The perceived value of advice given to SMMEs at events: catalyst for action or despondency?

The growth of the economy of many countries is dependent on the survival and growth of SMMEs as these businesses are the ones on which the hopes for job creation and poverty alleviation rests. To this end, many institutions – government and private – are investing resources to try and stimulate this sector and enhance their chances of success and sustainability. In order to achieve this, these institutions use a range of initiatives and services to stimulate and upskill SMMEs. Not only do they focus on standard services such as mentoring, counselling, and services such as for instance marketing material development, business and marketing plans, financial planning, etc., but from time to time, they also offer specific interventions with specific themes to generate interest from entrepreneurs. The main purpose of this study was to establish whether SMMEs and entrepreneurs value the information and advice they receive at events of value and usable.

Keywords: SMMEs, despondency, perceived value.
JEL Classification: M1