The Hope-full Impact of Level 1 on South African SMMEs President Ramaphosa’s recent announcement has breathed even more fresh air into the economy. South Africa’s move to “alert level 1” based on the Covid-19 Risk Adjusted Strategy, will be a lifeline to the smaller SMMEs in our economy, who were unable to operate under previous […]
As we get into level 1 of a nationwide lockdown, the government is faced with an increasing budget deficit while battling to support economic recovery. The pandemic has brought about an imperative need to save lives and safeguard jobs, and governments around the world are scrambling trying to put together the right solution. It is […]
Small Town Life is an Option The COVID-19 quarantine has crushed so many small businesses and the economy at large. It’s truly been the worst financial crisis unfurling in this country in recent memory. And while some measures are in place to help so that this does not reach that level of despair, many people are increasingly […]
Measuring and understanding what is working for SMMEs One of the COVID -19 messages that the small businesses community have put out over the last few months, is the need for the private sector to increase access to markets by choosing SMMEs as their primary service providers/contractors, citing the benefits of using small business rather […]
A tale of SMMEs The lack of reliable and comprehensive baseline data makes it hard to estimate the size and quantify the effects the SMME sector has on the economy. The battle to stay open has begun and its “survival of the one who has access to funds”. StatsSA conducted a survey in April looking […]
Understanding the Value of Programme Impact Learnings The loose, common understanding of Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) is that it is the systematic tracking of implementation and outputs to measure the effectiveness of programmes. This determines whether or not a programme is on track and anticipate programme changes and timelines. M&E reports, which are the standard […]
The Role of BDS Providers The functions and responsibilities of managers have been categorised into four main categories: planning, leading, organising and controlling. The POLC Framework, though not encompassing all the different facets of a manager’s role, is sufficient in defining the role of SMME managers, many of whom, management is a new role. Business […]
Ensuring the accountability of the various contributing stakeholders. The many, announced efforts and promises to bolster the small business environment, now have us all “listening on the radio” to see if the promise-makers are promise-keepers and to see how small businesses are responding to the many offers and efforts. We await the evaluation of the […]
Covid-19 Era : What is your personal call to action? “This is a time of crises!”. We hear ourselves and others repeat this statement many times each day. Its “covid19” this and “covid19” that. It is now exhausting just hearing it being said. The cost of this crisis on human life is becoming very personal. […]
The Inner Work of a Leader in this Time of Crisis What do businesses and business leaders need to consider, to carry their businesses through the economic storm? It seems the consensus is that some of the key elements include: Strengthening the resilience and agility of the organisation Customer retention Increasing market confidence/interest in your […]