Budding entrepreneur empowered after business workshop

The first winner of a mentorship workshop targeting budding entrepreneurs and Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) students says he has been equipped with skills to navigate business world during overwhelming times.

Shuldrae Rosen, 34, an entrepreneur from Johannesburg, was among the 50 young entrepreneurs who attended the first leg of the Play Your Part Ignite Masterclass.

Rosen won R8,000 towards his NPO business Bulele Africa which he started to clean-up rubbish along the Zandspruit River.

The initiative by Brand SA is a one-day mentorship workshop that will be held in nine provinces, seeking to impart business knowledge to TVET college students and young entrepreneurs. The business knowledge is imparted by business professionals and ambassadors and is part of Brand SA's 10-year celebration of making a difference in SA.   

Rosen said as an entrepreneur who was thrusted into the business space by chance, receiving such an opportunity will add to how he grows his business. 

“As young entrepreneurs who are trying to not only make a difference in society but also be sustainable, the challenges are many. From striking that balance to growing one's business. The information that was shared during the workshop was worth so much that I think maybe I would have had to pay for it. But it was shared freely and I think it was a once in a lifetime opportunity," he said.

“We are living in a time where there are so many kids who are becoming entrepreneurs so fast, such opportunities are a need to help them navigate the business world that can be overwhelming at times." 

Rosen bagged himself the first prize money and a mentor who will help him maximise his business and how to venture into water projects.  

“The business started off when I was walking alongside the Zandspruit River and I noticed how dirty the river was. I was immediately interested in cleaning the river, only to find that my partner, whom I didn’t know at that time, was also interested in doing the work. So, we linked up and partnered up, sourcing out workers on the side of the road during the hard Covid-19 lockdown days. We made means to get them working and that was the beginning of the project,” Rosen said. 

The money will be used for their branding, taking tips from the workshop he said. 

Brand SA’s assistant brand manager Masego Mosiane said college students are welcome to register and be a part of this one-day workshop. 

The Play Your Part Ignite Masterclass will run until March 2023, and will be moving to Limpopo before heading out to KwaZulu-Natal and then North West. 

The masterclass houses different TVET colleges with students meeting at one central place for a day and the programme can only house 60 students per class. 

“As a brand, we saw this as an opportunity to make a difference in society by empowering entrepreneurs, especially since they can make a huge difference in the unemployment rate. If these entrepreneurs succeed, by being given practical knowledge and resources, they’ll be able to employ people,” Mosiane said.

“With this programme now, the information and the resources that we give these college students is more extensive where we offer mentorships."