Cape Town, 22 February 2021 – The South Africa business landscape has shifted in the past year with even the biggest names like Comair, Edcon, Associated Media, Time Freight and more not surviving the lockdown. While this was shocking and the knock-on economic effects are yet to be truly understood and the government contributed over R1.3 billion in support through TERS for small businesses, entrepreneurship may be the way forward for South Africans to prosper. Although, one of the main hurdles young businesses face is a perceived lack of legitimacy.
“We’ve developed our certification program on the basis of insights we’ve gained from over twenty years of researching business in South Africa for our numerous publications and awards including Top500 and Standard Bank Top Women Awards. We can now identify factors that make a business valuable and that are predicting components for future success,” explains Karla Fletcher, Director of Marketing at TopCo Media.
The certification program is an accessible initiative that includes receiving marketing and public relations material as well as the opportunity to enter awards at a later stage. The aspects that will be rewarded include Top Gender Empowered Company, Top Empowered Company, Black Owned Business and so many more. Part of the certification is the opportunity to join the community and network with fellow entrepreneurs and learning from industry stalwarts. While at the same time providing a level of legitimacy and trust for potential clients, customers, and companies that want to engage with the accredited and proven businesses.
“The financial aspect is usually prohibitive particularly for start-ups. Hence we’ve developed several options and payment structures to ensure that small companies through to the largest corporates can apply. Our extensive research and cross-checking by our team ensures that accreditation is only awarded to companies that truly qualify,” expounds Fletcher.
Considering the shift in the business landscape which should see smaller companies coming to the forefront of industry – innovation in product offerings and creating jobs – an obstacle for success should not be a lack of recognition. The certification program is a solution to a problem that can have a make or break effect for businesses.
The program will be launching with an exclusive cohort of companies, if you think your company qualifies get in touch here.
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