Cape Town: The Economic Growth Directorate of the City of Cape Town has piloted its home-based Business Toolkit in Grassy Park to help empower the residents with practical information to establish a business at home.
Reportedly, the residents from in and around Grassy Park attended the home-based Business Toolkit workshop that was held at the Grassy Park Civic Centre. The toolkit includes learning materials with inputs from all the relevant city departments regarding regulations.
It is a tool to test the feasibility of business ideas and case studies to illustrate the learnings from existing home-based businesses.
Considering this, Member of the Mayoral Committee for Economic Growth and Tourism – Alderman James Vos said that understanding the factors that go into running a business from one’s residence can feel like a minefield for many.
According to the stats presented by SA’s Survey of Employers and the Self-employed published in March, has found that almost eight out of 10 persons (71.8%) running informal businesses (which also include home-based businesses) did not keep any records and that more than 80% of informal businesses were operating without licences or permits.
Furthermore, the toolkit is intended to support business owners with the knowledge to make informed decisions for sustained growth.
To this, James Vos expressed that they want to give people the practical information and guidelines regarding conceptualisation, compliance and a sense of the elements required for successfully managing a business in their home.
Also, this pilot programme is a great opportunity for the city officials to refine the initiative if necessary.
Referring to this initiative, Subcouncil for 18 Chairperson – Councillor Kevin Southgate said that he fully supports this programme.
Councillor Southgate further added to his statement that he welcomes the initiative to equip the small business owners with the skills they need to operate effectively. He added that by empowering entrepreneurs with the right tools and knowledge, they are investing in stronger communities.
Notably, further training for aspiring and existing entrepreneurs is available via Business Hub of the City of Cape Town and the Cape Town Entrepreneurship Academy.