Samantha Manclark, Team Lead Jozihub for SMMEStart

TheTakeOff | A chat-based service called SMMEstart has been launched onWhatsApp to provide SMMEs in South Africa with instantly actionableinformation, guidance and resources to help business owners restart andgrow their businesses during the COVID-19 economic recovery period andbeyond.The content and resources included have been developed based on the results of research that was conducted into the needs of micro, small and medium-sized business in South Africa - especially needs brought on by COVID-19The service provides up-to-date, credible content and resources on Finance, Marketing, Legal, Business and Health, the latest News and Inspirational Stories, Free Business Resources and a Helpdesk. Among other insights, the needs assessment research confirmed that most businesses in the study experienced severe financial impact from COVID-19.Most respondents indicated that COVID-19 illuminated a need for business skills, predominantly skills relating to implementing sustainable, online business opportunities and digital marketing.  Designed around an easy-to-navigate menu, SMMEstart is a service that is activated by simply texting the word ‘hi’ in a WhatsApp message to +27 60 011 0110 to get started Guest: Samantha Manclark, Team Lead Jozihub for SMMEStart