With June being Youth Month, it is very important for the youth to feel empowered. Encouraging entrepreneurship among the youth can help them face challenges which are related to high unemployment rates. Entrepreneurship offers opportunities for young people to move away from unemployment. It is important for the youth to have the ability to set personal goals so that they can work on attaining them. Youth entrepreneurship is a tool for stimulating innovation amongst young people which will help combat unemployment.
A lot of young people enrol into colleges/universities hoping to graduate and get employed immediately after they’re done with their studies. Unfortunately, companies are now hiring less graduates because of the state of our economy. Entrepreneurship is characterised by the willingness to develop a business idea and turn it into a reality.
Entrepreneurship affects economic growth positively by increasing market competiveness. The potential for innovation from the youth should not be wasted as it is necessary for creating breakthroughs in the business world.
Khethi Ngwenya – founder and managing director of SchoolMedia started as an entrepreneur at the tender age of six – selling hair products in his aunt’s salon. At the age of 12, he had his own stall where he sold sweets and goods to the local community. While in school at the age of 17, he was elected CEO of Y.E.S (Young Entrepreneurs of Soweto). He has just been named as one of the top 30 young entrepreneurs in South Africa by Forbes Africa
Below he shares some tips which can help young people who want to get into entrepreneurship:
Focus on your goal: Make sure that you clearly define your goal and then work towards achieving it. Goal setting keeps you motivated and on track with everything that you have to do.
Be brave: As an entrepreneur, you are faced with a lot of challenges and uncertainty. It takes courage, hard work, careful planning as well as unwavering bravery to become a successful entrepreneur.
Love what you do: As an entrepreneur, being passionate about your business is very important. Passion is what drives you because it keeps you going even when your business comes across certain challenges.
Don’t borrow too much money: Being in debt can cause serious problems when it comes to running a business. You could end up being at a losing point when all the money you make from your business goes towards repaying debts.
Be confident: The best attribute that you can have in order to achieve success is self-confidence. Confidence is what drives you to get out of bed and start realising your dreams as well as achieving your goals.
If you would like more information on SchoolMedia products and services, visit SchoolMedia at: http://www.schoolmedia.co.za or call them on +27 11 720-7174.
