A micro-entrepreneur is equipped to grow

Ntomb’xolo Mhlongo owns a Unilever spaza shop, or convenience shop, near Durham, South Africa. She sells snacks, fruit, and drinks—but dreams of more for herself and her shop. “I want to empower myself,” she explains. “I want to have an idea of the ins and outs of my business.”

Ntomb’xolo joined an AMI Micro-Enterprise Accelerator programme, and was immediately able to implement what she learned in customer service. She even printed out tools from the online platform and posted them in her shop to provide guidance for her employees.

Most importantly, the AMI programme provided Ntomb’xolo with everything she needs to write a business plan for her shop, which she plans to use to apply for a new retail site. “I’ve learned so much through AMI,” she says. “I’m going to take everything that I’ve learned here and unpack it toward my business and empower it, because I want to see it grow.”