2. INCUBATION HUBS
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to funding remains a critical issue. There are big pockets
of money available for this sector, but the mechanisms to
access this funding are often onerous on the entrepreneurJ'
According to her, there is also a lack of leadership
development and business development skills required by
entrepreneurs to run successful enterprises.
Retief concurs on the degree of understanding
of markets, as well as cash flow issues, but says
entrepreneurial success rests as much on resilience
and persistence as it does on knowledge and finance.
'Accepting that success takes time and delaying the
gratification of acquiring the trappings of success goes a
long way towards growing a business," she says.
Naidoo's advice to any entrepreneur wishing to get a
I 36 . DEST|'

3. INCUBATION HUBS
we've started our third phase, which we
are calling a socialfranchise.
This is a toffee shop in a box'solution
that is specifically focused on the
corporate market," he says. To that
end, the Roast Re:public team has
built a fully-functioning coffee shop
in a 6m2 container.
"We are aiming to access enterprise
development funding for it and then
offer the entrepreneurship opportunity
for qualifying candidates, including the
necessary training, as well as a central
shared services centre that will assist
them in the future with the required
support for fi nances, administration,
legal services and coaching to be
successful," says De Witt.
Roast Re:public was founded in 2013
and first drew the attention ofthe
Standard Bank incubator two years later.
It has since become the resident firm at
the Rosebank, Jo'burg, hub, running the
on-site coffee shop and other catering
solutions for the space. "lt is the in-
between discussions, opportu nities to
ask some advice from the incubator
team and the introductions that have
really been the biggest boost for us,"says
De Witt. "We've also been afforded the
opportunity to think bigger and more
effectively about the impact we could
have through our brand. The incubator's
influence in terms of strategy, creating
networking opportunities and
broadening our horizons were the
most important elements."
He believes that many start-ups fail
because the founder is half-hearted.
"Many seem to do their business on the
side and not really make it their focus.
There is something great about not
knowing if you will be able to pay your
bills at the end of the month - not in the
moment, obviously, but in retrospect!"
he says."That uncertainty makes you
wake up and make things happen, get
things done, make the sale, achieve.. .
You need to be hungry to make it
happen. lfyou don't need your
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business to succeed, you won't go
for it'!
THE RIGHT ENVIRONMENT
Apple Green Environmental - a part
of the Riversands programme - is
a sustainable services company
whose core business is providing
environmental solutions that enable
its customers to manage and reduce
their environmental impact, as
measured by their carbon footprint.
Retief says that Apple Green
is a sophisticated business with
high growth potential, particularly
among corporate clients who
need to take issues such as waste
management and carbon footprint
seriously.'Apple Green already has
the credentials and experience
in this space to make the most of
our extensive corporate partner
network;" she says. "We also know
founder Langa Sangoni to be a
highly innovative entrepreneur
- he is working on a number of
projects that will have a dramatic
!mpact on how much waste goes
into landfills. We would like to
play a part in helping him get
these offthe ground, too.The firm
already has an impressive client list,
including Growthpoint Properties,
MultiChoice, Total and Shoprite.
"The future is green,"says Sangoni.
"l believe any business that doesn't
have a sustainability strategy won't
survive - and that creates a huge
market opportunity for our services."
He started the business in2007
with a partner, who exited three
years later, leaving him as the CEO.
Sangoni says the support from
Riversands - gained in 2015 - has
improved both market access and
visibility. "We are working with a
6rm in the healthcare sector, which
Riversands helped us access. We
also benefit from a professional and
accessible address at a subsidised
rate on entrepreneur-friendly terms.
If we grow, we can scale up without
any penaltiesi' he says.
He believes there are a number
of factors which contribute to small
business failure, but that the main
one is a lack of skills and experience
in establishing a business. "l know
many people would say that a lack
of funding is a contributing factor
to small business failure, but what
good is having money without the
necessary skills?" N
1 38 . DEST]NYMAN . AUGUST 201 6
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