With recent surveys confirming our views that much more finance is need for SA entrepreneurs, we celebrate the work done by Enablis in making R10 million available for the right business plans:

Enablis, the international non-profit entrepreneur development agency, has announced a call for entries in the 2006 FNB Enablis national business plan competition.

The competition is open to entrepreneurs with business ideas, as well as those wanting to expand their businesses, and offers R10-million in available funding and prizes ranging from computers and software to training courses and "business make-overs".

This year the competition focuses on five business sectors: tourism, transportation, services, agriculture and information and communication technologies. Entries can also include products and services for these industries.

One of the competition’s new features business and technology "make-overs" for promising entrants who do not win the main prizes. Advisers from Accenture and Microsoft – two of the competition partners – will help selected entrepreneurs sharpen up their business ideas to make them more viable.

The 30 finalists in the competition will have the opportunity to compete for the 10 winning slots by presenting their business concept to a panel of local and international judges in October.

First National Bank's (FNB) sponsorship of the competition in South Africa is part of the bank’s commitment to support entrepreneurship and create opportunities in the SME sector.

"Our focus is most certainly on supporting measures to promote small business in South Africa," says Iris Dempsey, chief executive officer of FNB Commercial Banking.

"We see our role as far more than the traditional role of a bank - that is, as a lender of money. FNB has a very important role to play in engaging with Government and private enterprise to promote economic growth and job opportunities.

"Our sponsorship of the Enablis Business Plan Competition fits squarely within this role - we are helping create opportunities for new entrepreneurs to become successful businesspeople."



Enablis director Martin Feinstein said the competition’s promise to entrepreneurs was that their business plans would be " looked at by serious people".

"We are running 12 free business plan workshops in six cities around the country to help entrepreneurs with their plans. We will help an individual who just has a raw idea and wants to get it on paper, as well as the more experienced businessperson who wants to polish their plan."

The screening of business plans will be performed by a team of professional SME advisers from Enterprise Support, an organisation that links entrepreneurs with professional service providers.

Enablis currently works with several hundred entrepreneurs, who join the organisation as members and play an active role in the management, in four provinces. The group provides them with business coaching, marketing support and access to finance.

Entries for the competition close at the end of August and the winners will be announced in October.

The Canada Fund for Africa, Khula Enterprise Finance and FNB are the partners contributing to the pool of potential funding for the winners.

Prizes include more than R120 000 in computer equipment, R300 000 in business software and R150 000 in training vouchers from the Umsobomvu Youth Fund.

Business Report will also be featuring weekly articles on how to write a winning business plan.


Entry forms are available from the Enablis website on www.enablis.org, or by calling (021) 465-2526.