ENGEN PITCH & POLISH IS CELEBRATING 10 YEARS!

Pitch to win R80 000 in cash for your biz! Running your own business? Want to run your own business? ENGEN Pitch & Polish is the platform you need to launch yourself on to the path of success.

Celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, ENGEN Pitch & Polish is a national entrepreneurial workshop and competition programme that – so far – has helped over 10 000 entrepreneurs improve the way they pitch their businesses to potential investors. As all entrepreneurs know, a perfectly polished pitch is one of the keys to growing and succeeding in business.

The ten-year edition of the programme is being hosted in partnership with Engen Petroleum, Nedbank and Raizcorp. You can register as a delegate to attend the workshop or – if you feel you have what it takes – you can complete an online entry form to be selected as a contestant.

During one exhilarating, fun, exciting and free day, participants undergo comprehensive and interactive entrepreneurial training on how to pitch like a pro! The session is facilitated by Justin Cohen, best-selling author, international speaker and TV talk-show host.

After the training session, contestants pitch their ideas or businesses to the whole audience. This is where things get really interesting, with both Justin and the audience providing feedback on how pitches can be improved.

The regional winners of each leg will have the opportunity to be crowned the ultimate pitch champion at the final glittering round of the competition held in Johannesburg later this year.

There are many funders and investors invited to the final and, over the years, finalists (not necessarily the winners) have received millions of rands in investments and hundreds of thousands of rands in grants.Book your place now for the Bloemfontein workshop on 27 July.

SMS “Pitch” to 43719 (SMSs charged at 50c) or visit www.pitchandpolish.com to complete an entry form, and maybe you will find that R1 million investment you desire.

An oft-cited statistic in the world of business is that 96% of small businesses will fail within the first ten years of starting up. Celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, the ENGEN Pitch & Polish workshop and competition programme is proud to fall within the 4% that succeed! Considered by many to be the grandfather of pitching competitions, ENGEN Pitch & Polish has remained relevant since its inception and, while other pitching competitions come and go, it has stayed the course and is now more popular than ever.

Over the years, the competition has witnessed a range of business trends; one year saw a predominance of agri-processing ideas and businesses, another was strongly related to green technologies, while a third year saw a focus on youth.

The programme reflects trends with a predominance of businesses and business ideas that respond to the market opportunities of the time.The success of the Pitch & Polish format can be attributed in large measure to the huge value it offers its audiences (or workshop delegates). There is a strong focus on audience learning and participation. In fact, around 40% of workshop delegates are people who return year after year and bring along family and friends when they return to the next year’s event.

The opportunity for participants to network with one another is also a drawcard, as is the all-important wild card entrant to the competition (an entrepreneur who is picked on the day by the facilitator and audience members).A further attraction is that it is not just the major centres which receive all the focus. Since it began sponsoring the programme, Engen has taken Pitch & Polish to many smaller towns across the country which often tend to be overlooked by major events. (A heart-warming by-product of this is the number of regional winners who – when moving on to the semi-final and final rounds in Johannesburg – have been able to experience their very first aeroplane flight and even their first stay in a hotel.)

A Pitch & Polish crew of 20 people puts together a high-end production for each leg of the event, making use of the best sound, visual and other equipment available. Each of the towns selected receives the same standard of glamour, finesse and pizzazz as is seen at the final in Johannesburg. That this is deeply appreciated by the entrepreneurs of each town is proved by the fact that when a workshop starts out with 300 participants, it ends with the same number owing to their genuine enjoyment of the day and the value they receive.Since inception, the programme has received wonderful support from both local and national media – in particular, Caxton, SAfm and a range of local newspapers.

The media has played an essential role in the entrepreneurial ecosystem, and the organisers are deeply grateful to these organisations for getting out the word and, more importantly, sharing the success stories of the project’s regional winners and finalists giving them further opportunities for exposure and business growth.

The Pitch & Polish programme – the brainchild of top incubator Raizcorp – would not have seen the success it has were it not for its loyal sponsors, Engen and Nedbank. Allon Raiz, founder and CEO of Raizcorp and the brains behind the concept, says, “Both Engen and Nedbank provide judging teams as part of their sponsorships. Their judges are as passionate and engaged as Raizcorp is, and they come back year after year. At this point they almost feel like members of the crew.”

“The rate of urbanisation and population growth in South Africa increases the level of unemployment, poverty and despair for the majority of poor South Africans. This situation presents a potential crisis if we do not get the fundamentals right, including education and growing an entrepreneurial culture. We must create a supportive environment for these fundamentals to help create jobs and curb poverty.

The ENGEN Pitch and polish programme does just that … entrepreneurial education for thousands of South Africans – boosting business-modelling skills, shaping business ideas into bankable business propositions and increasing the confidence of the emerging entrepreneurs who choose to participate and learn through this amazing interactive programme,” says Unathi Njokweni-Magida, Head of Transformation for Engen Petroleum.She continues, “It is no secret that South Africa’s economic sovereignty and sustainability depends on the calibre and scale of its entrepreneurs.

The more entrepreneurs we support, the more we reduce poverty and unemployment. Engen’s consistent platinum support for the Raizcorp Pitch & Polish programme is simply driven by its desire to nurture extraordinary entrepreneurs and support people with business ideas that, in the past, often end up in the graveyard. This project allows Engen to demonstrates its care and support for emerging entrepreneurs, which in turn will enable South Africa’s socio-economic transformation and sustainability.

We aim to reinforce a positive economic cycle for many business ideas and hope, like a virus, it will spread and create flickers of light, fuelling entrepreneurial energy in all the provinces and towns the ENGEN Pitch and Polish programme visits every year across the length and breadth of South Africa.”Alan Shannon, Nedbank Head of Client Engagement: Professional Banking and Small Business, says, “Nedbank is proud of our decade-long relationship with Raizcorp and being a cosponsor of this inspiring event since 2016. Unlocking the potential of the SME sector is key to economic growth and job creation in South Africa. Pitch & Polish is a great platform that allows participants to refine their skills.

We also believe that this sponsorship aligns with our brand purpose to use our financial expertise to enable individuals, families, businesses and society to do good. Through our journey with Raizcorp and various other interventions, we support small business in South Africa by providing them with a platform to fuel their entrepreneurial aspirations.”This year will see the event hosted in eight towns and cities across the country, starting in Johannesburg on 6 July and ending in Burgersfort on 24 August (this is the first time Pitch & Polish is visiting the town), with the semi-finals and final taking place in Johannesburg.

Details on registering for the workshop and entering the competition are available on the website at www.pitchandpolish.com. Everyone is invited!

About Pitch & Polish
Pitch & Polish, now in its tenth year, is an Idols-type competition in which contestants are given the opportunity to present (pitch) their businesses or business ideas to an audience who are primed to act as investors and bankers. Throughout the course of a day, the facilitator takes the participants and audience through a workshop designed to develop lateral-thinking skills, and works with the contestants to improve (polish) their pitches. A unique synthesis of training, audience participation and competition, everyone leaves the process enriched! For more information, please visit www.pitchandpolish.comFor more information, visit www.pitchandpolish.comIn the photograph:Unathi Njokweni-Magida – Head of Transformation & Engagement – Engen Petroleum

Thank you for following the 2017 ENGEN Pitch & Polish entrepreneurial workshop and competition. The final was held in Johannesburg on the 30th of November and the winners announced. First place went to Bruce Diale, from Polokwane, second place went to Refilwe Matsaneng, from Welkom/Bloemfontein and third place to Renschia Manuel, from Cape Town. 

Please support the growth of entrepreneurs in this country by sharing this good news with your audience. Below is the release with images attached. Please let me know if there is anything else I can assist you with. On a personal note, I wish I could encapsulate the electricity, magic and excitement from the night, which is the culmination of months (and years) of building entrepreneurs, for the future of this country. Thank you for coming on the journey with me, I so look forward to hearing from you. 

Become the number one pitch hustler

The word “hustle” comes from a Dutch word that means “to shake things up”. Traditionally, the English word “hustler” was used to describe a dishonest person, who would do anything to make money. Hustling is, however, no longer a dirty word; nowadays, a hustler is someone who makes things happen. Hustling is about movement, activity and shaking things up in a positive way – the very things that entrepreneurs need to succeed! 

Successful hustlers exist everywhere, and all entrepreneurs have much to learn from those who have mastered the art of the hustle! Whether they are building a business, selling a product or offering a service, hustlers focus on their goal and do whatever it takes to achieve the goal. Hustlers put in the hours and don’t waste time doing things that don’t contribute to their success in some way. 

Hustlers grab every opportunity to pitch their business to potential funders and clients. They are seasoned pitch artists, and having secured the opportunity to pitch, know exactly what they want to say. Hustlers present a polished pitch! For this reason, the ENGEN Pitch & Polish programme, hosted by Engen Petroleum Ltd and Nedbank, powered by Raizcorp and supported by national media partner, Caxton Local Media, is based on teaching entrepreneurs to present a winning pitch that is clear and focused. “With us you are number one”, the headline sponsor Engen’s slogan, could just as easily apply to the hustler’s attitude towards his clients and business. Hustlers put their clients first. Their elevator pitch is ready to go and hustlers, always thinking on their feet, can adapt their pitch to meet the needs of different audiences.  

Nedbank, a co-sponsor of ENGEN Pitch & Polish, encourages people to “make your money hustle for you”. Hustlers know how to do this. They think carefully about their pricing model, know how to calculate profit, and make their money work for them! 

Hustlers do not give up when they hear “no”. They see rejection as an opportunity to be overcome, not a roadblock. At ENGEN Pitch & Polish, entrepreneurs are subjected to many “no’s” as they learn to perfect their pitches. Those who learn to use this feedback to their advantage - are the hustlers! 

The pitch that was delivered from the heart, with the greatest ease, confidence, and precision - as well as energy and enthusiasm - were the qualities that caught the eye of the judges, and resulted in Bruce Diale, from Polokwane, winning the 2017 ENGEN Pitch and Polish programme, at an exclusive and prestigious event, held in Johannesburg, on 30th November. Bruce’s Agri-consulting business has developed, and patented, Gardenizly, an innovative vegetable gardening product, which is both water and space efficient. 

This was not the only reason for his victory. “We chose Bruce as this year’s winner,” says Joe Mahlo, GM for Sales and Marketing, from Engen Petroleum Ltd, who was one of this year’s judges, “because he was clear on the value that his product and business will add to his clients and, indeed, to the world.” This is yet another indispensable quality of the hustler. Watch this space. A hustler has been born! 

Second place was awarded to Refilwe Matsaneng, from Welkom, for her hair products business, GloLooks. Third place went to Renschia Manuel, from Cape Town, for her portable urban veggie growing boxes, GrowBox, business. 

“It’s intimidating and unnerving to ask for money,” says Grace Govender, Head of New Business and Support for Relationship Banking, Nedbank. “To overcome this, entrepreneurs must focus on being properly prepared and authentic.” 

To further help the entrepreneurs, Caxton Local Media, with over 140 publications, whose roots, too, are deeply embedded in the country, awarded the winner with R20,000 in advertising. “Caxton is firmly established in, and supportive of, local communities in South Africa and the partnership with ENGEN Pitch & Polish, along with Engen, Nedbank and Raizcorp, is a natural fit. We all believe in building small business, from grassroots up,” explains Dejane Poil, Head of Innovation at Caxton. 

There was magic on the night as esteemed guests offered these three entrepreneurs further opportunities for growth and expansion. 

ENGEN Pitch & Polish’s power lies in its ability to identify, through their pitch, the entrepreneurs that are number one hustlers. “These are the entrepreneurs who demonstrate the ambition to excel and the motivation to put in the work,” says Allon Raiz, the originator of the Pitch & Polish concept, now in its eighth year of identifying entrepreneurs who truly understand what it means to up the hustle! 

For more information, visit www.pitchandpolish.com -

-- ENDS --

 In the group photo (left to right): Mervyn Pillay (Nedbank) Bruce Diale (Winner) Allon Raiz (Raizcorp) Joe Mahlo (Engen) 

ABOUT

The annual programme is called: ENGEN Pitch & Polish.

Engen Petroleum Ltd is the headline sponsor. Nedbank is a sponsor.

The programme is a Raizcorp initiative.

The national media partner is Caxton Local Media.

For editorial purposes, the spokesperson and project manager is Bronwyn Echardt from Raizcorp.

The PR Contact is Jodi Lynn Karpes from GreenQueen Communications, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.