Gugu Mjadu As we celebrate Women’s Month, the 2016 Entrepreneur of the Year® competition , sponsored by Sanlam and BUSINESS/PARTNERS has revealed a record number of entries received from female entrepreneurs - growing by more than 38% from 2015. Gugu Mjadu, spokesperson for the 2016 Entrepreneur of the Year® competition sponsored by Sanlam and BUSINESS/PARTNERS, says that this is extremely encouraging given the latest 2015-2016 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor South African report showed that only six women were engaged in early-stage entrepreneurship for every 10 males in 2015, down from eight women in 2014. “We are lucky to have a wealth of undiscovered talent within our country that, given the right support, will flourish,” comments Mjadu. She goes on to say that this can be done by identifying the challenges that female South African entrepreneurs are regularly faced with and creating effective ways in which they can be overcome. “One challenge which was brought to light by...

Minimising costs is key to running a successful business, however, there are some core areas of a business for which it is imperative to spend – ultimately in order to save. While spending to save may sound like a paradox, Kobus Engelbrecht, spokesperson for the 2016 Entrepreneur of the Year®  competition sponsored by Sanlam and BUSINESS/PARTNERS , says that spending a little extra on certain services will not only save you in the long run, but will also save you time – the most valuable commodity for an entrepreneur. “Time is one of the biggest issues facing small to medium business owners the world over and time to an entrepreneur can be more valuable than money. Often, an entrepreneur is attempting to play all roles in a business, but instead, he or she should be allocating budget to specific areas in their business, so that they can place more time and value on what they do best, driving a business’ vision. For example, should a geyser burst, one wouldn’t spend time trying ...

Gugu Mjadu Following a fiercely competitive preliminary round of the 2016 Entrepreneur of the Year® competition sponsored by Sanlam and BUSINESS/ PARTNERS , a shortlist of 15 standout entrants has made it through to the final round of the competition, with the ultimate winners to be announced in September. According to Gugu Mjadu, spokesperson for the 2016 Entrepreneur of the Year® competition sponsored by Sanlam and BUSINESS/PARTNERS, there was a steep increase in the number of entries received this year in comparison to the 2015 competition. “We are thrilled to announce that we received 213 entries this year, which is one of the highest number recorded to date, and an impressive increase of 40% compared to last year. “The large number of entries has certainly raised the overall standard of the competition and is testament to the thriving level of entrepreneurial talent and success present in the country. We would like to congratulate and commend all entrants, as these are the in...