Light in the Darkness: Inspirational South African Entrepreneurs’ Advice for Success

Abstract

The legacy of apartheid is still apparent in South Africa and with a declining growth rate and a chronically high unemployment rate, the challenges faced by entrepreneurs are considerable. Despite these significant constraints, a notable number of successful previously disadvantaged entrepreneurs have emerged. This phenomenological study contributes to the emerging research in this area by not only drawing on the challenges faced by these specific entrepreneurs but also showcases their inspirational advice on how they overcame these challenges. Insights as to whether they believe entrepreneurship can be taught were also obtained. The findings provide guidance to nascent entrepreneurs in the form of a road-map of competencies that they can benchmark themselves against before embarking on the entrepreneurship journey. Recommendations for policy makers for formulating interventions to stimulate entrepreneurship in South Africa, but also in other developing countries, are also provided.