Your Business

Every business owner wants to get to “the next level”. For some it’s getting to start-up, for others it’s reaching R1m turnover, or opening the first branch … or the 10th branch.

Whatever the next level for your business, being selected as one of the 40 winners of the Seda Small Business Stars business plan competition will showcase you and your business to the entire nation. Imagine the media attention, the networking opportunities, the status.

Seda Small Business Stars is a national business plan competition. It’s a path for anyone with a business idea or existing business to break through the clutter and achieve rapid national exposure, prominence and credibility – and to share in more than R4-million in prizes.

Here’s the path: visit www.seda.org.za and follow the Seda Small Business Stars link to register. Complete the easy-to-use online business plan. You can save and edit at any time. Submit. If you are selected as a finalist, we’ll notify you and you’ll have the chance to present your business concept in person to the selection panel. Closing date for entries is 31 January 2012.

Your entry is totally confidential. The programme is funded by the DTI’s Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda) and run by the South African Institute for Entrepreneurship and Traction.

Winners will receive cash, up to R60,000 each in business support, laptops, software and more. There are also special awards for the best woman entrepreneur, the best youth entrepreneur, the best disabled entrepreneur and the entrepreneur with the best job-creating idea.

Every Seda branch is offering a specially-designed one-day training course (at no charge). If you need help with writing your plan, Business Plan Builder is phenomenal and will definitely help. Register at your nearest Seda branch or call 086 111 STARS to find out were you can attend.  

You can also join the conversation on Facebook and Twitter

Call for Judges:

Seda Small Business Stars, South Africa’s biggest business plan competition, is also looking for volunteer judges. If you have more than 15 years’ business experience, can analyse and evaluate a business plan and would like to contribute to the growth of entrepreneurship, please email judging@sedastars.org.za">judging@sedastars.org.za so we can send you an application form.

Judging can be done online and you can focus on a specific sector. Help us identify tomorrow’s entrepreneur success stories!  

For media queries please contact Dominique van Onselen at Influence PR on 082 802 8184 or Dominique@influencepr.co.za">Dominique@influencepr.co.za