SIYAZAKHELA BUSINESS LITERACY COURSE

Siyazakhela allows entrepreneurs to create their own economic transformation by equipping them with the basic, necessary skills in foundation level business, entrepreneurship and life skills training. In doing so, we open up employment opportunities in South African townships, drive business literacy and contribute towards a thriving township ecosystem.

This Course forms part of the “Incubation” Phase of our ED and ESD Program. Please refer to the Seeds of Change (SOC) Overview doc. regarding the details of the 3 Phases of our Program.

A Course Overview is as follows:

  • Weekly 3 hour Formal Group session with coach for between 8-10 weeks depending on the pace at which the learners work and get through modules.
  • Coach is available during the week by appointment for site visits to Businesses or to consult and mentor.
  • Peer Networking events.
  • Graduation

In terms of methodology – Siyazakhela is a multidisciplinary Course including  digital online modules/tasks to complete on the entrepreneurs’ Phone App. It is easy to operate and understand and it’s fun to engage with. It requires online completion of all modules and most importantly it provides reports and monitors the entrepreneurs progress. Printed workbooks, the online modules, and finally a self-written Business Plan all need to be completed in order to graduate.

Exit opportunities from the “Incubate” Phase are all dependant on the Entrepreneur and the level to which they aim to grow their business. The next 2 Phases of our Seeds of Change Program are “Consolidate” and “Accelerate”. Entrepreneurs graduating to these phases become suppliers to our funders. Guidance to access specific funding, support and mentorship is unlocked for them and it allows shared value and direct access to market.

CONTENTS ON THE MODULES

 Module one: Entrepreneurship

  • Understanding entrepreneurship as a job opportunity
  • Defining entrepreneurship
  • Understanding what it takes to an entrepreneur
  • The obstacles to entrepreneurship, positive and negative impact.

Projects & bonus tasks:

  • Interview a business owner you know about:
  1. How they started their business
  2. What it takes to be an entrepreneur
  3. The obstacle to entrepreneurship and how to overcome them
  • OAL – Observe – Ask – Listen to the needs of community.

Module two: Know Yourself

  • Attributes and skills to be an entrepreneur
  • Do you have what it takes to be an entrepreneur
  • What topic do you want to learn to be a better entrepreneur?
  • Self-motivation

Projects & bonus tasks:

  • Know yourself
  1. Strength and weaknesses
  2. Improvement
  3. Proud moments
  • Right down 5 self-motivations
  • Mirror task
  • Knack games

Module three: Know Your Industry

  • Understand your place in the big picture
  • Understand the business environment and how it impacts small busines
  • Industry challenge

Projects & bonus tasks

  • Choose a street in your area and identify all the business on this street that are like yours. Indicate the address and business activities
  • Fill in the three sections of your business model canvas
  • Business mapping

Module four: Identify Market Opportunity

  • Awareness of opportunities available in the community
  • Identify problems to solve and create opportunities from these problems

Projects & bonus task

  • Identify market opportunities
  • Market research

Module five: Innovation

  • Defining innovation
  • Different kinds of innovation (service, product, or brand)
  • Identify areas in your business that needs changing

 Projects & bonus task

  • Innovation
  • Prioritization & testing

Module six: customer service

  • Identify the customer
  • Explain why the customer is king
  • Describe customer service
  • Understand what customer want
  • Understand why it is important to know what customer wants
  • Consider the basic of good customer service

Projects & bonus task

  • Customer smiles
  • The ten commandments
  • Suggestion box

Module seven: Money Management 1

  • Learning definition of key managing money terms (profit, loss, turnover, saving, income, expenses, salary and wages)
  • Practice calculation
  • Savings
  • Business vs. Personal expenses

Project & bonus task:

  • Money management basics
  • Separating personal and business finance
  • Savings

Module eight: Money Management 2

  • Recording money in and out
  • Saving and interest rates
  • Loans
  • Simple and compound interest

Project & bonus task

  • Practice maths
  • Ledger book
  • Salary calculation

Module nine: Stock Pricing

  • Learn what one needs to consider when pricing stock
  • Understand and cost the value chain of your product and service
  • How to stay competitive with your pricing?

Project & bonus task

  • Cost pricing calculations
  • Mystery shopping
  • The importance of bulk buying

Module ten: Marketing

  • What is marketing
  • The 4p’s (price, product, place, and promotion
  • Know your market
  • Understand your brand

Project & bonus task

  • The 4p’s
  • Marketing strategy
  • Market research

Module eleven: Smart Goals

  • What are goals
  • How do we achieve them?
  • Understand difference between short, medium, and long-term goals
  • Know how to set goals

Project & bonus task

  • Identify goals
  • Setting goals
  • Fear, frustration and challenges

Module twelve: Planning

  • Describe what a business plan is
  • Understand what a business plan is used for
  • Learn how to develop business plan for your enterprise

Project & bonus task

  • Reflection exercise
  • Business model canvas
  • Business plan

Each module has digital online project tasks in the App and written tasks that entrepreneurs need to complete.

Over the years Seeds of Africa has seen tremendous growth and development in the entrepreneurs we’ve trained, strengthened by the wholistic support we’ve provided for them with our custom made mentorship, coaching and advisory services.

Combining our understanding of the entrepreneurs engagement and progress with a comprehensive annual impact study and bi-annual surveys that explore our entrepreneurs needs, challenges, suggestions and recommendations. These provide us with important quantitative and qualitative feedback that we use in directing our mentorship, coaching sessions and workshops.

All entrepreneurs attending our training have access to group and one on one personal development, finance, marketing and sales mentorship workshops, coaching sessions as well as business admin, legal and human resource advisory services.

When entrepreneurs require mentors in specific fields of business, National Mentorship Movement  has collaborated with Seeds of Africa to provide experienced  mentors with more specific business guidance.

The combination of training and Customised support is the key to unlocking not only our entrepreneurs’ individual strengths but also developing sustainable businesses that trigger job creation within the informal market.