Metropolitan brunch highlights key lessons for entrepreneurial success

Metropolitan hosted its Impact Brunch, an event that aimed at exploring the factors that shape an entrepreneur’s journey and how these experiences create a broader impact on communities across South Africa.

The brunch was held at the Protea Hotel Balalaika in Sandton on February 5, with a panel unpacking the impact equation on how SA entrepreneurs are rewriting legacies.

The discussion focused on financial literacy, clarity, emotional strength, as well as the impact of the Metropolitan Collective Shapers programme on business owners and the wider community.

Now in its fourth season, the youth entrepreneurs’ programme was implemented nationwide for the first time, with a focus on the logistics and agricultural sectors, chosen for their high potential for job creation.

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During the panel discussion, Metropolitan CEO Peter Tshiguvho said that for an entrepreneur to succeed, they must always have clarity on where they are going.

“If you have clarity to say, ‘In the next five years, this is where I want to go,’ then you will know the competencies you need to acquire to reach that level.

“Along the way, there will be opportunities that come up, and you will have to decide whether to take them or not, but when you don’t have clarity, you will take anything that comes your way. When you have clarity, you will see that some opportunities are just disruptions,” he said.

He further stated that mistakes are part of any entrepreneur’s journey, and if they make mistakes along the way, they should make sure to learn from them, forgive themselves, and keep moving forward.

Tshiguvho emphasised that working hard remains critical to the success of any entrepreneur.

Human resources and business transformation expert Ziyanda Mazimisa highlighted the importance of financial literacy and how it can impact an entrepreneur’s decision-making.

She said that, from a psychological perspective, entrepreneurs need to manage their nervousness and learn to be comfortable with money.

“When you start and run a business, you must understand your relationship with money. If you don’t feel a sense of value around it, that will reflect in how you price your services and how you attract revenue,” she said.

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Director of Nkonyane Yenkosi Farming and an alumna of the Metropolitan Collective Shapers programme, Linda Mthalane, said the programme has helped her in being a lot more confident about her brand and the work she does.

“The programme has helped me learn to network better, overcome shyness in a room full of people, and be more confident about my position in my business. It has built on my ambitions and helped me understand my purpose, making it easier to set goals and identify opportunities that align with that purpose,” Mthalane said.