IT is no secret Port Elizabeth is home to a number of entrepreneurs and business-minded youth.
A number of these individuals came together on April 6 in order to share their knowledge with each other at a unique Future Business Leaders network event organised for business-minded teenagers who have a passion for business and aspire to be their own boss in the future.
Ansulene Prinsloo,who is a former academic and accounting graduate, said, “Most South Africans don’t view entrepreneurship as a career option. I want to help change that view.”
Prinsloo introduced the countrywide franchise Young Entrepreneurs to Nelson Mandela Bay last year.
“The world needs people to be creative. The school system teaches kids to think for tests – not to come up with new ideas or new businesses. Even if you find a job, you have to think differently as the world is changing so fast,” said Ansulene Prinsloo.
The speakers at the event consisted of a wide range of entrepreneurs in a spectrum of fields from advertising and public relations, to energy and water solutions, videography, fashion design, IT and others.
Simon Le Gras, who was one of the speakers, is the founder and owner of Simon Says Advertising Agency and he advised youngsters to develop an entrepreneurial mindset enabling them to be self-sufficient.
“There is an inherent need to build an entrepreneurial culture in our country, where business and financial literacy are explained and instilled from a young age.
“We are all born with a natural talent and once enhanced, this can be transferred into a career. If we have an entrepreneurial mindset, we further enhance this talent by creating new businesses and employing people, thereby alleviating the country’s growing unemployment rate.”
