Brand SA throws its support behind small-business recovery
Financial and non-financial assistance on offer to the smaller engines of our economy
Brand South Africa is working with corporate SA to give much-needed financial and non-financial support to owners of small businesses, the energetic drivers of our economy. This support is needed now more than ever as the country continues to battle the effects of the pandemic, the midyear unrest and the high unemployment rate.
Among the small-business owners who have been supported by the initiative is Bongani Thamsanqa Gama, who runs Gamagraphy, a photography business. He is from Soweto and taught himself the craft, first by taking snaps at events for friends and family in his hometown, then progressing to photo shoots for big brands across the country.
Another is Nwabisa Kwesaba, founder of Kwakuhle Creations. She runs a luxury home fragrance business specialising in scented candles and reed diffusers. Kwakuhle is an expression of joy and all things beautiful, and their products are designed to beautify your spaces. The launch of the business was inspired by Kwesaba's love for the power of scents, beautiful things and creating lovely spaces.
Another small-business owner with big dreams is Hlubi Hewu, founder of Planned Gifts, an online gifting service based in Cape Town that specialises in roses, balloons and gift boxes. At present it provides a full delivery service only in Cape Town. Planned Gifts launched in May 2020 and has one part-time and one full-time employee.
“There are many South Africans who lost their jobs when the pandemic started but decided to use that challenge as an opportunity to start something new,” says Brand SA acting CEO Sithembile Ntombela. “Hlubi is one of the beautiful examples we have of the resilient spirit that we carry as a nation.”
In the next part of the programme, Brand SA will host a small-business training session focusing on sales and marketing, presented by business coach Charlene Lamb. She has spent many years assisting big corporates in their enterprise development efforts.
For more information on Brand SA, log on to www.brandsouthafrica.com, follow @BrandSouthAfrica on Instagram and Twitter for regular updates or visit Brand SA on Facebook.
This article was paid for by Brand SA.