Tsogo Sun has significantly expanded its successful Book a Guesthouse programme to include Sun1 hotel operators and housekeepers, to form Tsogo Sun Entrepreneurs, an innovative entrepreneurial development programme for the hospitality industry. This move saw a boost in numbers last year with an additional 15 in the Book a Guesthouse programme and 23 Sun1 operators. It was expanded further this year with the inclusion of 10 housekeepers into the programme, bringing the total number of entrepreneurs supported from 85 entrepreneurs to 133.
Tsogo Sun Entrepreneurs is a business benefit and development programme that supports various clusters of entrepreneurs within the value chain of the Tsogo Sun group and within the broader tourism industry in South Africa, to support entrepreneurs to develop professionally-operated, compliant, sustainable businesses.
“The continuing success of the Book a Guesthouse programme and our commitment to entrepreneurial development, together with the ever-present need for job creation in South Africa, were drivers in this decision to expand our programme to include more beneficiaries and offer a higher level of support, benefits, and services to them,” explains Candy Tothill, Tsogo Sun’s general manager: corporate affairs.
The programme provides qualifying entrepreneurs with business development support and benefits including skills transfer (business development, coaching, mentorship); value added benefits (endorsement, memberships, marketing, publicity); shared services (extranet, call centre, preferential discounts, business support); business tools (risk assessment and recommendations, software systems, equipment); an integrated supply chain (market access, networking
Through Tsogo Sun Entrepreneurs, the group is in year one of implementing a long-term plan, which is designed more broadly to address the need for wealth creation in the country.
When entrepreneurs are newly inducted into the programme, they are required to complete a training and development course over one year, after which they are assessed and go on to become alumni or are given further individualised training according to their assessment. Alumni continue to receive benefits and support on the basis of continued adherence to excellence.
