May 2017

The theme for the May edition of Enterprise Africa is entrepreneurship. All of the companies we speak to have grown from nothing to become leaders in their chosen sector, facing major challenges along the way, some that are totally unavoidable and some that have required clever strategy planning to overcome.

Our lead feature stories come from Western Cape construction company L.A. Staal, Jo’burg-based marketing specialist Jawbone Brand Experiences, mechanical automation specialist S4 Automation & Integration, and quality service driven Ample Insurance Brokers. All of these highly reputable and successful organisations started life with nothing apart from an idea, with just one or two people pulling the strings. They are examples of exactly how far you can go with determination and entrepreneurial spirit – rife in South Africa.

This determination and spirit will be required more than ever in the coming months as political, economic and global forces will continue to create challenges for businesses. This is demonstrated in our features from Villiera Wines who export products all over the world, and Laastedrif Farms who send their fruits and vegetables to the UK and Africa.

But with the uncertainty coming from Brexit, changes to tariffs, and the widespread indecision that has become prevalent in all markets, it is getting more difficult to trade internationally and only those with effective strategies will succeed.

We also hear from CapeRay Medical, the innovative and exciting Cape Town-based medical engineering company that is almost ready to start commercially manufacturing its Aceso imaging systems that help detect breast cancer. This is a company that can change people’s lives for the better and is searching for market opportunities and partners around the world. CapeRay is another example of a business that started small with just a concept and a drive to succeed – South African entrepreneurship at its finest.

Tell us about your story of entrepreneurial success. We’re online @EnterpriseAfri1