Youth Entrepreneur Cohort

Challenge

A cohort of 25 young entrepreneurs between ages 21 and 32 had completed a basic business skills training programme through the National Youth Development Agency. While participants had gained foundational knowledge in areas like business registration, basic bookkeeping, and pitch preparation, most still lacked the practical systems and market access required to generate consistent revenue. Only six of the 25 were generating any income from their ventures. The rest had ideas and registration documents but no customers, no marketing, and no clear path to their first sale.

Approach

SBM delivered a 16-week blended programme combining group workshops (fortnightly), individual coaching sessions (monthly), and market access facilitation. The programme was structured around four blocks: weeks 1 to 4 focused on business model validation and ideal customer identification; weeks 5 to 8 covered pricing strategy, basic financial literacy, and unit economics; weeks 9 to 12 built practical marketing skills including social media, WhatsApp business tools, and community-based selling; and weeks 13 to 16 provided pitch preparation, partnership introductions, and post-programme sustainability planning. Each participant completed a Scale Readiness Audit at entry and exit to measure growth.

Result

19 of the 25 businesses were actively trading by programme end, up from six at entry. Combined cohort revenue exceeded R1.8 million within the first 12 months. Eight participants secured their first formal supply contracts through introductions facilitated during the programme. The average Scale Readiness Score rose from 22% to 51%. Three participants went on to qualify for the Growth Accelerator tier based on their exit scores.