‘Big large accessible markets are the keys to successful SMMEs not clever ideas’ – expert

Loading player...
South Africa’s small businesses need to relook their target market in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. This is according to businessman and Custodian of Entrepreneurship at Stellenbosch University, Seraf Toefy, who was speaking to the OFM Business Hour regarding how small businesses can bounce back from this period of gloom in the global economy. Toefy says what matters is that you establish your business where there is a large accessible market as opposed to having a clever idea/product that caters to a small market.

“We don’t have to be first in a market. We don’t have to be unique. None of the biggest tech businesses in the world were the first of their kind, not Facebook, Uber or Amazon. They came afterwards and learned from the first guys and did it better”.

Toefy says with regards side hustles, it’s important to recognise that your side hustle can become your main hustle. ​
18 Jun 2021 12PM English South Africa Business · Daily News

Other recent episodes

Corporate giving in SA up by 3% to R13.1bn in 2025

South Africa’s CSI spend is up by 3% to R13.1bn in 2025. This is outlined in the 28th edition of the Trialogue Business in Society Handbook. The book this year focuses on the power of measurement in driving social impact, stressing the importance of strategic CSI. Cathy Duff, Trialogue Director…
11 Dec 1PM 10 min

SA’s retail sector gains momentum as sales and confidence rebound

The Bureau of Economic Research's Retail Survey for the fourth quarter of 2025 shows business confidence in the sector jumped to 43% up from 32%, returning to levels seen during the first half of the year. The BER’s Nomvelo Moima attributes the improved sentiment to “more favourable trading conditions, buoyed…
11 Dec 12PM 6 min

MTN wants customers to thrive during “Do Not Disturb The Season”

MTN wants customers to relax, unwind and thrive this summer, and is offering great internet deals to support that. The “Do Not Disturb The Season” campaign encourages hardworking South Africans to take a well-deserved festive break through a range of special data and home internet deals designed to keep everyone…
11 Dec 5AM 5 min

KDC Skateboarding Championships a boost for Kimberley's economy

The final leg of the 2025 Kimberley Diamond Cup (KDC) Skateboarding Championship on 5 and 6 December is a boost for the economy of the Northern Cape capital. KDC project manager and Northern Cape Department of Economic Development and Tourism assistant director, Andile Mlawu, tells the OFM Business Hour that…
4 Dec 4AM 6 min