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Mentorship will enable you to effectively grow your new business

Launching your business today is daunting, there are so many startups that shoot to fame and yet an inordinate number of businesses with great ideas just go nowhere. The current startup scene in South Africa is obsessed with ‘getting funding’ and ‘pitching business ideas’ in edgy new ways in front of an industry-appropriate celebrity panel.

But despite these platforms and all the hype around them, it does little for the majority of new businesses. There are a few startups that do extremely well and dominate many of the incubators or startup competitions, but unfortunately for a lot of new businesses or great business ideas, they simply don’t get off the ground.

So how do you get your business to make its first million? Or its first 50 million? e-magination Infosolutions was not born out of startup competitions or an incubator, our model was like the Goldilocks of the startup realm; too small or too big, too many staff or too few, to high an annual turnover or too low. It never quite fit. We realised we were on our own with very little guidance. Which is why, many years later and as an entrepreneur that has achieved some success, I feel it necessary to offer mentorship where it is greatly needed.

mentorship

Mentorship, if you can get it, can be a catalytic asset to the growth of your business

It is extremely difficult to convince successful entrepreneurs to offer up their time to give you guidance for your new business. Often they will not take on a mentee if there are no prospects of acquisition or shares at a later point; nobody wants to give up their time for free. However, my motivation for offering mentorship is to see a business go from having no base to growing their business beyond their expectations.

Businesses stay small by thinking small

Too many business owners still think too small and for too long, eventually getting ‘stuck’ and not feeling confident of their next move. This is where a mentor comes in, inspiring the entrepreneurs to think big again and giving them invaluable advice from successes and even failures they’ve made in the lifecycle of their own successful businesses.

A mentor can also advise you on the following (and more):

  • Recruitment: structuring your organisation for growth.
  • Business strategy: focusing on the right thing, such as new customer acquisition.
  • Sales strategy: developing a sales strategy that is customer-facing.
  • Organisational structure: having all the correct documentation, eg. company. registration, tax clearance, BEE certificate, etc.
  • Marketing: building a company profile and getting people talking about your business.

I will take on 3 businesses for mentorship

If you have your own business and are feeling a bit stuck as to what the next step is or how to grow your business, apply for mentorship. I will take on 3 businesses for mentorship, simply email me at Richard@emagination.co.za and include your business’s story, what you need help with, and why you think I can help you.