Helping Hand Offers Small Businesses Opportunities to Grow
03-12-2014
Small and emerging businesses in Johannesburg are getting a vital hand-up from the City with the creation of a hub that offers office space at affordable rates.
Located at 58 Marshall Street in the CBD, The Business Place is a partnership between the City and the private sector to create an environment which enables emerging businesses to grow and prosper.
This will add stability to their business costs and increase their prospects of successful participation in a highly-competitive environment.
“The success of the hub is critical for balanced growth in Johannesburg,” says the Member of the Mayoral Committee for Economic Development, Ruby Mathang. “We are aware of the reality that small businesses have the biggest potential for growth and create much needed jobs.”
The Business Place offers small, medium and micro enterprises (SMMEs) office space at nominal rates. Its strategic location within the CBD means that these enterprises are now located close to a wide range of service providers in the field of finance, banking, information technology, marketing, legal and human resources.
The facility also offers its clients shared infrastructure and services which reduce their cost of doing business such as internet access, photocopiers, boardrooms and canteen facilities.
“The primary idea is to bridge the gap that exists between businesses run from home – mostly in the townships – and those operated from an established business environment,” says the City’s Director for Sustainable Employment Facilitation, Tsholo Mogotsi.
In addition to the affordable office space the expertise available at the hub, through the City, supports the emerging businesses to succeed in their fields of operation. Where a specific service is not readily available at the hub, it is sourced and brought in-house.
“Through this on-going renewal process we provide our clients with a complete menu of services required to run a successful enterprise,” says Mogotsi.
Christopher Parkin, the Chief Operations Officer of The Business Place, says it has signed contracts with various service providers who have established help desks at the venue to ensure assistance is readily available to the SMMEs.
One of the companies that has already moved to the office complex is K G Mashigo Attorneys, a firm of legal practitioners and conveyancers. “The Centre has provided us with space to grow,” says one of the firm’s partners, Lindiwe Ingwane.”
“Your address and the environment in which you operate are vital to your ability to grow and attract business,” says Ingwane. At 58 Marshall Street the City has now established this important address.