We don’t help you write business plans. We empower you with skills to develop a sustainable cleantech business model.
No more business plans!
At Sarebi, we believe in the power of entrepreneurship and innovation. We also believe that one of the fundamental problems in the entrepreneurship development sector is the belief that the more epic the business plan, the more epic the business will be. Many SMEs cannot articulate their business model – limiting their success in selling the idea, securing funding and executing operations.
That’s why at Sarebi, we teach you how to take your cleantech business idea from possible to probable. Our coaches help you build and test your business model, empowering you to launch a sustainable cleantech business with a real value proposition.
When it comes to turning business ideas into action, Sarebi Start is your business incubation program of choice. Our Business Savvy Workshops will guide you through a structured learning process in a small group peer learning format. You bring your business idea and we will help you turn it from possible to probable. Our focus is on unique value propositions and sustainability and not just me-too business ideas. Our methodology is developed around a philosophy of fail fast, pivot and grow. In our Business Savvy Workshops you get to test your ideas, bounce it off fellow incubatees, incorporate the business planning tools we provide and turn that into a solid business model.
The Sarebi Start business incubator program
The Sarebi Start business incubator is an entrepreneurship program aimed at getting businesses going and helping them to understand how to take an idea and adapt it into a viable business model. The program teaches fledgling entrepreneurs the skills to build business models, clearly articulate their value proposition, and how to test the financial feasibility of their business idea. It leaves enabled entrepreneurs with a solid grasp of all the moving parts of their business, and how changing one idea has an impact on the different components of the business model.
Who is the Sarebi Start program for?
Businesses that are not yet trading
Entrepreneurs trying to solve a problem in clean energy, the circular economy, waste recycling, or sustainable food and water production
Anyone who has a business idea but needs help putting it into a viable business model
Anyone wanting to establish a business, but may not understand the sector
Sarebi’s Business Savvy Workshops
Our Business Savvy courses are focused on pre-revenue aspirant entrepreneurs and consist of several workshops presented in a small group peer-learning workshop format using an E-classroom methodology. The program has been designed to allow participants to develop their business model with specific focus on the value proposition, business case and business model. A lot of focus is placed on the importance of scalable dynamic business models instead of developing stodgy business plans for the purpose of funding. We also have some additional courses that focus on funding readiness or how to get access to funding or financial savvy, such as reading interpreting and using your management accounts to run your business. The workshop content is customisable for different audiences and time requirements.
Solve My Problem
Discovering, formulating and embedding your value proposition.
Solve my problem
This course is focussed on identifying the market problem or customer pain that needs to be solved for the business to be viable. Based on the Value Proposition Canvas, this Workshop assists entrepreneurs to clearly identify the problem they are trying to solve. Many would-be entrepreneurs often have the perfect solution, they just don’t know what problem they are solving. We turn it around to make sure the business is built right from the ground up.
Duration: 5 weeks (5 x 4 hour sessions)
- Workshop 1: The value proposition
- Workshop 2: Customer segment
- Workshop 3: The Value Map
- Workshop 4: The Business Case
- Workshop 5: Pitch
Product Market Fit
Matching the solution to the market and not the other way around.
Product Market Fit
This course is focussed on identifying the appropriate markets for the problem-solving solutions. Often, entrepreneurs have good ideas but after months of incubation or writing business plans, they are still not clear on their market-entry or -exit strategy, and they still do not know who their customer is. The Product Market Fit workshops take a deep dive into understanding exactly who your customer is, and how to match the right product or solution to their painpoints. This course is usually not relevant to localised lifestyle businesses, and is more focussed on growth business with a national or larger opportunity.
Duration: 5 weeks (5 x 4 hour sessions)
- Workshop 1: Finding Product Market Fit
- Workshop 2: Product and Market Segmentation
- Workshop 3: Channels and Validation
- Workshop 4: Costing, Budgeting and Breakeven
- Workshop 5: Pitch
1-2-3 Trade
Developing your financial feasibility, break-even, budget, and financial models.
1-2-3 Trade
Focussed specifically on operationalising the business and building a viable business model. Too many business plans written for the purpose of getting access to finance for a start-up that probably should not exist, do not give sufficient consideration to the importance of the business model, or how the elements of a business impact on each other. The 1-2-3 Trade specifically focuses on developing a deep understanding of how customers, markets, stakeholders, costs structures, resources and revenue streams impact each other. It helps would-be entrepreneurs understand the dynamic nature of a trading business. An aspect too often ignored in the business plan and underlying to the high SMME failure rate in South Africa.
Duration: 5 weeks (6 x 4 hour sessions)
- Workshop 1: Customer Segmentation value proposition
- Workshop 2: Revenue streams, channel and customers
- Workshop 3: Key resources and key activities
- Workshop 4: Key partners and cost structures
- Workshop 5: Program review
- Workshop 6: Pitch
What's Your Business?
Advanced candidate acceleration for business development.
What's Your Business?
A condensed version of the Solve My Problem and Product Market Fit courses, to take candidates through an accelerated process of developing and building their own business, value propositions and market fit. This is intended for more advanced candidates who are able to do the assignments with less assistance.
Duration: 7 weeks (7 x 4 hour sessions)
- Workshop 1: What’s your Business Model?
- Workshop 2: Who is your Customer?
- Workshop 3: The Value Map
- Workshop 4: What Is Your Revenue Model?
- Workshop 5: Achieving Product Market Fit
- Workshop 6: Marketing and Distribution Channels
- Workshop 7: Pitch your Value Proposition
Ready-Set Trade
For advanced candidates, focusing your financial feasibility and sales pipeline.
Ready-Set Trade
Ready-Set Trade follows on from What’s Your Business, and is also a condensed delivery of two modules: Product Market Fit and 1-2-3 Trade. It encourages entrepreneurs to focus on their financial feasibility and sales pipeline, and then to wrap up and validate their business model; all while learning practical skills in budgeting, costing and breakeven. This is intended for more advanced candidates who are able to do the assignments with less assistance.
Duration: 5 weeks (5 x 4 hour sessions)
- Workshop 1: Build a Sales Pipeline
- Workshop 2: Manage Your Sales Pipeline With a CRM System
- Workshop 3: Check Your Numbers (Build your costing model)
- Workshop 4: Check Your Breakeven and Financial Viability
- Workshop 5: Pitch Your Business Opportunity
Come Fund Me
Establishing how to match the right type of funding to your business and growth stage.
Come Fund Me
Despite all the noise in the market, getting the right funding for your business is no easy feat! This course is focussed on assisting trading entrepreneurs with accessing the right type of money to scale their business. Specific focus is given to the bankability and fundability of their venture and how to match the right type of funding to their growth stage and the investment appetite.
Duration: 6 weeks (6 x 2 hour sessions)
- Workshop 1: Types of funding instruments and how to understand their cost
- Workshop 2: Who is funding who (a deep dive in the funding landscape )
- Workshop 3: Hands on funding application
- Workshop 4: Hands on funding application
- Workshop 5: Hands on funding application
- Workshop 6: Pitch your application: lets make it smooth
Know-Your-Numbers
Understanding , reading, and using the nubers in your management accounts.
Know Your Numbers
As much as 70% of trading entrepreneurs and business owners do not know how to read their management accounts or what to make of the numbers. This course is delivered over three workshops focussed on trading entrepreneurs to help them better understand how to read, make sense of and use the numbers in their management accounts.
Duration: 3 weeks (3 x 2 hour sessions)
- Workshop 1: What are Management accounts? How to use them
- Workshop 2: Deep Dive: Income Statement
- Workshop 3: Deep Dive: Balance Sheet and Cash flow
Stay Away From the CCMA!
Establishing HR best practice to avoid expensive labour mistakes.
Stay Away From the CCMA!
Few business blunders are as disruptive and costly as HR mistakes that end up at the CCMA. This course helps trading entrepreneurs prepare for employing new staff, and existing employers manage their DOL compliance and to implement good labour practice ensuring that they don’t make expensive mistakes that could end up at the CCMA.
Duration: 4 weeks (4 x 2 hour sessions)
- Workshop 1: Employment contracts who and what the law says
- Workshop 2: The Department of Labour, the LRA and BCEA
- Workshop 3: Implementing a solid disciplinary code
- Workshop 4: How to issue warnings, notices and the rules of hearings
Govern & Grow
Implementing the principles of good governance according to your financial needs.
Govern & Grow
“If management is about running a business, then governance is about seeing that it is run properly.”
This short course of 3 x 90 minute workshops, guides founders and business owners through the key principles of good business governance, and how to practically implement it without stifling the business. Understanding the principles of governance and fit for purpose, are critical to implementing the right level of governance for the business growth stage and financing needs.
Duration: 3 weeks (3 x 2 hour sessions)
- Workshop 1: What really is governance?
- Workshop 2: How to build governance systems
- Workshop 3: Implementing and maintaining a solid system
What does it cost and how long does it take?
The core program consists of three modules that are facilitated online in 18 x 3-hour workshops over a 4-month period. The three core modules cover the areas below. Sarebi actively sources grant funding to buy down the cost of the courses. Generally candidates will pay ⅓ of the cost of attending the course, and our funders will cover the balance. Current pricing is available on the pricing page.
Let’s talk about your development programs
Contact Sarebi today for more information on how your company can be involved in the growth of the cleantech sector.
Contact Us
info@sarebi.co.za
(021) 577-2719