Start smalldream big

To build a successful business one must start small and dream big. In the early days a lot goes into the planning and execution phase that it feels almost impossible to grow from a sole proprietor into a small-medium sized business

Working in your business is anything that's a job: execution, yes, but also management of the execution. Working on your business, however, includes anything strategic: business strategy, marketing strategy, sales strategy, product development, research, and the vision and decisions that live in the C-suite. The main factor stopping growth, is that most entrepreneurs are working in the business and not on it.

Bootcamp to Boardroom programme

Entrepreneurship and self-employment offer the biggest opportunity to create jobs in South Africa, which is why the Entrepreneurs’ Organisation’s (EO) Cape Town chapter is committed to supporting start-ups with their Bootcamp to Boardroom programme, which launched in 2021. The EO is a NPO that offers peer-to-peer networking opportunities for entrepreneurs across South Africa and the globe. There are 198 chapters in 61 countries worldwide.

2022 saw 17 entrepreneurs from various industry sectors signing up to the nine-month programme that runs in conjunction with top business owners from Cape Town, including M-Net’s Shark Tank judge, Dawn Nathan-Jones, and Over The Rainbow Foundation, who Nathan-Jones is also the CEO of.

By: Entrepreneurs' Organisation

If every sole proprietor or small business in South Africa could hire just one person the impact on unemployment would be significant, and so it’s in the best interest of all successful business owners to pass on the baton of knowledge and skills to entrepreneurs starting out to help them grow their businesses to be able to employ others.

Growth is a process that requires time and effort

Growth is a process and requires the business owner to put in the time and effort. Workshops alone offer great tools and insights, but what happens when it’s over. Attendees are solely responsible for implementing the tools they were given to help them reach their business goals. But how many actually do? Mentorship is known to reinforce learning and training and is a time-tested technique that leverages experience and human relationships to help business owners and employees learn and grow.

For workshops to make an impact entrepreneurs need to be held accountable for the goals they set through a mentorship programme that spans several months (even years). This is what motivated Bootcamp to Boardroom to provide mentorship in all areas of business from marketing and sales to finance, leadership, pitching, and strategy as part of its nine-month programme.

It also covers personal development, which adds a new layer to what most conventional mentorship programmes offer. The aim of this is to develop the self-awareness and wellbeing of grass-roots entrepreneurs along with business skills. Statistically 70%-80% of small businesses fail in the first five years so belonging to a programme and support network is crucial.

Need to connect with business owners at grassroots level

EO Cape Town member and ex-President, Julia Finnis-Bedford is the inspiration behind Bootcamp to Boardroom.

“To truly achieve transformation and inclusivity in our country, as well as within our EO organisation, we need to connect with business owners at grassroots level,” says FinnisBedford.

“We saw just how valuable the programme was, not only to those entrepreneurs who took part but also to each mentor and advisor that facilitated the process. We ended up learning so much from each other, that we have come back stronger and more motivated to make a difference.”

Sam Gqomo is one of the B2B participants. She owns her own marketing and communications consultancy.

She says, “I am thoroughly enjoying the programme, it has highlighted my blind spots and areas that need improvement. I came in feeling stuck but have quickly realised that my lack of planning in certain circumstances was limiting my growth. I am excited and inspired by my mentor’s success and hope that it will rub off on me. She’s also handed me some tools that will empower me and move the needle forward.”

Eight stages of entrepreneurial success

Bootcamp to Boardroom is broken down into the eight stages of entrepreneurial success using the rainbow colour spectrum:

1. Discover your purpose

2. Build your brand

3. Drive sales

4. Manage your finances

5. Become a leader

6. Develop your business plan

7. Perfect your pitch

8. Grow through mentorship

“With purpose at the core of everything we do, its where the programme begins. It looks at what each participant plans to contribute to the world and the impact they hope to have. It also looks at ways to build and improve their brand, so it makes an impression,” says Finnis-Bedford.

“Without sales one cannot derive income, so it too is a very important step in growing a business. However, being a sales superstar requires more than just knowing the benefits and features of the product or service they’re selling.”

According to Bootcamp to Boardroom, to be a successful salesperson one must develop and maintain a positive mindset focused on building relationships with customers and getting results.

Also covered in the programme are the important topics of financial literacy, offering step-by-step advice on how to simplify it, what it takes to be a great leader and knowing the difference between being a boss and a leader, and lastly how to develop a winning business plan and a perfect pitch.

Mentorship and peer-to-peer learning support

What participants do after the workshop is then not done alone. For the following nine months they receive one-onone mentorship and are a part of The Over the Rainbow Golden Circle Mentorship Programme that provides a peerto-peer learning support system.

On completion of the Bootcamp to Boardroom programme, entrepreneurs can apply to join EO’s Accelerator programme should they qualify for entry. EOA’s mission is to empower entrepreneurs with the tools they need to grow their business to more than US$1 million in sales and provide them with the skills to be better entrepreneurs and leaders. From here they can then go onto applying to join EO. ■ www.overtherainbow.co.za/bootcamp-to-boardroom/