Entrepreneurship for everyone

To tackle to problem of youth unemployment, entrepreneurship should be for everyone and not the fortunate few who have access to a range of contacts and resources.

Nontando Mthetwa, head of public affairs and communications at the Allan Gray Orbis Foundation, says inclusive entrepreneurship can provide the answer for sustainable job creation and social change.

“Picture an entrepreneur and chances are the image you conjure up falls into one of two camps. On the one hand, there is a the ‘elite’ entrepreneur, the business owner who was fortunate enough to have access to a range of contacts and resources capable of bringing their disruptive idea to life.

“Contrasting sharply with this stereotype is the small business owner who never had any intention of establishing a start-up but was driven to do so out of desperation as a fallout from long-term unemployment.”

Mthetwa says it is a sad reality that many of the entrepreneurs we see fall into the second category. “Entrepreneurship still ranks far behind other professions when it comes to career choices and many of the country’s young people simply do not consider starting a business as an occupation because it either does not occur to them, or because they do not believe it is a viable option.”

It also does not help that many of the examples of successful entrepreneurs we see are international, which means they did not experience the same kind of challenges we are bound to encounter as South Africans.

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Addressing misconceptions about entrepreneurship

How do we address the misperceptions around entrepreneurship? Mthetwa says the answer is to promote inclusive entrepreneurship and emphasising the fact that just because your background is different to that of, say, Richard Branson or Uber founder Travis Kalanick, does not mean that this is a sphere that is off-limits to you.

“Fostering inclusive entrepreneurship means breaking down barriers to enable more people to engage with the ideas and concepts related to entrepreneurship. Doing this requires input from a range of stakeholders, to ensure we are able to reach people wherever they are.

“It is a question of relevance. While there are some would-be entrepreneurs who are lucky enough to be able to spend hours on their tablet, Googling resources and concepts, others who are no less well equipped in terms of skill and resources to become business owners do not enjoy the same level of access.”

The Allan Gray Orbis Foundation is trying to address this by democratising entrepreneurship education through the Allan Gray Entrepreneurship Challenge, an online game that teaches the principles of entrepreneurship and which can be played by primary and high school learners, as well as students in vocational colleges, around the country.

The challenge is run in addition to the foundation’s other programmes that include scholarship, fellowship and association that target learners at different levels, offering a wide range of interventions for social and academic support, including targeted entrepreneurial learning activities augmented by mentorship.

Mthetwa says even if the beneficiaries of these programmes do not become entrepreneurs, they acquire the skills that help them to flourish in an environment characterised by uncertainty. “Their entrepreneurial flair and outlook will serve them well in any circumstances, whether they opt to apply these qualities in a corporate setting or in their own business.”

They will in any way be equipped to disrupt and that is important, Mthetwa says, because the foundation believes that one of the key roles of entrepreneurship is to find ways to solve societal challenges.

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Fixing problems part of entrepreneurship

“That is why we think that, more than asking children what they want to be when they grow up, we should ask what problems they would like to fix. Inclusive entrepreneurship is about giving them the skills they need to identify these problems, then create solutions.

“The ripple effects of inclusive entrepreneurship significant. Sure, it is encouraging to see individuals able to support themselves, rather than relying on a salary. But how much more exciting is it to see those individuals able to create jobs for others and uplift their communities?”

Mthetwa says this is why the foundation chose to focus on fostering high impact entrepreneurship, setting a goal of supporting entrepreneurs who create five hundred ventures, 10 of which have a value of R1 billon and creating 30 000 jobs by 2030.

“We admit it is an audacious goal, which is why we encourage participation from other members of our ecosystem. We acknowledge that each member of the entrepreneurship-building community has a role to play and by harnessing each other’s strengths, we can amplify them. Collaboration is key.”

By coming together in this manner, the foundation believes that entrepreneurship will move out of the realm of the extraordinary as a career reserved for the mavericks and risk-takers, to become a considered choice for many.

“In this way, we see entrepreneurship making a significant contribution to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, as well as Agenda 2063, which seeks to create a framework for the socio-economic transformation of Africa.

“The challenge now is to take the legislation and policies which lay the foundation for a flourishing entrepreneurial culture and implement them, an undertaking which requires input from both the private and public sectors so that our economy can finally see the advantages of inclusive entrepreneurship.”