Essays Archives » ZAPRENEUR

Learning at the Tshimologong Bootcamp

July 27, 2020August 31, 2017 by Ebrahim

Last weekend I attended the the Tshimologong Bootcamp. The bootcamp aimed to get us entrepreneurs to take the next steps in our business, starting with a solid foundation on linking value proposition to customers. There …

Proudly South Africa – Telling an entrepreneurial story?

November 16, 2019May 31, 2016 by Ebrahim

Proudly South African Entrepreneurs Chatting to business owners exhibiting at the Buy Local Summit was inspiring. So inspiring that I almost entirely missed the official programme. Dragging myself away from the businesses exhibiting I attended …

Budget 2016: Encouraging for SMMEs, but more detail needed

November 16, 2019February 25, 2016 by Ebrahim

The South African government is well aware that the small, medium and micro enterprise (SMME) sector is the key to unlocking job creation and economic growth over the next decade and a half. The National Development Plan envisions 90% of new employment by 2030 will be generated by SMMEs.
Yet SMMEs often seem to be forgotten by policymakers as they try to juggle the demands of stakeholders such as big business and labour. In that context, it was refreshing to hear Finance Minister Gordhan use the 2016 Budget Speech to mention some small business-friendly steps the government plans to take in the next year or so.

Do startups make inequality inevitable?

July 20, 2020February 15, 2016 by Ebrahim

SAY “PG” in South Africa, and everyone knows you are talking about Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan. In the tech start-up world the initials belong to Paul Graham, a venture capitalist and influential essayist. Recently, he …

What does set asides for South African small businesses tells us about economic policy making?

November 16, 2019June 18, 2015 by Ebrahim

The Minister of Small Business, Lindiwe Zulu is championing the introduction of set-asides for small business in government procurement by September this year.The proposal is to set aside 30% of all government procurement for small …

Automattic Buys WooThemes: Can you replicate the success?

July 27, 2020June 1, 2015 by Ebrahim

Automattic, an American company that runs WordPress.com bought South African company called WooThemes for a reported $30 million. Some statistics speak about the scale of business that WooThemes have built in eight years. Its …

Making pizzas isn't chemical engineering

November 16, 2019April 1, 2015 by Ebrahim

What do a pizza maker and a chemical engineer starting businesses have in common? They both recognise an opportunity, and they will both assemble the resources they need to run their businesses. They are entrepreneurs, …

Local success need not be an alien concept

November 16, 2019February 16, 2015 by Ebrahim

ENTREPRENEURS can learn a lot just from visiting and trading with other businesses and so can those making public policy. But this critical street-level perspective is missing with government officials in the wake of recent …

SA’s phantom ‘efficient laager’ skews thinking

November 16, 2019October 6, 2014 by Ebrahim

THE “efficient laager” is my description of big business’s role in South Africa’s discussions on economic policy. The central feature of this hypothesis is that it defines business — particular big business — as a …

One large business vs. 1000 little ones

November 16, 2019July 30, 2014 by Ebrahim

Possibly, the most important question in public policy is “who benefits”. In answering this question, not only can distributional outcomes be assessed, but often the underlying power structures. The recent reporting on the Public Investment …