Article written by Tania Muhlenbeck (ActionCOACH Business Coach)

South Africa, is truly a country of abundance. We are blessed with beauty all around us. With places, I love like Table Mountain, Kruger National Park, Namaqualand, Vineyards of Franshoek, and the Blyde River Canyon. Did you know that South Africa holds the world's longest wine route, meandering through some of the country's most fertile, thriving grape valleys, stretching from Cape Town to Port Elizabeth?

What about our animals? First, we have the Big Five. The Lion, Leopard, Rhino, Buffalo and the Elephant, the largest land mammal. Then the tallest land mammal, the Giraffe. The largest bird, the Ostrich. The fastest land animal, the Cheetah and the largest antelope, the Eland, all a stone throw from our front door.

Article written by Alan Shannon (Executive: Small Business Services and Private Clients - Nedbank)

Although the need for a more entrepreneurial culture in South Africa wasn’t created by the COVID-19 pandemic and resultant lockdowns, it certainly raised awareness of the importance of entrepreneurship and significantly increased the urgency with which our country needs to build that culture.

The ability to earn an income is one of the cornerstones on which every person’s physical and mental well-being depends. However, the options for earning such an income have decreased massively over the past decade, and the concept of getting a steady job and working in that position for life is something that few people can depend on anymore.

Article written by Antoinette Venter (ActionCOACH Business Coach - Mpumalanga)

It's no secret that women have had to fight harder than men to become a legitimate presence in virtually every aspect of business. Thankfully, the gender gap is slowly shrinking on the corporate side, with more female executives in the workplace but women entrepreneurs seem to still be very few due to venture capital funding for small women-owned businesses.

It's difficult to get an exact number for South Africa, but one estimate says that between January 2018 and August 2019, only about 4.5% of venture capital funding went to companies started by women. When it comes to black women, the situation is even worse. Less than 0.2% of all funding for businesses in their early stages goes to black women.

Article written by Pieter Scholtz (ActionCOACH - Country Partner)

The month of August sees us celebrating Women’s Month and it is in this context that I want to provide some focus on the important role that women play in the business world and society.

According to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, Africa now has the highest growth in businesses started and run by women. One does not have to go far to find many examples of successful women in business and society to understand the important role that they play. 

Article written by Andre van Rooyen (ActionCOACH Business Coach - Randburg)

The number of women entrepreneurs is on the rise. Many of these women are struggling to survive in the business environment given the unique challenges they face.

In my experience as a business coach, many women-owned businesses are not given the respect they deserve. These businesses are often started to supplement the family income and the profits are used to pay for household expenses, holidays, luxuries, clothing, gifts, etc. Whilst this forms an important part of any household budget, it is often the spouse’s income that is used for purchases such as investments, house payments, etc. These payments usually result in measurable wealth creation whereas the money spent by the woman can be easily forgotten and she often feels she has nothing to show for her efforts.

Article written by Eustace Mashimbye (Published on Bizcommunity)

Entrepreneurship and innovation are the backbone of the South African economy, and it is Proudly South African's mandate to promote those companies that manufacture, grow or produce local goods and services, creating thousands of jobs in the process.

The current spate of looting, which has mostly hit township businesses especially hard, is heart-breaking to witness.