28 Sep 2015

The Gender Affairs department conducted a four day  workshop to equip the poverty eradication tent hire beneficiaries with requisite business management skills. 

Speaking during the workshop, the senior gender officer explained that all the selected poverty eradication tent beneficiaries are required to undergo the training before they receive their packages.

She said the idea is to empower the beneficiaries with practical skills needed to run a tent hire business. 

“This is a practical workshop where the participants will see demonstrations on tent pitching, ceiling draping, table arrangements, decorations and tent hygiene among others,”she said. 

 At the end of the workshop, she said participants are expected to be able to use their own creativity to spice up tent decorations.

 Ms Motlogelwa said the business has a good market provided the owners work smart. 

 When sharing experiences, a tent hire business owner said tent business needs active involvement and passion. 

Ms Neo Molefe warned the aspiring tent business operators to expect stiff competition in the market. She said branding businesses is the only solution to the challenge.

‘Branding is how you  take care of even the smallest details of your business likeneatness, attitude to customers and the ability to meet deadlines, which sets you apart from the rest,’ she said.

She said an unhappy customer can destroy the reputation of a business thus challenged the beneficiaries to treat the former with utmost dignity and respect.

Most of all, Ms Molefe implored the aspirants to learn negotiation skills in order for them to be able to handle difficult customers. Molefhe has furthermore cautioned the beneficiaries to avoid verbal business deals, she said written contracts much safer and better. Ends