
Contact Brian Adams on 021-418-0450
Email: brian @afriversity.org





 

Is 8 Enough for Silulo?

On Friday, May 7th, Silulo Ulutho Technologies celebrated the opening of yet another internet café! Located in the Nonkqubela Link mall in Khayelitsha, this new branch brings Silulo's total number of branches to 8.

Silulo Ulutho Technologies was founded in 2004 by four passionate entrepreneurs: Luvuyo Rani (Managing Director and Financial Director), Lonwabo Rani (Operations Director), Sigqibo Phangabantu (Technical Director) and Nandipha Matshoba (Marketing Director). Silulo's objective is to expand the accessibility and fundamental knowledge of information technology in the Western Cape Townships. They came to TSiBA for mentoring in early 2008, and since then the company has grown from 10 employees at 1 location to 34 employees at 8 locations.


Many Khayelitsha residents have not had the opportunity to learn basic computer skills or technical training. Part of Silulo's success has been generated from tapping into this market, by offering training courses on basic computer skills, typing skills, Windows XP, Microsoft Office, and internet and e-mail usage.

Silulo's services don't stop there - the company is also involved in computer sales, maintenance, and professional services such as assistance with CV writing, printing, copying, and graphic design.

Silulo's opening day was a huge success, but it is one of many to come. Their future plans include 8-10 new branches - apparently, 8 is not enough for Silulo!

To learn more about Silulo Ulutho Technologies:

Visit their website , read our last blog about Silulo, visit their newest branch at the Nonkqubela Link Mall in Site B of Khayelitsha, or email the owners:

Luvuyo Rani - l.rani@webmail.co.za
Lonwabo Rani - lonwabo@silulo.co.za
Sigqibo Phangabantu - sigqibo@silulo.co.za
Nandipha Matshoba - matshoba@silulo.co.za

Entrepreneurship Curriculum off to a good start!

This year TSiBA welcomed 110 promising students to its Foundation Programme in Business Administration. There was a great deal of excitement when Entrepreneurship, one of their major subjects, got underway.

Firstly, eight Facilitators were trained in January of which six are local TSiBA entrepreneurs. The fact that they have hands-on experience in the exciting world of entrepreneurship has certainly added a new flavour to the course.

Students attend a weekly 3-hour lecture where they compete against other teams in a small-business simulation. While much fun is had by all (including the facilitators), each module focuses on a critical aspect of business. This is all tied together by a full tutorial the following week.

Admittedly the most exciting and perhaps most beneficial part of the course is the Field Study programme. Two to three students living in close proximity to one another form a task team. They then approach a local entrepreneur who agrees to sponsor their learning in the field. They work closely with the entrepreneur and complete assignments based on the various learning areas of the curriculum.

Furthermore, students are expected to work with or for the entrepreneur as a means of ‘paying it forward’. So it is not uncommon to find our students packaging fruit, sweeping floors, shampooing hair, preparing flyers or selling wares.

The entrepreneurs, many of whom have very little schooling, are also excited about learning from the students. They are all registered at the Entrepreneurship Centre and enjoy access to the full spectrum of support services.

So the Entrepreneurship Curriculum is indeed off to a good start as we develop these aspiring entrepreneurs. For further information contact the Entrepreneurship Centre at 0215322750 X128.

TSiBA Entrepreneur Brings Expertise to Entrepreneurship Centre

Here in the Entrepreneurship Centre we focus on helping up-and-coming entrepreneurs start and maintain successful businesses.We are able to provide such support because our own employees are successful entrepreneurs themselves!

On Saturday I visited the hair salon of our colleague, Sonja Hagins. Sonja is a 2009 graduate of TSiBA's Micro-MBA course and is now responsible for the day-to-day tasks at the Entrepreneurship Centre. Sonja took the position because although she runs a successful business, she likes the security of a full-time paid position. She now runs the Centre Monday through Friday and takes clients at her salon in the evenings and on Saturdays.

Sonja runs the salon out of her home in Strandfontein, where she has a whole section of the house dedicated to the business. Regular customers strolled in throughout the day while Sonja meticulously tended to them one at a time. Some customers waited up to an hour for her attention yet they continue to return week after week. The reason is because Sonja knows the value of quality customer service. Her customers know that when they walk in to Sonja's Hair Salon they are in good hands.

As a one-woman operation, Sonja's salon fits her needs perfectly. She has two styling stations, equipped with all the effects of a top-notch salon, along with a separate room with two washing sinks and an industrial hair dryer. She concentrated on one customer at a time in order to give them her full attention, although she uses the additional stations during extremely busy periods. 

Most of the customers who passed through were coming for their weekly hair styling, although one woman came to get her hair cut. Regardless of the job, each customer sang Sonja's praises. Sonja say this is because she is a perfectionist. "I will not let someone leave my salon if I don't think they look good."