Globally, it’s recognised that micro, small and medium enterprises (SMMEs) hold the keys to large-scale job creation and economic growth. While SMMEs have always faced an uphill battle in their early stages, Covid-19 has compounded the challenges by disrupting the world as we know it.
This is according to Suthu Ndlovu, Director: SME at Old Mutual Corporate, who today announced the launch of Nine Yards TV, a brand-new series designed to help SMME owners go the distance with realistic, practical advice on growing their business.
“The world is changing and demands new solutions to its significant challenges. SMMEs are poised to provide the creative answers the country so desperately needs. It is therefore vital that institutions such as ours don’t just focus on supporting existing businesses. We must also keep providing inspiration and nurturing fertile ground for entrepreneurship,” says Ndlovu.
Launching Nine Yards TV was the next logical step in Old Mutual Corporate’s mission to support SMMEs on their journeys to build resilience.
“The decision to initiate the show follows the warm reception of the magazine, which we launched ahead of Global Entrepreneurship day in October 2020,” says the Editor of Nine Yards Magazine and Executive Head: Marketing, Public Affairs and Sustainability at Old Mutual Corporate, Gugu-Lisa Zwane-Johnson.
“As a corporate business, we wanted to capture the two overriding characteristics of this sector, namely hope and resilience, by recognising the tenacity and creativity of entrepreneurs.
“A year and a half into the pandemic, the demand for free and accessible advice has never been greater,” she says.
Viewers can look forward to engaging conversations between experts and entrepreneurs on key themes and challenges specific to South Africa, including practical tips explored further in Nine Yards Magazine.
“The first episode focuses on one of the biggest challenges facing new business owners — funding. Featuring Zamokuhle Thwala, who co-founded AgriKool to connect emerging black farmers with finance opportunities, the episode unpacks the three most common mistakes entrepreneurs make when seeking funding and offers five practical tips on how to access finance,” Zwane-Johnson says.
As someone who knows both sides of the business world, being a small business owner and part of a large corporate, Ndlovu relates to the challenges facing SMMEs and understands the special role established businesses can play by offering insight and guidance.
“Input from real entrepreneurs and business leaders makes each episode a compelling nine minutes that will resonate with anyone on an entrepreneurial journey,” concludes Ndlovu.
Watch the first episode of Nine Yards TV by visiting www.oldmutual.co.za/nineyardsTV
Entrepreneurs can subscribe to Nine Yards Magazine to tap into realistic advice, ideas and tips they can apply to their own small businesses.