Imbadu 10th Edition - Seda

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8 Ekurhuleni youths rally to opportunity Imbadu Nov - March For Ekurhuleni youths looking for help in launching their own business during 2013 got off to a bright start. Seda visited the municipality, which lies east of Johannesburg, to host a Youth in Business seminar. The one day seminar formed part of Seda’s drive to introduce the organisation and its services to as many entrepreneurs as possible across the length and breadth of the country. The seminar was held on Thursday 24 January at the Thokoza Auditorium, and attracted 398 enthusiastic young Ekhuruleni entrepreneurs. Attendees were welcomed by Ekurhuleni Councillor Cassius Nkosi, who then handed over to various Seda representatives to explain the scope of services offered by the organisation. Mendu Luhabe, Senior Manager: Programme Analysis & Development, got the ball rolling by explaining the purpose of the seminar. Thenjiwe Dlamini, Senior Manager: Strategy & Organisational Performance Management then provided an overview of Seda and the services it offers. Moving on to the specific areas of assistance, Louis Nhlapo of the Learning Academy informed attendees about the various training opportunities available through Seda. Kgaugelo Taukobong, Manager: Enterprise Development, explained the unique benefits of the Seda Technology Programme (Stp). Teresa Jardim wrapped up the Seda presentations by offering her insight regarding Seda’s Export Development services. Seda works closely in conjunction with its shareholder, the Department of Trade and Industry, and Vijay Valla of the dti Youth Development Directorate which was also on hand to provide a broader overview of the department and the roles of its various agencies. After the attendees had learned of the opportunities available to them, the experts fielded many eager questions from the floor. The attendees were also encouraged to network among each other and make new contacts that may prove beneficial to their fledgling small enterprises. The seminar engendered a renewed sense of optimism among attendees. Obakeng Tlale, a 25 year old who runs his own events management company, enthused, “I didn’t know much about Seda before this event, and now I am highly motivated to register with Seda so that I can access their services.” Even those who have not yet founded their company drew inspiration from the event. “I’m so happy that Seda was here today, the knowledge that I gained today has encouraged me to start my own business,” beamed Lesego Mthithileni (27). Seda is committed to continuing and expanding its Outreach programme, introducing its services to potential entrepreneurs who may not be aware that such assistance and opportunities are available. If you are interested in opening your own business, keep an eye out for a Seda event in your area.
9 Three letters that will change your business Ask any business owner what three letter acronym is most important to their business success and you will get a range of answers. A cash-strapped entrepreneur might say IOU, a technical geek will say ICT, a company looking to comply with government guidelines might answer BEE. An employer who relies on specialist staff may consider Ph.D. or B.Sc to be vital, while a company looking to partner with other companies on projects might propose MoU or MoA as the key to business success. According to the International Organization for Standardisation (ISO), the most important three letters are QMS or Quality Management System. ISO 9001 is the global benchmark in quality management systems. Companies who are not certified to ISO 9001 will struggle to access world markets as many retail chains and other customers insist on their suppliers being ISO certified. This can be a barrier to trade for SMMEs as attaining ISO certification is neither easy nor cheap. However, the QMS is not just a bureaucratic requirement. Implementing a system like ISO 9001 also brings about measurable business improvement through more efficient and safer workplace processes, better products and services, and happier customers. To this end, Seda offers training in Quality Management to its clients. One such example was a recent QMS training opportunity provided to incubatees of the EgoliBIO incubator and facilitated by Seda Enterprise Development Manager Kgaugelo Taukobong. To illustrate the inefficiencies inherent in a business with no documented workflow or QMS in place, the trainees were provided with a raw material (A4 paper) and tasked with manufacturing a product consignment of 24 paper aeroplanes within ten minutes. When the time had expired, not a single product had been produced. With no agreed and documented workflow in place, no planned factory layout, lack of training for workers, poor communication between management and workers, and individual focus on specific tasks with no “bigger picture” of the entire manufacturing chain, the business results were predictably dire. Taukobong then went on to explain how the ISO QMS pillars of Management Responsibility, Resource Management, Product Realisation, Service and Measurement/ Analysis/Improvement interlink to eliminate these inefficiencies. The result is a company where everybody has a clear vision of the organisation and its processes. Incubatees were then given guidance on how to manage costs, how to organise the workforce into groups with smaller manageable tasks and selected according to their strengths, how to motivate and communicate effectively with workers, and finally how to measure, analyse and improve performance. The eGoliBIO trainees were enthusiastic about how much they had learned during the training. The basis of the ISO system may seem intuitive and something that business owners would implement anyway. But the unfortunate reality is that the majority of businesses in South Africa do not even have their workflows documented. There is no standard and no reference point which everybody can use. So it is little wonder that quality is often compromised and the business suffers. As one trainee summed up, “We learned that to change anything, you must first change your attitude.” Imbadu Nov - March Kgaugelo Taukobong giving the training ISO quality management principles are vital to business success, and ISO certification is essential to accessing markets. As such, it is important that all small business owners make best use of the QMS training opportunities provided by Seda. If you would like more information on the opportunities available, please contact the following people: Name Contact Details Province Kgaugelo Taukobong 012 441 1245 Western Cape 072 373 8710 KwaZulu Natal 072 373 8710 Eastern Cape Rirhandzu Marhanele 012 441 1211 Gauteng 073 987 6484 Mpumalanga 073 987 6484 Limpopo Lebogang Moletsane 012 441 1315 North West 082 803 7471 Northern Cape 082 803 7471 Free State
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Page 9: Northern Cape exporters primed for

Imbadu 10th Edition - Seda

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