South African online payment gateway firm PayFast has launched a 12-week development programme with Heavy Chef’s entrepreneur education non-profit – the Heavy Chef Foundation. The new initiative is designed to empower aspiring business owners with the skills needed to set up their own e-commerce stores.
“E-commerce makes entrepreneurship accessible to more people. You don’t need to rent out a brick-and-mortar storefront or set up a market stand to start a business anymore. All you really need is access to the internet, a solid idea, and a good understanding of what customers expect from online stores. With this mentorship programme, we hope to provide the basic ingredients for success,” says Byron Clarence, Business Developer Manager at PayFast.
“This learning model is tailored to the context of our programme attendees, enabling them to direct their own learning and empower each other as a group. After all, entrepreneurs teaching entrepreneurs – that’s where the impact is made,” says Louis Janse van Rensburg, CEO at the Heavy Chef Foundation, the non-profit arm of Heavy Chef.