Women Entrepreneurship Program

Tumi Frazier is a Social Entrepreneur, Speaker, Author and Business Coach.

She is a former Executive Director and Board member of a Johannesburg Stock Exchange Listed FINTECH Company.

Tumi is the Founder of a Business Incubator and Accelerator for women in South Africa.

She is a former African Summit Director, a Global Women Initiative that empowers women worldwide to eradicate poverty.

Tumi Frazier is a former member of the Advisory Committee for Georgia Institute of Technology’s Global Women’s Entrepreneurship Initiative – Atlanta.

She is a mentor for The African Continent Post Graduate Women program initiated by Graca Machel- Mandela.

She writes articles on Africa’s business environment, opportunities for innovative solutions suited to Africa’s unique environment that reach financiers and over a million female entrepreneurs in Africa.

She was chosen as one of the three finalists for the Most Influential Women in Business and Government (MIW) Awards in South Africa.

Removing barriers to economic empowerment of women in South Africa;

Research shows 6.7 million people are currently unemployed in SA and more than half (55.5%) of South Africans live below the upper-bound poverty line (below the $3 - 2) a day; and black African Female headed households experience higher levels of poverty than others.

Moreover, South Africa is one of the most unequal countries in the world with major gaps between the rich and the poor and the poorer households that lack access to adequate basic services are most often black African homes.

By leveraging technology we can deliver an effective online entrepreneurship platform of learning with capacity to reach 50 000 concurrent women in South Africa and Africa.

This project elevates humanity by eradication of poverty, skills development, employment creation and entrepreneurship development.

Moreover, when women are self-sufficient there’s a positive ripple effect on socioeconomic conditions in their nations.

Removing barriers to economic emancipation of women in South Africa by creating supportive environment for them to start and grow their businesses; as female entrepreneurs make significant contributions to job creation, economic growth and poverty alleviation around the world.

Nearly one billion women with the potential to contribute more fully to their economies are constrained from doing so and of these, 812 million live in developing countries according to the World Bank.

Globally, women are more likely to be unemployed than men according to UN Women.

According to a study conducted by Facebook in partnership with the World Bank more than half of South Africa’s population is female, yet only 34% of SMEs are women-led.

While female-led enterprises are steadily growing all over the world, contributing to household incomes and growth of national economies, women still face challenges in maintaining successful enterprises due to legal and social constraints, lack of funding, entrepreneurship skills as well as access to markets.

So, by empowering female entrepreneurs, especially those in high-growth sectors, we can create jobs, increase incomes, improve lives by lifting many households out of poverty, and contribute to greater economic and social transformation that South Africa so desperately needs.

Tumi Frazier Academy provides holistic, personalized and relevant entrepreneurship programs and support to develop a new generation of dynamic and innovative female business leaders in South Africa and the continent.

The Academy increases the trajectory of female-led businesses by creating a supportive environment that makes it easier for them to start and grow businesses, access funds, markets, new technologies, mentorship and coaching, as well as expertise necessary for success.

1. Women in Business Program - women start-ups from all sectors who need to significantly improve their entrepreneurial skills through online and classroom Master Classes and Mentorship Sessions.
2. The High Growth Women Accelerator & Incubation Program -  a 3 year, Hybrid Program for high functioning women entrepreneurs throughout South Africa and Africa ready to scale or grow their businesses significantly, excel in their industry and establish significant global exposure.

Through a vigorous selection process, twenty five (25) women in Technology, Manufacturing, Construction, Agribusiness (Processing), Telecommunication and Energy are selected to participate in the program.

Over the past three (3) years, the academy focused on face-to-face learning programs and course content; given the success of the program there is a need for the online course content to reach large number of women.

The project is aimed at improving the lives of South Africa’s female entrepreneurs by helping them start businesses and increasing their businesses trajectory from survivalist to thriving enterprises able to compete in the digital economy.

The high potential female entrepreneurs get opportunities to showcase their products and/or services to prospective clients (government/corporations procurement) and financiers in the ecosystem locally and abroad through show case events.

The project expands economic opportunities and participation of women to ensure their inclusion in decision-making bodies in their communities; creates employment, eradicates poverty and enables skills development.

Each year, before a new cohort intake, a Needs Analysis Workshop is conducted to unpack the challenges women face, their needs including symptoms behind the challenges they state in their applications; which informs topics to be covered in Master Classes and the relevant support they need.

By using data collection tools such as online questionnaires, observations and focus groups we monitor, review feedback and results from female entrepreneurs and partners in our ecosystem.

The Academy has a database of female entrepreneurs who have gone through its programs over the years and through breakfast and feedback sessions every year we are able to track progress and further needs.

1. Elevating opportunities for all people,

There is a substantial gender gap in economic empowerment of men and women, especially in developing countries. This includes access to resources, markets, increased voice/agency and meaningful participation in economic decision-making at all levels.

2. Elevating issues and driving action to solve difficult problem of our world.

People still die of hunger in many nations, this is a reality that others may not be aware of.

3. Elevating understanding of and between people through changing people’s attitudes, beliefs and behaviors.

By reforming discriminatory laws creating impediments to women empowerment policy makers will be advancing societies.

I grew up during the apartheid era in South Africa where black people were discriminated against and subjected to inferior education designed specifically to keep them enslaved; lack of resources and opportunities was the order of the day.

My mother was a survivalist entrepreneur, who made and sold clothes to put food on the table; I believe with the right support she could have had a thriving business.

Even after years of liberation of black people in South Africa, economic empowerment is still unattainable for many people, especially women.

So, my mother’s struggles and my own struggle to access resources, mentorship, sponsors or help of any kind as a female entrepreneur in South Africa propelled me to create solutions for other women who were experiencing the same. This is how the program started in 2017; after many years of being a keynote speaker addressing women challenges in different forums and motivating women to have courage to stand up and be counted.

I strongly believe that there can never be total liberation without economic empowerment of all people and gender equality is critical in creating self-sufficient communities to reduce poverty. This project enables me to be a voice for the voiceless.

My passion for empowerment, mentorship and a quest for equitable opportunities for women in South Africa and the rest of the African continent gives me the drive to pursue this work.

I have a natural ability and passion for human development, and consider myself an embodiment of empowerment, a teacher, researcher and most importantly a student. Even in high school I was always the one other students consulted when they needed advice on various issues. I played the same role in my immediate and extended family, including the community I grew up in. Essentially, I became a person to whom others defer early in life and this automatically put me in a position of leadership.

My goal is to empower and help women break cycles of poverty by moving them from running survivalist businesses to high income earning companies able to create real wealth and contribute to the tax base of African countries. This will help deal with other socioeconomic ills Africa faces.

My mission in life is to leave people I encounter better than how I found them and add value in making this world a better place for all. This is the legacy I plan to leave behind.

I combine Psychology, Organizational Development, Coaching, Strategy, Consulting skills with an in-depth understanding of different languages and cultures in my approach.

As a Leadership Solutions Associate of the Center for Creative Leadership, Gordon Institute of Business Science and at Institute of Directors Southern Africa; I am able to develop programs that elevate the entrepreneurial mindset of women to foster innovation, creativity, problem solving, collaboration, ability to identify opportunities and ignite ambition.

My programs are backed by mentoring and coaching modalities resulting in the removal of self-imposed limitations, observable performance improvement, long-term change and effectiveness.

As a former C-Suite Executive in Fin-Tech; a keynote speaker who has moderated panel discussions and interviews in Business and Investment Forums including conferences such as the African Union; I’m able to bring entrepreneurship ecosystems such as government entities, corporations, educational institutions and financiers to work together for greater impact.

Having been chosen as one the Most Influential Women in Business and Government (MIW) Awards in SA, I’m a link between government and women entrepreneurs in communities.

Experienced Business Mentor and Judge on Six Episodes of Making Moves, a Television Reality Show that develops young entrepreneurs.

As a former African Women Summits Director, I have access to women in most African countries and have worked with them to understand their challenges.

I write articles covering Africa’s business environment and opportunities for innovative solutions suited to Africa’s unique environment reaching Venture Capitalists globally and over one million female entrepreneurs on Lionesses of Africa platform.

I turned my passion into a business which led to this project. So, my speaking business took a while to get off the ground to a point where my family started doubting that I would make it. There were times when I wouldn't draw any salary just so I could pay my team and cover operational costs, as I started business with my savings. At some point, things got so bad that my car got repossessed and my properties were due to be put up for auction. At the same time my sister died through HIV AIDS related illnesses which was a stigma at the time, I was going through a difficult divorce, raising a child alone, looking after aging parents, struggling for basic necessities

I kept going despite all the hardships because I believed in myself; besides, I had come a long way and had sacrificed far too much to quit then. I believed that tough times never last, but tough people do. I developed resilience and a tough mind and worked on my business like my life depended on it. In fact, it did depend on it like the air I breathed. Before long, I made a breakthrough.

A year after South Africa’s liberation; I applied to a university which didn’t accept black students given that the Afrikaans language was the only medium of instruction; which was very difficult for black students and considered oppressive. Afrikaans is very close to Dutch.

I was one of the three black students accepted in the Psychology faculty.

The first 6 months were extremely difficult as I didn’t understand a single word the professors were saying especially in Neuropsychology. I requested permission to use English text books and submit assignments and exams in English in the meantime, while I learnt the language.

Within 6 months I began to excel academically. I subsequently was selected to lead a job-shadowing program of 5 students in Neuropsychology and counselling to work with doctors in a private hospital counselling out-patients.

Studying at this university set me apart from other Africans in my community because it was one of the best universities in South Africa and internationally recognized. So, I used the same tool (Afrikaans) that was previously used to discriminate against black students to propel me to greater heights and set a course that other black students followed proving that we are capable if given opportunities.

Not Applicable

While online learning is not a unique concept, there is an industry and market shift taking place that is redefining the future of learning. There is a new dimension that compels many business activities to go digital especially post Covid-19.

Our project is innovative in that it is maximizing a new model of learning using technologies that most women in Africa can access.

Essentially, our project is changing the economic characteristics of the online services and education to make them accessible to the under-served communities that would not have been able to access these services due to lack of resources, exposure and affordability.

The Academy is therefore converting an existing service and product by changing their value and economic characteristics to cater for women in Africa.

By leveraging technology we plan to deliver an effective online entrepreneurship development model of learning that is cost -effective and scalable in South Africa and across the African continent accessible on smartphones.

Our project will substantially reduce the course-delivery costs by using technology to serve millions with fewer resources since reproduction costs will be eliminated, enabling us to scale cost-effectively. Moreover, entrepreneurs stand to save on the cost of the content, travel and any other costs associated with classroom learning.

Finally, the project enables women to use technology to interact and collaborate with their peers and others in the ecosystem. These are expertise necessary for entrepreneurs in this digital era and the changing market place.

Activities:

1. Online and classroom master classes and mentorship program
2. Business Incubation and Acceleration,(Hybrid)
3. Access to ecosystems (Market place; Pitch days)

Outputs:

• Women gain competencies on how to run effective businesses
• Acquire intelligent risk-taking, collaboration, opportunity recognition, self- direction and technological savvy which are essential skills in business.
• Acquire effective life and work habits.
• Increased self-confidence to present and pitch their businesses.
• Mentorship enables entrepreneurs to apply what they learnt in master classes in their businesses.
• Mentorship creates accountability partnership to ensure business success
• Through feedback from attendees, the project creates a safe space to be vulnerable and share personal challenges without fear of judgment.
• Some mentioned that they looked forward to the small, intimate group sessions with other women as they served as "support groups" that help put their challenges into perspective.
• Due to the safe space created, personal issues such abuse are discussed and the women are referred for external counselling and then they get to report progress in the small group sessions.
• Health, Wellness and fitness, rest and recovery are also emphasized as the women tend to deal with a lot of business and personal stress. 

Short term outcomes: 

• Ability to pitch services and products to prospective clients and financiers.
• Ability to be resilient and capable to deal with difficult personal and business challenges.
• Personal and business growth.
• Peer-to peer collaboration and support.
• Corporate and government business procurement.
• Build competitive, profit generating businesses.
• Access to funds to scale.
• Self-sufficiency.
• Job creation.
• Create mentors and future leaders.

Long term outcomes:

• Developing responsible, enterprising females who contribute to economic development and sustainable communities.
• Improvement of the lives of South African/African women entrepreneurs and their families.
• Increasing the trajectory of women owned businesses.
• Expands economic opportunities and participation of women to ensure their inclusion in decision-making bodies in their communities.
• Poverty eradication.
• Improved child health, nutrition and education due to the skills and women’s purchasing power.
• Move beyond poverty alleviation strategies to wealth creation for African women.
• Economic growth and sustainable tax base for African nations.

Our project currently serves 70 entrepreneurs annually on a face-to-face basis.

However; through our partnership with Gauteng Growth and Development Agency (GGDA), whose key purpose is to develop the economy of Gauteng; the project will be able to scale to various provinces in South Africa.

The GGDA’s target is to empower at least 2500 entrepreneurs from disadvantaged communities in 10 Provinces and 13 cities in the next 12 months. This number is easy to reach through technology than face-to face method of learning.We will be working together with GGDA to help them reach these entrepreneurs over and above our own targets.

By leveraging technology we will be able to cater for a minimum of 1000 entrepreneurs logged on at the same time at any particular time for learning. Essentially with the additional server capacity we can reach at least 5000 in 12 months.

However with more investment, the online portal can have up to 50 000 concurrent users without the system crashing, using the Cloud Technologies. This is the number of entrepreneurs we plan to reach in Africa in 5 years.

1. Our immediate goal is to invest in the development of the online portal upfront to enable scaling from the onset to reach from 1000 – 50 000 concurrent users, using Native Apps. We plan to invest in cloud technologies for large data storage, interactive features, collaboration capabilities, data generation, reviews, the end-to-end experience; from product, delivery and technical support.

1. Launch the Entrepreneurship Program in partnership with the Gauteng Growth and Development Agency by September to reach 2500 entrepreneurs by September 2021.
2. Elicit local and international community of innovative industry leaders, thought leaders and investors.
3. Intake of female cohorts into the Accelerator and Incubator in Technology, Agribusiness, Telecommunication, Energy, Manufacturing and Health by January 2021.
4. Elicit global mentors and judges with expertise and technical know-how in the above sectors.
5. Identify global partners to offer alternative energy solutions and data connectivity cost-effectively to ensure the program is accessible to under-served communities.
6. Offer access to affordable, online entrepreneurship and mentorship programs for women.
7. This project will empower women and enable them to be self-sufficient by creating self-employment projects in disadvantaged communities and general job creation that will alleviate hunger and poverty.
8. The project is set to create a supportive environment that makes it easier for entrepreneurs to start and grow businesses; access new technologies, mentorship and coaching as well as expertise necessary for success.
9. By providing alternative and affordable energy and data connectivity infrastructure the project will improve the quality of life in the communities and the socioeconomic development of South Africa.

1. Access to finances to invest in the development of the online portal to serve large numbers of female entrepreneurs.

1. Without affordable energy and connectivity entrepreneurship development efforts are impacted because these businesses can’t grow, neither can new jobs be created nor critical services be provided. According to the Trade and Industry Minister Data prices in South Africa are higher than any other markets in the world. The Data Services Market Inquiry report (2019) also confirmed that poorer consumers are faced with no option but to purchase short-validity bundles since they are less expensive but this does not provide these consumers with continual data access at affordable prices. This will make our program difficult to access.
2. Moreover, the constant blackouts, insufficient power supply and never ending price increases for electricity in South Africa create further barriers to effective entrepreneurship and business growth.
3. Under-served communities’ ability to be part of the program; especially in rural areas.
4. Lack of coaches or advisors with extensive knowledge and track record in Business Incubators.

1. I’m embarking on a fund raising effort, starting with the Elevate initiative. I plan to also reach out to other organizations such as banks to sponsor women to take part in our project. This will be a win-win approach as the banks will have a captive female-led business market which gives them opportunities to also cross-sell other products.
2. I plan to elicit global partners who can offer alternative and affordable energy and entities who can create mobile technologies designed to use little or no data connectivity to be part of the ecosystem.
3. Reach out to the Small, Medium Enterprise Department and the Department of Trade and Industry to take part in the ecosystem and be key sponsors for women in rural areas. As rural development and entrepreneurship is one of their development agenda.
4. Seek advisors or mentors with Business Incubators expertise.

1. From 2017 - 2019, the Academy partnered with two major South African Banks (Standard Bank and First National Bank) and one Financial Institution (Liberty) respectively on a commitment to the growth and development of women entrepreneurs in South Africa.

The Academy was a content partner and delivered modules for face-to-face master classes and mentorship Programs to accelerate women’s businesses.

2. In March, pre-Covid-19, we formed a partnership with Gauteng Growth and  Development Agency (GGDA), whose key purpose is to develop the economy of Gauteng; The Academy will be able to scale to various provinces in South Africa. The GGDA works with national government and related departments, to create a supportive business environment that helps multi-nationals, large local companies and Small, Micro, Medium Enterprises to thrive.

GGDA’s target is to empower at least 2500 entrepreneurs from disadvantaged communities in 10 Provinces and 13 cities in the next 12 months. With the Academy’s platform we can reach even more entrepreneurs.

The program is set to commence after the Covid-19 lockdown; which will probably be around September or October 2020.

3. Over the years, I’ve led the Global Women Summits throughout Africa and have worked with various women empowerment groups. I have partnered with When Women Win in Nigeria, Timeless Women in Kenya and Womanpreneur in Tanzania.

• Customer Segments

Women led businesses in South Africa and Africa from urban and rural areas.

- Start –ups. growth and scaling phases.

• Customer Relationships:

-Through key partners 

-Social Media advertising

-Word of Mouth

-On- going peer-to-peer mentorship and support on WhatsApp groups

-Grow relationships by yearly intake, breakfasts and networking sessions.

-Women Groups Partners in Africa

• Value Proposition:

-Provide holistic, personalized and relevant entrepreneurship programs.

-Create a supportive environment that makes it easier for women to start and grow businesses to be self-sufficient and alleviate poverty.

-Access to affordable, online entrepreneurship and mentorship programs.

-Access to financiers, technologies and markets.

• Key Activities:

-Online Master Classes

-Mentorship Programs

-Business Incubation and Acceleration

-Business Showcases

• Key Resources Required:

- Online Technology Portal with capacity to reach large numbers (Using Native Apps)

• Distribution Channels:

-Online portal

-Virtual Conferencing

-Face-to-face breakfasts

• Key Partnerships:

-Banks

-Government

-Financiers

-Mentors/Coaches

-Education Institutions

• Costs

-Online Portal Development 

-Cloud Technologies Storage capability to reach up to 50 000 concurrent users

-Audio and visual (video production of the entrepreneurship content)

-Developers

-Strategy (Market expansion, growth and profitability)

-Content Facilitators – Appropriate and relevant content for different levels of women

-Downloadable e-Books creation

-Marketing

-Content Production for Business Accelerator and Incubator

-Project Administration

-Virtual Office

• Surplus

Funds sourced through grants and donors will be used to develop the online portal while other income will be generated from products and services to ensure its longevity.

Different models will be used to achieve higher social return and financial benefits simultaneously. By so doing we achieve dual objectives for the enterprise.

The goal is to use a combination of grants and donations, sell products and services.

1. Grants and donations

Funds sourced through grants and donors will be used towards the development of the online portal and subsidizing women in under-served communities to take part on the program.

2. Income generation from products and services and different pricing models and packages for different levels of entrepreneurs:

• Discounted monthly/yearly Membership 

-1 module – entrepreneurship advise

-Inspirational Podcast

-Articles

-Expert interviews

• Intermediate Package

-12 x modules

-Podcasts

-Articles

-Expert Interviews

• Premium Package – Middle Class entrepreneurs

-12 x modules

-6 x mentorship

-Discounted rate to a face-to-face breakfast session and networking

-Podcasts

-Articles

-Expert interviews

3. Government/ Corporate Sponsored Programs – Delivering content for Women in Business Programs for Key Partners in the Ecosystem.

4. Corporate Retrenchment Assistance – Assist corporations equip retrenched female employees with entrepreneurial skills to generate self-employment projects.

5 Books Sales

6 Women’s High Growth Business Accelerator and Incubator – a 3 –year Program of High potential women seeking to grow exponentially in high earning sectors.

I've just embarked on the fundraising initiative so, no funds have been raised yet.

It's important to highlight that I delivered the services below on a part-time basis while holding a full time Executive position. Moreover, the entrepreneurship programs were on a face-to-face basis. Now that I’m planning to offer the program online and face-to-face, there will be a significant improvement on entrepreneurs I can reach and income generation. I also plan to be fully involved in this project from this year on wards.

Income derived from Services and Products: (March 2019 – February 2020)

1. Key Partners (Bank's Women in Business Programs) – $62,139.00
2. Master Classes - $54,990.00
3. Books Sales (Corporations, schools and churches) - $84,836.00

Total Income: $201,965.00

I seek to raise $400 000 through grants and donations

Fixed Costs

• Virtual Office - $2500
• Accounting & Auditing -$ 2000
• Communication (Wifi/phone bills) -$7000
• Technology - $3500
• Legal/insurance/subscriptions - $10 000
• Marketing & Advertising - $30 000
• Salaries -$100 000

Variable Costs

• Cost of goods

-Online Learning Portal Development – 200 000

-Audio and Video Content Production - $5000

-e-Books Production - $5000

-Office Supplies - $1500

• Direct Labor Costs

-Marketing - $6000

Total Costs – $372,500.00

1. To gain access to grant or donor funds
2. To get assistance with introductions to global partners who can offer alternative and affordable energy.
3. Introductions to entities who can create mobile technology designed to use little or no data connectivity.
4. Assist with connecting me to coaches or advisors who have a successful track record in Business Incubation programs.
5. Build collaborative partnerships and entrepreneurship ecosystems.

1. Seek advisors and/or mentors with expertise and successful record in Business Incubators.
2. Partnership with Education Institutions focused on Entrepreneurship Development.
3. Education Institutions that have done extensive research and solutions for alternative cost-effective energy initiatives.
4. Partners who can create a mobile technology (Android App) designed to use little data or internet access at no charge to the user.

Babson College – Entrepreneurship

• To leverage Babson’s Entrepreneurial Thought & Action methodology to add value to my project.
• Learn more about the Women-led Entrepreneurship Programs.

University of Washington – Start-ups and Incubators

• Learn about the CoMotion Labs
• Connect with university’s economic and societal impact efforts 

 Stanford University - Social Entrepreneur Hub

• Learn how to design an organization positioned to generate both social and financial value.

Global Lighting and Energy Access Partnerships (LEAP) Washington DC

• Learn more about partnerships in supplying off-grid appliance technologies that reduce energy supply costs and maximize energy access in less privileged communities

  Massachusetts Institute of Technology – Energy Initiative & Technology

• Learn about Business models in the energy sectors of developing countries that are working to accelerate their sustainable development.
• Explore possibilities of creating mobile technologies using less or no data connectivity.