Eskom invites entries for small business competition

Cape Town - The Eskom Development Foundation officially opened entries for the annual Eskom Business Investment Competition (BIC) and until July 18 2017, registered black-owned small and medium enterprises that have been operating for more than two years, can submit their entries for the competition and stand a chance to win great prizes.

The BIC is Eskom’s initiative aimed at recognising and rewarding small businesses that are contributing to skills development, job creation and economic growth. The competition is open to enterprises operating in the manufacturing, engineering/construction, trade/services, agricultural and agri-processing sectors across all provinces.

With R1.3m worth of prizes up for grabs in the competition, South African small business owners are encouraged by Eskom to seize the opportunity to win their share of the prize money and boost their businesses and much more by way of workshops, training and networking.

The BIC has been helping small enterprises grow their operations since it was initiated in 2008. The financial rewards, the business skills and training provided as part of the prizes, are among the key incentives for businesses to enter the competition.

READ: R2m up for grabs in entrepreneur competition

Prizes

The overall winner across all the four sectors receives R150 000, while each sector’s winner takes home R100 000. There are also prizes for first and second runners-up and all the competition’s finalists receive cash prizes as well.

All BIC finalists also get an opportunity to exhibit at the annual three day Small Business Expo (SBE) and the #BuyaBusiness Expo held from August 31 to September 2 at the TicketPro Dome in Johannesburg. The Small Business Expo is exclusively dedicated to the development and growth of small and medium enterprises by giving them an opportunity to market themselves and interact with some 7 000 corporates, potential investors and customers.

The overall winner of the BIC in 2016 was Nomcebo Printers from Lydenburg, Mpumalanga. Nomcebo Printers, owned by Nomcebo Sibanyoni, is a production company which does graphic design, printing, heat press and manufacturing of branded log and invoice books.

“Having gone through the competition, I know the calibre of the companies that compete. I didn’t expect to win at all and it was such a great honour to win this competition. Taking part in it gave me a chance to reflect on my entrepreneurial journey thus far and I can only be proud of my achievements. I encourage all small businesses that qualify to enter and not doubt themselves as they could be pleasantly surprised like I was,” said Sibanyoni.

The Eskom Development Foundation’s acting CEO Cecil Ramonotsi says small business owners should not miss out on this opportunity to grow their businesses.

“Eskom is giving small businesses a chance to boost their operations through this competition and I would encourage them to enter as soon as possible to avoid last minute disappointments,” said Ramonotsi.

More information is available here.