EBL Magazine

E B L I N S T I T U T E |

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excellence.

what's inside 03

Foreword from the EBL Institute CEO

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About the EBL Programme

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Programme Events

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Special Features

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Graduation Special

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Meet the Team

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Our Partners

15

Acknowledgements

T H E E B L 2 0 2 2 M A G A Z I N E : W R I T T E N , C O M P I L E D & D E S I G N E D M M A K H A U T A M A L I N D I

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Foreword from the EBL Institute CEO The purpose of business is to solve problems and to change people's lives. Going into business means you are making people's lives better, either by moving them away from pain or towards pleasure. Ultimately, there is a need that you are satisfying. Once you have fulfilled the need, the profits follow. Yes, profits may be the bottom-line for a business, but they are not the sole purpose of a business.

Great companies aren’t great because they make lots of money.

They make lots of money precisely because they are great- Julie Hanna (Technologist and entrepreneur).

When asked, people often say that they are in business to make money, however what I’ve learned is that profits follow purpose. When you build a business with a clear vision and a strong purpose, you will observe something: the greater your impact, the greater your profits.

Think of Jeff Bezos’ Amazon. The company employs almost 1.5 million people globally. It’s impact on the economy, on families, on customers is incredible.

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F O R E W O R D

Foreword from the EBL Institute CEO Its triumphant success has seen Bezos become the wealthiest* man in the world. Do you want to be like Bezos? If not then get out of business! Business is for people who fix problems, it is nothing more than providing solutions to problems. Therefore, problems are a breeding ground for ideas, for innovation.

When you contextualise business to South Africa: one should be seeing successful entrepreneurs in multitudes. We have enough problems to warrant many solutions. Our unemployment rate sits at 34.9% according to the latest reports available, with youth unemployment reaching its highest all-time figure of 64.4% in the second quarter of 2021. (Figures sourced from StatsSA & Trading Economics).

We are not seeing as many success stories as we should be. According to investment consulting firm; Cova Advisory, 5 out of 7 SMMEs fail within their first year in South Africa. If our entrepreneurs are the builders of the economy and 71% of them can’t make it past the first year? Where does that leave the future of South Africa?

As you begin your journey with us, you are signing up for what will be a challenging and exciting process of personal development that will affect every area of your life. As a business owner, you understand that in a lot of ways you are your business, and your business growth starts with you. Your business can only grow up to the level of your incompetence. There is no business growth without personal growth. We often think of entrepreneurship as a lonely journey. With entrepreneurs not being given what they need in terms of funding, support and other resources and our work at the Institute is to be the support that entrepreneurs need but also to provide the correct support. Perhaps what your business needs the most right now is not funding…

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F O R E W O R D

Foreword from the EBL Institute CEO If the pandemic has shown us anything over the past 2 years, it is that we need to digitalise and align with the Fourth Industrial Revolution. As businesses shut down in hordes across various industries globally, ICT businesses experienced the most opportune time for growth. This is because of one word: relevance. Think of internet service providers: with employees working virtually and using platforms such as Zoom to connect, the demand for data rose and whilst other businesses were plummeting, companies like MTN were thriving. The ICT industry is the industry of innovation and business is innovation. You cannot build a sustainable business without adaptation and evolution and that’s what innovation represents. The buzzword during the pandemic has been “pivot” but I refer to the pandemic as a catalyst. For ICT businesses in particular you should have seen Covid-19 as a great opportunity for expanding and scaling your business.

Our focus on ICT at the EBL Institute is directly aligned with NDP 2030 goals. Employment creation, economic growth and poverty alleviation are at the core of why we do what we do. The ICT sector is a scalable sector with a potential for immense growth and employability. In a country ravaged by unemployment and its subsequent side effects such as high crime rates, industries that can employ large numbers of people are critical and ICT is one such industry. As an ICT entrepreneur you are the future.

ICT is the industry of the future, however when we consider this future it is important to not leave the marginalised in our country left behind.

There remains a digital divide in South Africa and as businesses and institutions in ICT our responsibility is to bridge the digital divide gap and ensure that all South Africans are part of the digital transformation. From rural settlements to townships, the "platteland" to suburbia and the metropolitans; The Fourth Industrial Revolution benefits all and should be experienced by all.

What is your business story going to be about? Great companies have incredible stories that inspire; Amazon, Google, Microsoft. We’ve seen how they all started in garages and grew into the tech super powers they are today.

You may not have a garage but you have a dream and a purpose. We invite you to write your story with the EBL Institute and maybe it too will inspire

! e s t i P Thabo

generations to come.

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Above: A group photo of the 2021 Entrepreneurs along with stakeholders from the MTN Foundation, University of the Free State, Durban University of Technology, ActionCOACH Business Franchise and the Kwa-Zulu Natal Department of Economic

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A B O U T

" Credible Business Education with Support and Measurabe Results."

Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs.

About the Programme The EBL Institute is a university

leading business coaching firm:

communications, tourism,

accredited business training and

ActionCOACH Business

wholesale and retail, mining,

coaching institution that

Coaching.

finance, business services and

provides Credible Business

investment incentives.

Education with Support and

Not only has the programme

Measurable Results.

provided the best in the

With the expertise acquired

training, coaching and

from its experience since its

It has partnered with the

mentoring of entrepreneurs, it

inception in 2015, the Institute

University of the Free State and

has raised more than R10

has spent the past few years

MTN Foundation to provide

million to invest into the

focused mainly on the ICT

NQF level 5 education to

development of South African

sector: building entrepreneurs

entrepreneurs, thus

entrepreneurs across a

to build the economy and

empowering them with the

spectrum of industries,

preparing South Africa for the

highest level of education. The

including: education,

Fourth Industrial Revolution.

programme provides business

agriculture, manufacturing,

coaching from the world’s

enterprise development,

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| E V E N T S

PROGRAMME EVENTS The EBL programme is a hybrid

by the ActionCOACH firm such

What sets the EBL programme

programme that features virtual

as ActionCLUB which builds and

apart is the university

events and contact sessions. The

establishes strong foundations

accredited curriculum the

virtual events in particular, have

for a business around ALL the

entrepreneurs receive during

allowed the programme to be

key fundamentals,

the course. They can expect to

presented across five provinces

MentorCLUB, a series of events

attend classes with an enigmatic

and enabled entrepreneurs in

that provide entrepreneurs with

lecturer as host and learn all the

the Western, Eastern and

an opportunity to interact and

latest relevant practices in the

Northern Capes to join those

network and the monthly;

business world that they can

from the Kwa-Zulu Natal and

Business Management and

implement within their own

Free State provinces live during

Strategies Masterclass events

businesses.

their weekly sessions.

wherein leading business experts present masterclasses

The programme events

on a host of topics such as

entrepreneurs can expect range

Marketing, Business Finances,

from those specifically designed

Corporate Social Investment and so much more.

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| F E A T U R E

SPECIAL FEATURES

The programme's focus on

Additionally we offer a unique

The EBL programme has

holistic entrepreneurship

and fun business simulator

invested not just knowledge into

development has resulted in it

game that allows entrepreneurs

entrepreneurs but cash

adding elements that go above

to master their businesses in

injections into their businesses.

and beyond its training and

real time.

The programme is structured

coaching services.

but not rigid.

The hallmark of the EBL

These features include business

programme has been its

With the experience of the

visits that allow the

generosity. From entrepreneurs

entrepreneurs being at the core

entrepreneurs the opportunity

winning books, data and R

of our offering, the programme

to experience one-on-one

1000.00 cash prizes during

will continue to improve upon

business coaching from Africa's

monthly events, to competitions

the offering to ensure it remains

#1 Business Coach:

during the year such as the 90

the leading business training

ActionCOACH Thabo Pitse, the

Day Goal Setting Competition

and coaching programme in the

CEO of the Institute.

which saw entrepreneurs win

country.

their share of R5000.00,

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| G R A D U A T I O N

GRADUATION CONFERENCE

r a l u c a t c e p S e c n e r e f n o C The annual highlight of the EBL

The graduation ceremony itself

the achievements of the

programme is most certainly

is presided over by professors,

entrepreneurs. They are

the Graduation and Business

stakeholders from multinational

awarded with trophies and cash

Excellence Awards Conference.

corporations and more.

prizes which culminate in the

The 4-day event is a celebration

With Covid having robbed many

awarded to the recipient of

of the ICT entrepreneurs in the

graduates of the opportunity to

Entrepreneur of the Year

R100 000.00 cash prize which is

programme. The entrepreneurs come together, network with one another, enjoy fun and engaging activities, personal development sessions and have the opportunity to meet and learn from a line-up of speakers including Vusi Thembekwayo and Lebo Gunguluza.

walk across the stage in triumph, the EBL Institute has committed itself to ensuring that every graduate in the programme experiences a graduation that they can cherish for their rest of their lives. In the same breath, the Business Excellence Awards are a spectacular way of celebrating

award. Last year saw Pamela Siphika, an entrepreneur from the Western Cape took the prize home.

This year? the stakes are higher, we look forward to this year's winner and to all they will achieve once they have graduated from the EBL ICT SMME programme.

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| G R A D U A T I O N

GRADUATION CONFERENCE

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MEET THE TEAM

These are the key members of the EBL team

LESALA KHETHENG PROGRAM MANAGER & TRAINER

MMAKHAUTA MALINDI RESEARCHER & CONTENT DEVELOPER

BONOLO MOROBANE ADMIN & COMMUNICATIONS

MARIETTE WIID DATA ANALYST & EVENTS

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T E A M

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MTN

OUR PARTNERS The MTN Foundation has partnered with the EBL programme for over half a decade. Their financial investment into South African entrepreneurs through the EBL programme has enabled us to empower and equip entrepreneurs with credible business knowledge to enable them to lead sustainable businesses.

The working relationship we have fostered over the years has led to the transformational change of people's lives and we look forward to the future impact our partnership will produce.

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DUT

OUR PARTNERS The partnership with the Durban University of Technology and the EBL ICT SMME Programme is a mutually beneficial one. Both Institutes understand the value of ICT entrepreneurial endeavours and support entrepreneurs in this sector. We'd like to specifically highlight the Innobiz centre for entrepreneurs.

A big thank you to the Durban University of Technology for their partnership.

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EDTEA

OUR PARTNERS The KwaZulu-Natal Province's Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs Department has sponsored a state of the art ICT lab at the DUT Innobiz Centre. Furthermore, the EBL Programme's 2021 Graduation and Business Excellence Awards Conference would not have been the success it was without the department.

Thank you for your generosity in helping us celebrate the country's economy builders, for your investment into Youth Development and for your continued support of the vision of economic growth and poverty alleviation through entrepreneurship.

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| A C K N O W L E D G E M E N T S

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

THANK YOU!!

We'd like to thank our collaborators and partners for their investment into our entrepreneurs. The NYDA and SEDA agencies for their role in the recruitment of the 2021 ICT SMME cohort.

A special thank you to the MTN Foundation for sponsoring the programme. The EBL team for their commitment to excellence and providing the best in business training and coaching and finally; to our entrepreneurs, without whom this programme would not have been possible, thank you for your diligence, enthusiasm and commitment to this programme, we are proud of you and will continue to be your number 1 supporters.

17 Louw Wepener Straat, Dan Pienaar, Bloemfontein, 9301 www.eblinstitue.com Follow the EBL Institute on Social Media :