The third episode of this season of the popular show focuses on key aspects of what it takes to be an entrepreneur and how Northlink College is working to support and prepare future entrepreneurs.
Nico Zely, Senior Officer for Entrepreneurship, explained that the University’s Entrepreneurship Accelerator Centre (EAC) is dedicated to fostering entrepreneurial success through various interventions, programs, mentorship and introductions. It is also worth noting that the University hopes to instill a culture of entrepreneurship among its students and staff in the coming years.
Geely further stressed the importance of collaboration with key stakeholders such as the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA) to support entrepreneurship. Common challenges faced by aspiring entrepreneurs include lack of role models, fear of failure, and the misconception that starting a business requires a lot of capital. Geely further offered advice to aspiring entrepreneurs to stay motivated and focus on solving problems.
The second half of the show introduced Priska Kluth, a Northlink College graduate who previously studied clothing production. Coupe & Couture was founded by Kluth and her husband in 2017 and specialises in high-quality, handcrafted, bespoke pieces using full-grain leather and African prints (shweshwe).
With limited resources, the company was able to adapt its business model according to demand and customer feedback, and collaborations with influencers and celebrities to promote its bespoke leather products were also a major factor in its success.
Another factor that contributed to the success of the business was using only high-quality materials in his products, learning from his past mistakes to improve and having fun on his entrepreneurial journey.
Interested parties can visit Coupe & Couture’s online store at www.coupecouture.co.za/ for more information, or visit the Northlink website at www.northlink.co.za.
