Denis Opudo
It is usually hectic to order for the desired birthday gifts. This is especially if one never planned for it in advance. At times you make your online orders but what you get is not what you really desired to have. But SA Florist, a South African based startup has worked out ways to ensure a success in delivery of customers’ orders. The startup is a custom-developed marketplace. It attends to both the consumer and corporate customers to order South flower bouquets, gifts, and arrangements.
SA Florist started a program to onboard township florists. It plans to bring on board and support not less than 30 entrepreneurs in a period of the next three years. The piloting of the program has started in Soweto and it will last for a period of four months. The Soweto piloting aims at empowering independent florists under the ownership of black women. The black women are those who offer their services to the township area. Out of the 16 applications made five were shortlisted to take part in the program.
The piloting program came after the detailed analysis of the present 300 florists on the platform. There were a small number of black-owned florists. This is according to Matt Surkont, the company’s managing director. The program incorporates two-divided approaches harmonizing both training and peer-to-peer mentorship. The main goal is to use technology to change townships by developing access to markets. The company has successfully brought township florists into the South African economy. This has been a success by the use of the pilot program. Moreover, it plans to expand the program and transform the whole sector.
There was a training session hosted by the Khonology’s Academy. The program lasted for five days and was attended by entrepreneurs. The training focused on the flower arrangement, SA Florist technology, financial management and business canvas model. The entrepreneurs were paired with knowledgeable florist mentors. The mentors came from the company’s technology platform. This helped them in learning how to run their ventures. The academy helps entrepreneurs by offering them the needed knowledge of the vital financial products and technologies. This is according to the academy marketing manager, Africa Nkosi. The initiative gives the florists the best platform to show their talents. This is according to the owner of Mande Bloom florist in Soweto Gertrude Mentoor.
