Member-only story
What It Takes to Be an Entrepreneur
Don’t shy away from the discomfort in life, embrace it, face it head-on and learn how to overcome it.
This article was originally published in The Daily Maverick.
More than just about anything right now, South Africa needs entrepreneurs to start building businesses. Sure, we should also consider not killing each other too, but let’s focus on the entrepreneurs for the time being.
Building a business is difficult. It’s meant to be difficult. If it was easy then no one would take it seriously.
My partner has a saying: It’s OK if something is difficult. It’s not OK if something is bad. Starting a business in South Africa is a bad experience, not a difficult one. This is a major roadblock for many people because registering a business can be costly, time-consuming and takes way too long to have a positive effect on the nation. Socially, it’s hard
There is a global ranking of the best countries to start a business in.
Singapore often features in the top five of this list. Singapore imposes no dividend or capital gains tax, flights to neighbouring countries are affordable and if you know what forms to fill in you can have your business registered and active within five days. This is a triumph…