Alexandra Business Leader of the Year Award 2007
- a collaboration between The Business Place Alexandra
and Standard Bank
2007 went out on a high note for The Business Place Alexandra. What
started as a dream for Alex Branch Manager Dumisani Hlatshwayo became
a glittering awards evening that transformed our functional community
hall at the Alexsan Kopano Centre into a five star banqueting area.
The Alexandra Business Leader of the Year Award 2007 was a competition
for small business owners in the Alex area (or TBP Alex clients) who
have been operating for six months or more and have an annual turnover
of under R500,000. It aimed to inspire and celebrate small businesses
as well as give the three winners a cash injection.
2007 was the pilot and its success was due to Dumi’s partnership with
Victor Jardim, Regional Business Manager, Ekurhuleni Region of
Standard Bank. It was his commitment to the process and championing
within Standard Bank that led to them funding and supporting the
Awards. Hopefully the 2008 awards will be even better.
After advertising extensively within Alex during October, the diverse
selection of applications was narrowed down to thirteen shortlisted
businesses. These businesses operate from the backyards of Alex to
bond houses to community halls to the immediate suburbs. They cover
hair salons, signage, construction, biofuels, driving schools, IT,
sculptures and sports marketing.
The site visits were conducted by Julie Machin and Ash Ngobeni of TBP
and Victor Jardim of Standard Bank. They proved an instructive
experience for the three judges, providing a lot of insight into the
challenges small businesses in Alex face. Four key areas were examined
during the visits: financials and record keeping, the sales and
marketing strategy, client service approach and skills development of
owner and employees. This gave a picture of the general sustainability
of the businesses.
Eventually eleven finalists were chosen, all of whom will receive a
Standard Bank mentor for 2008 plus a year of free trainings and
workshops from TBP Alex. The top three received a capital injection of
R15,000, R10,000 and R5,000 respectively for their business from
Standard Bank. The winners were:
-
Grand
Prize Winner: Mosa Moeketsi of Tshimo Ya Tlhago
-
Second
Prize Winner: Aubrey Masuku of Mphilisi Development Consultants
-
Third
Prize Winner: Kgomotso Ramushu of Angels Driving School
Beyond the actual prizes, the awards ceremony itself was important
in demonstrating that such an event could happen in the heart of the
township, not in Sandton. It really celebrated the achievements of the
eleven small business owners and was a promise to the business
community of Alex that The Business Place Alexandra takes them
seriously and will continue to deliver to them.
Lastly, many thanks are due to all the staff at The Business Place
Alex and Standard Bank who worked so hard to pull the competition and
awards together.
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