South African entrepreneurs answer your questions
- May 25, 2009
Last month, we invited readers of this blog to submit questions to South African entrepreneurs supported by the Branson School of Entrepreneurship. The School, based in Johannesburg, provides training, mentoring and seed funding to young entrepreneurs, helping them launch successful businesses which will in turn create jobs and help boost the local economy.
We received loads on great questions and we’ll be posting our entrepreneurs’ responses over the next few days.
But first, let’s meet the entrepreneurs:
Sonwabile Mngenela, founder of Mngenela Promoters, an up an coming ceramics designer and manufacturer. Sonwabile recently won the Young Entrepreneurs Challenge hosted by Richard Branson, and is one of two young entrepreneurs headed to London this summer for a two week course at Cass Business School, thanks to the generosity of Peter Cullum, Executive Chairman of Towergate Partnership.
Lesego Malatsi, fashion designer and co founder of Mzansi Designers, which aims to lead African fashion into a new era while creating a platform for the development and expression of young designers from previously disadvantaged backgrounds.
Johnson Masango, founder of TM-Internet Solutions, which provides Internet and computer services to his home community in the rural Mpumalanga province. Johnson will also be joining Sonwabile in London this summer to attend a course at Cass Business School.
Musa Maphongwane and Amos Mtsolongo, founders of GamingZone, a video arcade franchise housed in repurposed shipping containers in the township of Soweto.
Questions
Nathan Davies asked:
What is it that you think marks entrepreneurs out from those who aren’t? Also, when did your idea come to you and how long has it taken to get to the point you’re at today?
Philipp asked:
When it comes to doing business and being an entrepreneur in South Africa, to which extent has entrepreneurship been able to make a change for a better life? To which extent will it be able to make a change for better life? How to go forward?
Stay tuned—next time we’ll find out which entrepreneurs are looking to expand into new markets and how they anticipate the World Cup will impact their businesses.
