Enterprise Room has expanded from traditional SME and BEE consultancy into more holistic support and programme implementation.
Founded in 2008, the company initially focused on helping corporates design enterprise and supplier development (ESD) strategies tied to broad-based BEE requirements before moving into longer-term SME support programmes rooted in sustainability.
It now operates across the African continent as an economic growth and delivery partner, having:
- *Supported more than 4,500 SMEs;
- *Deployed more than R1bn in funds; and
- *Reached roughly 180,000 people.
“The principle behind Enterprise Room is that SMEs need recognition, they need support, because they can actually create the jobs and the economic growth that large companies shouldn’t be expected to do,” said Niall Gahan, head of SME funding at Enterprise Room.
He said this reflects a broader view of South Africa’s SME landscape and the need to increase the sector’s contribution to the economy and GDP.
The scale of that gap becomes clearer against global benchmarks.
According to the European Commission SME Performance Review, SMEs account for 99.8% of businesses in the EU, about 25-million companies, over 90-million jobs and more than 50% of GDP.
In SA, SMEs make up about 91% of formal businesses and employ around 60% of the workforce but contribute roughly 34% of GDP, according to the Banking Association of SA.
Gahan said one of the biggest challenges in the sector is uncertainty around SME development policy, particularly after DTIC proposals last year to centralise sector funding.
Another is that many ESD programmes are fragmented, unfocused, poorly matched to business needs and market access and without clear long-term strategies, creating dependency rather than sustainable growth.
“Inappropriate and badly timed funding destroys businesses,” he said, arguing that support is often delivered without alignment to a company’s growth stage or revenue model.
Enterprise Room’s approach, Gahan said, is to assess where a business sits in its lifecycle and what it needs to progress before aligning funding, support and market access accordingly.
Their aim is to work with both corporates and public-sector stakeholders as an implementation partner that helps bridge fragmented efforts. “We’re the catalyst to try and bring some of that together.”
“Be bold. You need to invest,” he urged corporates.
“This is the message coming from national government, the SME environment, citizens of this country and strategic players like ourselves trying to make a difference, because we see how those investments argue risk and make a return.”
Deirdre Steeneveldt, head of programmes at Enterprise Room, in their work with SMEs, the focus is on practical, hands-on support aimed at helping entrepreneurs navigate growth.
“We’re building confidence. Running a business is scary, especially when you’re doing it on your own,” she said, adding that many entrepreneurs need practical guidance, realistic milestones and ongoing support to navigate growth sustainably.
This challenge, Steeneveldt said, is compounded by wider skills gaps in the education system, which often leave entrepreneurs without the basic financial and business literacy needed to operate and grow a business. - Business Times