Small business owners across the nation will be able to tune in every Sunday at 16:00 to see how the Business Coach helps real business people overcome business problems and grow their businesses.

Clive Pintusewitz, director of small enterprise and enterprise development at Standard Bank, says: "We understand that starting and growing a small business can be difficult for people who have loads of enthusiasm, but limited business experience. People have to get advice and support when facing the hurdles and bureaucracy which go with making a small business succeed," he says. “The Business Coach provides an innovative channel for getting that advice.”

Echoing Standard Bank’s enthusiasm for the series, Risuna Mayimele, marketing manager of SABC3, says the channel is excited about the upcoming series which will take viewers behind the scenes of real businesses that they can identify with.

“We all know how important the small business sector is to the South African economy. The Business Coach series will show small businesspeople, and indeed those wanting to start businesses, just how SABC3, as a major TV channel, can play a practical role in building small business and add value to people’s lives. We believe that The Business Coach will be instrumental in helping our small business sector grow and prosper, to the benefit of the country as a whole,” says Mayimele.

Over 13 weeks the series will show viewers how entrepreneurs in totally different markets respond to challenges they face and how they build their legacies.

Helping them with issues ranging from branding a business, business administration and business skills like cash flow management, to sales, marketing and people management will be Greg Mason, a business coach who truly understands what it takes to succeed.

Week by week, Mason, with the support of other specialist advisers from Standard Bank, will be on-hand assisting small business owners to identify the sticking points within their businesses and helping them over potential hurdles. He will also monitor the businesspeople he advises and show just how his suggestions have helped drive the businesses towards new heights.

“Standard Bank’s approach is to offer practical assistance when entrepreneurs need it most. To ensure that SABC3 viewers get the best advice and then have access to additional support, we’ve also set up a dedicated website where entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs can participate in a free 13 module online training programme developed by The Business Coach,” says Pintusewitz. To access this and other business tips viewers need only log on to www.standardbank.co.za/thebusinesscoach.

The Business Coach will be broadcast on Sundays from 1 July at 16:00 on SABC3.