The urge to convert and scale up a small business to a medium to large enterprise is one of the most common goals among business owners. However, contrary to popular belief, scaling up a business is not just a goal for most entrepreneurs, but also a necessary step to running a business successfully. This is according to Christo Botes, spokesperson for the 2016 Entrepreneur of the Year® competition sponsored by Sanlam and BUSINESS/PARTNERS , who says that many entrepreneurs incorrectly believe that their business will grow organically, and that the necessary resources can simply be added to match current demand. He explains that once a business has grown to a certain size, the owner must consciously choose to scale up rather than simply reacting to a growing market share. When facing this cross road, Botes says that the entrepreneur should first consider the true reason for wanting to scale up before doing so. “Businesses often want to scale up to become self-sustainable, but st...

Christo Botes Despite slow economic growth, South Africa is still ripe with opportunities and society at large needs to expend more resources to identify, facilitate and promote entrepreneurship as the answer to creating jobs and wealth for all. According to Christo Botes, spokesperson of the Sanlam / Business Partners Entrepreneur of the Year® competition, South Africa shouldn’t be looking at entrepreneurship only when faced with prospects of unemployment, but rather a shift towards a viable employment option. Botes says that entrepreneurship in South Africa, and Africa, largely remains a necessity driven decision, rather than an aspiration. “We need to be celebrating entrepreneurs and promoting entrepreneurship as the most aspirational career path so that it is a first choice rather than a back-up plan.” He points to the recently released 2016 Global Entrepreneurship Index (GEI) – which measures the quality and dynamics of global entrepreneurial ecosystems and explores h...

Christo Botes As 2015 draws to an end and everyone starts to wind down, now is the ideal time for entrepreneurs to take a step back and reflect on how their business has fared this year, and the lessons they have learnt as a result. Analysing these can help entrepreneurs apply key insights into their business, and avoid certain mistakes and challenges. This is according to Christo Botes of the Sanlam / Business Partners Entrepreneur of the Year® awards, who says that entrepreneurship unfortunately does not have a  ‘how to’ guide or roadmap, and entrepreneurs are therefore left to find their own ways in business, often facing  a maze of challenging circumstances.  “2015 was a tough year in terms of the economic conditions, but despite the ups and downs, the hard work and dedication paid off for many entrepreneurs and businesses. Perseverance - a trait of any successful entrepreneur – assisted many entrepreneurs with the various challenges witnessed in 2015. This...