WOMEN BUSINESS OWNERS STRENGTHEN THEIR BUDGETING AND DIGITAL MARKETING SKILLS IN ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT SEMINARS IN SOUTH AFRICA

With South Africa’s Women’s Month coming to a close, WEConnect International in South Africa held its final two events on August 28 and 29. The one-day Enterprise Development Seminars held in Newtown and Soweto were sponsored by ABSA Business Banking and brought together 66 women business owners to learn about budget forecasting and digital marketing from corporate experts.

Hosted by Charlton Thangalan, Provincial Manager for ABSA’s Enterprise Development (Business Banking Gauteng South), and Keketso Temane, ‎Consultant for ABSA’s Enterprise Development (Barclays Africa Group Limited), the events focused on educating women on topics including: key steps in forecasting; case studies in budget forecasting; how to compile a winning a budget; and, basics in digital marketing.

Elizabeth Vazquez, CEO and co-founder of WEConnect International, opened the seminars with an introduction to the organisation. Ms. Vazquez encouraged women business owners to expand their horizons and detailed how WEConnect International can assist women business owners in accelerating business growth with the purchasing power of its global corporate members.

SMEs are essential to the economic health of the country. According to the Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA), 72% of micro-enterprises and 40% of small enterprises are currently owned by women. Therefore, presenters argued, it should come as no surprise that the emerging topic of financing for women business owners has become a top priority for entrepreneurs.

Representing The BizLab, Bashir Khan, Raksha Makhan and Lerato Mothopeng shared their expertise in budget forecasting. They jointly led a session on the topic with the goal of equipping women business owners with the decision-making techniques to forecast accurately. They discussed the important distinction between differentiating budgeting, which lays out a plan for where a business wants to go, and financial forecasting, which indicates where the business future prospects lie.

The training session focused on Digital Marketing was the highlight for many women in attendance and focused on equipping women with the essential knowledge needed to establish an effective online presence. The goal of establishing this presence is to help their businesses reach a wider online audience.

ABSA Bank Limited (ABSA) is a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Barclays Africa Group. Offering a range of retail, business, corporate and investment banking, wealth management products and services primarily in South Africa and Africa. Barclays is a WEConnect International global corporate member.

For more information, contact: Jean Chawapiwa, Country Director of WEConnect International in SA, jchawapiwa@weconnectinternational.org, +27 836606586