In 2015, Grace signed-up for the eight month Enterprising Women Programme (EWP), as offered by the bhive Enterprise Development Centre (EDC) on the Vanderbijlpark Campus of the North-West University (NWU), in an effort to better her business knowledge and to ultimately giver her entrepreneurial venture a new lease of life. At the time of joining the EWP, Grace was already a start-up entrepreneur with just more than a year’s experience.
For this resident of De Deur, Vereeniging, entrepreneurship offers her the freedom to do what she loves and support her family at the same time. Before undertaking her entrepreneurial journey, Grace worked as a marketing and management consultant for several companies over a period of ten years. “The EWP short course changed the way I conducted my business,” says Grace and explains that she learnt a lot about concepts such as financial management and sustainability forecasts. “I learned that I am not alone on my entrepreneurial journey and that many other women have the same questions and doubts I have. As a group we formed a tightknit family and as such I have first-hand experience of the power of good networks.” Grace says that the hardest part of becoming an entrepreneur is taking the first step.
“If you know what you want to do, you have to get out there and conduct market research. Entrepreneurship is not just about satisfying your own need but also that of the customer,” says Grace and adds that as an entrepreneur she constantly has to re-evaluate her business goals to make sure that it remains relevant and in demand.
More about the EWP
The Enterprising Women Programme is an eight month programme geared to provide business support services to women who wish to establish their own businesses. During the course of the programme, participants will be taken through a programme to explore ideas, develop business models and subsequently initiative their businesses with confidence and entrepreneurial know-how.
“A female entrepreneur works hard every day to realise her goals, be it to support her family, to supplement her income or, to turn her hobby into a viable business,” explains Johann Landsberg, Manager of the bhive Enterprise Development Centre (EDC) on the Vanderbijlpark Campus. The bhive EDC represents the hub in which the short learning programme is presented.
Since its inception in 2015 the programme has grown in leaps and bounds and has in recent months also been extended to Sasolburg and Pretoria. The programme represents an NQF Level 5 certification.
The programme coordinator is Leonie Greyling, an entrepreneurship development professional, and together with a team of experienced presenters – representing both academia and the business sector, the programme offers women the opportunity to give flight to their dreams.
Grace Telane together with Hester Davis from the Business Chamber and Prof Herman van der Merwe, dean of the Faculty of Economic Sciences and Information Technology.
