In a country struggling with an estimated 40% unemployment and some of the world’s worst levels of inequality, starting a business, no matter how small or informal, is often a question of survival. Many of small business owners would possibly close their operation if offered a wage-paying formal job. However, a significant portion of informal businesses  has real potential for long-term growth and job creation.

One example of these promising and rising small businesses with huge potential is Siki’s Coffee shop in Khayelitsha, Cape Town’s largest township. Charismatic and visionary, Sikelela Dibela started his small coffee shop in 2015 from the garage of his mom’s house. He does not just offer great coffee on the go in pleasant surroundings, but also, and perhaps more importantly, runs a coffee roasting operation on location, which he packages and sells to other outlets. He also organises regular events and offers barista training programmes.

Like the vast majority of small entrepreneurs, Siki has had to build his business from the ground up, with little if any access to external support. Existing government programmes often don’t match up with the specific needs of young entrepreneurs like Siki, who face a myriad of systemic challenges, both internal and external. His priorities for the next few months include improving his record keeping and bookkeeping systems, branding and marketing, as well as scaling up. Longer term, he’d like to see his brand expand, possibly in the form of a franchise network.