THIS is the ninth year of ENGEN Pitch And Polish, but it has what many young entrepreneurs need.
Engen Petroleum, with Nedbank and Raizcorp, created the entrepreneurial competition and workshop which has helped more than 10 000 people boost how they pitch their businesses to potential investors.
Unathi Njokweni-Magida, head of transformation and stakeholder engagement at Engen Petroleum, said: “ENGEN Pitch And Polish wants entrepreneurs to take part in the full-day workshop and competition to build their foundations.
“We give entrepreneurs the opportunity to present their business idea to an audience which provides a powerful learning feedback loop.”
Engen nurtures emerging South African businesses to boost employment and education as well as reduce poverty.
“We are proud to support these future stars and give them a helping push towards becoming flourishing future employers.”
If you are interested in Pitch And Polish, Engen has three guidelines to help you prepare:
Awareness
Have you ever sat down and really thought about the moral and ethical values that guide your decisions?
Have you ever considered if you have good or bad values?
A good value is what you can control internally. This includes always taking responsibility for what happens in your life and your business, or always being honest even if playing fast and loose with the truth would sometimes be easier.
A bad value is controlled by external factors and not you. It is important you can control your values.
Clarity
Any questions a potential investor asks about your business or business model must be answered with the same values you stressed in the pitch you just made.
Integrity
It is also essential that your values match those of your potential investor. If you are prepared to sacrifice your values for funding, it is a reflection of you as a person.
Temptation may make it difficult to uphold your values, but integrity and trustworthiness are better for you and your business in the long term. A person cannot buy a reputation of being honest and true in business through cutting corners, easy money and shady deals.
For more information on ENGEN Pitch And Polish and this year’s programme, please visit www.pitchandpolish.com.
