With a fully integrated incubation structure, our enterprise development programme is a long-term partnership with the purpose of working with real people to take real actions and develop real results. For a full year, young businesses are given full access to our infrastructure, including (but not limited to) our internal teams, tech, networks, and facilities, giving them the boost they need to help get their business on track. And while we’ve invested in the impact this work has on empowerment and development, for us the real goal of the incubation programme is our commitment to genuine transformation. In the words of our CEO, John Paul Waites, “Real transformation is about much more than just codes. It’s about spotting genuine talent and enabling these young entrepreneurs. When I first set out I wish I had the launching pad Worx Group offers these candidates – it’s unprecedented.”
In an open forum office like ours, one of the biggest opportunities unlocked for our Incubation teams is access to John Paul himself. Sitting directly across from JP right in the heartbeat of our business, the team have the chance to spend a year learning just what it’s like to start from scratch, what it’s like to be an entrepreneur, and what it takes to run your own business – all from someone who actually knows about it. “This comes with responsibility though. This access comes with commitment, so we expect the incubation teams to turn up and hustle,” says John Paul.
John Paul Waites, Worx Group CEO
Taking a team with a good idea and a business plan, giving them the basics and offering them the chance to be fully immersed members of our team has so far helped to produce some incredible young operators who have grown and expanded out of our base. These operators are given a year with us with the expectation that at the end of that year, they would have done enough to be able to fly our nest and thrive out in the market on their own. Though our relationship with them as partners will always be there, they should be ready to hustle on their own.
As with everything we do, our clients are at the heart of our enterprise development programme. Driven by the opportunities we see, the programme looks to incubate businesses whose expertise would suit the needs of our clients, and who we can connect with our clients to benefit all involved. Since January, we’ve been lucky enough to have the guys from La Funk entertainment embedded in the heartbeat of our business as part of the programme – an up-and-coming booking and management team for creative talent with unique ideas to link urban music to brands and corporate opportunity. Through their time with us, we’ve been able to help them
John Paul and Thabang Phoshoko of La Funk
reinvent their brand and develop their business identity, as well as introducing them to some of our clients. After spending nearly ten months with us, it’s been incredible to see how they have grown, and in the words from the La Funk team themselves, “Having the chance to learn about all aspects of running a business before going into the finer details of becoming young entrepreneurs was a game-changing opportunity. Knowing how to present yourself and learning the ins and outs of business gave us an invaluable boost when we began to work with clients.”
As it is nearly time for the La Funk team to fly our nest, we’ll be looking for some driven and inspiring start-ups to take up the open desks in 2017, so be sure to follow our Facebook page for news on applications. We can’t wait for the chance to work with some of the incredible talent that South Africa has to offer, and for them to take up the challenge set by John Paul himself: “This is a real opportunity. We are looking forward to exploring new opportunities with bright young talent who can harness this experience and change the game – for themselves, for Worx Group, and for our clients.”
