Gugu Mjadu Entrepreneurship is one of the most noble career paths, but also the most challenging and does not come without its pressures. Gugu Mjadu, spokesperson for the Sanlam / Business Partners Entrepreneur of the Year® competition, says that entrepreneurship is not suited to everyone and individuals taking this career path should possess certain characteristics in order to thrive. “While successful entrepreneurs are widely celebrated, the reality is that starting a business involves hard work, sweat and tears. Having a great idea is just one of many steps and processes to starting a successful business venture.” Mjadu says that there comes a time in every aspiring entrepreneur’s career path that they decide to take the leap of leaving their 9-5 job to embrace their passion of creating and building their own business and become their own boss. She advises that before taking this step, entrepreneurs need to make sure they have done their homework and sufficient research....

SA SMEs SEEK MUTUAL RELATIONSHIP WITH GOVERNMENT  Christo Botes Despite challenging economic conditions, South African entrepreneurs remain determined to make their respective businesses a success, but what if Government played a bigger role and consulted more widely in improving the chances of success by working more closely with small and medium enterprises (SMEs), in order to better understand the direct implications of policies on business owners. Imagine the potential of entrepreneurship in the country with a mutually beneficial relationship between the private and public sector? This was the general consensus from an alumni gathering of over 50 seasoned South African business owners who have won various categories in the Sanlam / Business Partners Entrepreneur of the Year® Competition over the last few decades. While entrepreneurs were vocal about the challenges within the country’s entrepreneurial environment – such as power cuts, labour unrest, insufficient infrast...