Month: September 2019

South Africa’s premier annual entrepreneurial platform, The Entrepreneur of the Year® competition sponsored by Sanlam and Business/Partners, has named Andrew Weinberg, the Managing Director of Retail Engage, as this year’s overall competition winner at the awards ceremony held in Johannesburg on 4 September 2019.

Having started his first business venture as a varsity student, 48-year-old Weinberg is now a seasoned entrepreneur whose customer engagement and incentives solutions business, Retail Engage, is changing the game for the South African second-tier retail base.

Although this retail sector is frequented by over 50% of the economically active consumer base, there had historically been little access to shopping behaviour insights, nor the ability to individually target, communicate and reward this LSM 3-7 base.

Noting this gap in the market, Retail Engage (under the consumer brand “Bonsella” – originating from the Zulu word, bhansela, which means “give a bonus/ express thanks with an extra gift”) set out to identify, recruit and reward the over 10 million LSM 3-7 consumers who are shopping at over 1000 second-tier outlets nationwide.

“When I saw an article about independent FMCG retailers struggling to compete with large chain groups opening stores in more rural and peri-urban areas, and having worked on marketing and loyalty programmes previously, I started working on a marketing solution to allow the independent retailers to compete on fair grounds,” says Weinberg, on how Retail Engage came to be back in 2010.

“I engaged with some FMCG brands and asked them what they were missing in the independent sector, and the common view was that they could not run campaigns and marketing in these stores as they were all independent. They also had no access to sales data, critical to brand decision-making. The model I created was to aggregate the independent FMCG retail stores, develop a technology to integrate into multiple different till systems, and get the large FMCG brands to spend marketing budget in these stores,” he explains.

Today, after a decade of hard work, Retail Engage has a national footprint with offices in Durban and Johannesburg, and staff across 60 different towns, communities, townships and rural hubs. The business has expanded recently into Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Angola and Zambia, offering customer rewards solutions to multinational companies in these countries.

If this isn’t enough, the business is also on the road to being the biggest independent database in South Africa that is POPI (The Protection of Personal Information Act 4) compliant. This growing database, combined with the impressive IP that has been created to date, and the vast footprint that Retail Engage has managed to create, makes Andrew Weinberg a deserving winner of the overall competition accolade.

On being named this year’s Entrepreneur of the Year®, Weinberg says that he is honoured to receive the title and hopes to continue taking Retail Engage from strength to strength. “With very little capital, I have managed to develop a multi-million rand company, with exceptional growth year-on-year, and high profitability. It feels amazing to be acknowledged for this.

“However, I truly believe that this is just the beginning, and hope to use this award as a springboard for further growth of the company,” he concludes.

For more information on 2Engage and Retail Engage, please visit the website: http://www.2engage.co.za/retail.html.

Due to his impressive feat of driving digital transformation among local businesses, Wynand Geldenhuys, the founder and owner of Vectra, has been awarded the Innovator of the Year^® awardat the 2019 Entrepreneur of the Year^® competition sponsored by Sanlam and Business/Partners awards ceremony, which was held on 4 September 2019 in Johannesburg.

A modern-day information technology consultancy that specialises in creating integrated e-commerce solutions through a unique data-driven design approach, Vectra is the largest South African based e-commerce specialist. Since launching in 2017, the business has achieved over 100% year-on-year growth in turnover, profit and employees.

“I started Vectra in 2017 to help South African companies keep apace with global e-commerce trends through digital transformation. My goal has always been to create sustainable software solutions that will make our customers more competitive and enable them to compete on an international level,” says Geldenhuys.

By collaborating with customers, Vectra has already enabled vast digital transformation in industries ranging from Retail and Manufacturing, to Financial Services and Healthcare. “Our process entails working closely with our customers to understand their business challenges and opportunities. Once we understand their business needs, our team develops a prototype and business case.”

“While we offer a range of services, our main area of focus remains e-commerce solutions. We enable companies to leverage the internet to drive sales by taking care of the technical complexities such as software development, integration and security required to trade online,” explains Geldenhuys.

When asked what sets Vectra apart from other software development companies, Geldenhuys says that it comes down to constantly pushing boundaries. “The very nature of our business requires us to push the boundaries of what is possible with technology, but we’ve always taken this very seriously. This is why much of our efforts support research and development in pursuit of differentiating our customers’ businesses through innovative software solutions.

“Our secret weapon, however, is that we attract and hire the best people in our industry allowing us to execute more effectively than anyone else,” he adds.

Unsurprisingly, this is not the first time that Vectra has been acknowledged for their innovative business solutions. The company was recently nominated for the prestigious SAP Quality Awards in the category of Innovation, competing against global companies such as Accenture and Deloitte. 

On being named this year’s Innovator of the Year^®, Geldenhuys says he is honoured, and hopes that his success inspires other hopeful entrepreneurs to follow his footsteps. “To all those aspiring innovators out there, I am living proof that it is possible to start a company on your own, regardless of your qualifications and experience. You just need to be willing to fully commit yourself to learn how to run a business while also doing the actual work involved in delivering a service or product.”

Visit www.vectra.co.za for more information.

27-year-old B Com graduate, Uzair Essack has been named Medium Business Entrepreneur of the Year^® at the 2019 Entrepreneur of the Year^® competition sponsored by Sanlam and BUSINESS/PARTNERS at an awards ceremony held on 4 September 2019 in Johannesburg.  

Essack is the founder of Cape Crops, a fruit and vegetable export company based in Cape Town that sources produce from South Africa and exports it to over 23 countries.

“I started Cape Crops in 2015 out of desperation to sustain myself and my family financially. My grandfather and father were both self-starting businessmen, so entrepreneurship has always been in my blood and I did what came naturally to me,” says Essack on his journey.

Essack started his entrepreneurial journey by importing rice from Pakistan and India. He was later introduced to a businessperson from Saudi Arabia who was interested in purchasing pineapples from South Africa. Following the successful and profitable pineapple-exporting venture, Essack decided to expand his offering and revisit his business model.

“In just over three years, we’ve built a global export business that has gone from nothing to a revenue of R34 million. I believe that the reason for our success is our business model, which makes us stand out in a highly competitive and traditional industry.”

The company’s unique business model has successfully turned the industry on its head. All his farmers are paid in full at fixed price, upfront in cash before the produce leaves the farm gate.  “I want the farmer to focus on producing the freshest and highest quality produce and not have to worry about when he’ll get paid, which is traditionally 60-90 days later. I get a cash discount, which immediately makes me more competitive and I get first choice of the produce.”

Today, Cape Crops has two full-time employees and over 10 procurement and sales agents who earn on a commission basis. “Indirectly, we contribute to the employment of thousands of individuals, such as farm workers, packers, cold-room employees, logistics agents who all form part of our value chain,” says Essack.

Cape Crops’ use of technology as a marketing strategy has also given the business an advantage of its competitors. In addition to this, their marketing matrix is tailor-made to accommodate the different regions in which they operate.

“We use my social media pages; Whatsapp broadcast lists and email-newsletters to offer clients the produce we will be shipping for the week. To attract new clients, we use Facebook paid marketing and also send out brochures.”  

Essack understands the value of building relationships. By employing a sales agent who focuses solely on building the businesses global network, Cape Crops has built a name for itself in the Middle East, Europe and more recently tapping into other African markets.

“Our key sales agent is a Lebanese gentleman, fluent in both Arabic and English, who helps us to overcome the language barrier with my Middle Eastern customers. His fee is always built into our costs meaning that our margin will never be reduced due to the use of his services.”

On being recognised as this year’s Medium Business Entrepreneur of the Year in the 2019 Entrepreneur of the Year^® competition, Essack says he is proud to be contributing to the local economy and showcasing South African produce on a global stage.

“I started this company as a student, with limited knowledge and experience, and have established myself as a young person of colour in an industry traditionally dominated by seasoned Afrikaans men. I plan on taking the global industry by storm and giving the world a taste of Africa.” 

Visit http www.capecrops.com for more information.

Johannesburg: 04 September 2019: Through sheer grit and resilience, Carmen Stevens has built a winemaking empire, resulting in numerous industry awards and, most recently, earning her the title of Small Business Entrepreneur of the Year at the 2019 Entrepreneur of the Year^® competition sponsored by Sanlam and Business/Partners.

Stevens, the founder of the independent small-batch winery based in Stellenbosch, Carmen Stevens Wines, was recognised not only for her entrepreneurial excellence, but also for the commitment shown to her community, at the annual awards ceremony, held this morning in Johannesburg.

“I have full faith in the product we produce and the business I’ve built, but each award serves as validation for all the hard work we put in, day in and day out. To be recognised for my passion is even more of a victory for me,” says Stevens, who hails from the Cape Flats.

Stevens faced multiple barriers to entry in the industry, having been denied admission to South Africa’s top winemaking schools twice because of the colour of her skin. However, this didn’t stop her from becoming South Africa’s first qualified black winemaker in 1995. She then established her winery in 2011, after paying her dues in the local winemaking industry and having spent 10 years in California.

From humble beginnings, the business today produces 150 tons of wine and in 2018 had a turnover of R8.1 million. Stevens says that innovation and continued creativity have played a major role in this success. “Constant product innovation is key to the business and ensures that we continue to tap into new target markets. This has resulted in the creation of a sparkling wine aimed at novice wine drinkers and vegan-friendly wines, to name a few.”  

Despite this well-earned businesses success, Stevens remembers her early childhood desire to make a difference and leave a mark on the world. It is with a great sense of fulfilment and joy that she speaks of her community outreach programme, which serves her old neighbourhood and surrounds. “Nothing beats a good education and healthy nutrition, but unfortunately where I am from, there wasn’t always money to ensure children had access to these vital needs.”

In the year she established her own label, she knew she wanted to give back and so she started the Carmen
Stevens Foundation.

Working closely with Naked Wines and her extensive network of overseas clients (“Angels”), Carmen started supporting the efforts of the Peninsula School Feeding Association (PFSA) with a soup kitchen. Her investment in really getting to know her customers through her strong online presence and inspirational story has resulted in many of them becoming regular supporters of the foundation. 

“The generosity of our ‘Angels’ and our ongoing fundraising campaigns over the years have raised millions for the PFSA. Over the last three years, more than one million meals have been served to over 6 000 learners affected by poverty in 11 communities in the Western Cape, including Kraaifontein, Belhar and Elsies River. The initiative also employs 42 women who prepare the food,” she explains.

On being named the 2019 Small Business Entrepreneur of the Year^®, Carmen says that she has big plans for the future. She wants to carry on doing what she loves, while giving back to her community and supporting those in need. “My goal is to have a home for my wine and to own my own vineyards within the next five years, that way I can give more women a children a second chance at a better future.”

Visit www.nakedwines.com/producers/carmen-stevens for more information.

Armed with a bold vision and a proudly South African story to tell, entrepreneur and CEO of Bathu Swag, Theo Baloyi has earned himself the title of Emerging Business Entrepreneur of the year at the 2019 Entrepreneur of the Year^® competition sponsored by Sanlam and Business/Partners. Baloyi, who is a trained accountant, and the visionary behind the African-centric footwear brand, was honoured for his entrepreneurial zeal at the annual awards ceremony held on 4 September 2019 in Johannesburg.

“I was an accountant for PWC for five years before starting Bathu in 2015.  I wanted to share the untold story of South African townships with the world, and thought what better way to do it than through ibathu – a word commonly used to refer to any type of shoe in township slang.”

Established in his room in Alexandra Township, Baloyi poured his savings from his corporate job into seed capital and spent 18 months working on the proof concept, research and development, and quality control, before launching the business.

Bathu’s flagship design – the mesh edition – is a sneaker manufactured 100% out of mesh material. While most sneaker brands use mesh material as a component of the shoe, Bathu manufactures fully mesh edition sneakers, with the idea to create a sneaker that blows air onto your feet as you walk, while showing off your colourful socks.

“From launching our flagship mesh design in 2015 with only four different colour combinations, we now have 13 and recently introduced two more designs, namely the Mesh Edition 2.0 and the Journey Edition.”

From only seven employees in June 2018, Bathu has grown into a successful business that employs 36 permanent members of staff, occupies four retail stores, and has a thriving e-commerce site. On a deeper level, however, Baloyi’s vision was to build a business that will empower his community by creating sustainable jobs, and give hope to the youth.

“I would drive back home to Alex and always see unemployed youth. I want to personally be part of a story that not only contributes to sustainable employment, but also inspires to everyone and reignites hope for the youth in my community.”

Turning this vision into a reality, Baloyi proudly proclaims that from the 36 current employees, 25 are originally from Alexandra Township. “We have excelled in creating employment for people in our community, and building a value chain with good corporate governance. We have a growth plan to open six more stores by June 2020 with the hope of employing more people.”  

Born in the township. Designed by a dream. Built for your journey. This may be the brand’s business motto, but it also personifies Baloyi’s story of success. “I am truly honoured to be named this year’s Emerging Business Entrepreneur of the Year^® and know that this will catapult the Bathu brand to new heights.”

Visit www.bathu.co.za for more information.