The provincial Pitch for Funding competition winners are in and agribusiness owner Tshepiso Jantjies took the number one spot in North West. Jantjies wowed judges with his knack for business – from paperwork to implementation.
The Pitch for Funding competition, hosted by the department of small business development, took place at the Seasons Conference and Wedding Venue in Mafikeng, North West. About 50 tenacious business owners participated in the competition, however, only one winner could emerge victorious.
Jantjies, the owner of Janthies Voere and the inventor of the Kgora Maize Meal brand, gave an award-winning pitch on his business strategies, markets, and key business achievements.
A winning presentation
“What made me actually win is that I presented everything from my head. I did not read from a document somewhere or prepared a slide. I just went on stage and presented my business,” the entrepreneur shares.
Janthies Voere has been exporting lucerne since 2021 to markets such as Namibia, Lesotho and Botswana. Jantjies believes that his export function contributed significantly to his win.
Apart from his existing export business, Jantjies is increasing his international footprint and will as of January 2024 export to China.
Tips for pitching
Pitching for funding can often be a very daunting task for agribusiness owners. When pitching your business, Jantjies advises, it is best to get straight to the point. Avoid long, drawn-out stories.
“Know your financials and understand how your business operates. Have your vision and mission in place.
“It must not just be a vision and mission that you have written on paper, it must be something that you are doing on the ground. Implement every little objective that you have stated about your business,” he says.
As a business owner, you need to be hands-on, says Jantjies. “Understand how your business is rolling from paperwork to implementation.”
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Call for solution-fussed businesses
Minister Stella Ndabeni-Abrahams delivered a keynote speech during the event and thanked the panel of adjudicators.
“You provided constructive criticism and feedback that can only assist our aspiring entrepreneurs. This will really assist entrepreneurs for future business or project pitching,” said Ndabeni-Abrahams.
“We need more innovative businesses to grow the economy and create jobs for our people. Small businesses are critical for job creation and it is important for businesses to bring in new innovative ways of doing business and not recycling old ideas.”
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