Small Business Academy

Upskill yourself, upscale your enterprise, and uplift your community with the Small Business Academy (SBA). Our post-matric programme is designed to empower full-time small business owners with the knowledge, skills, and insights needed to grow and expand. At SBA, we focus on you—your vision, resilience, and desire to make a lasting difference.

Join a supportive community, gain access to expert guidance, and unlock the tools to transform your business. This is your opportunity to take the next step in building a thriving enterprise that benefits both you and your community.

Ready to start? Click here to apply today.

Applications close 13 February 2026

Through its Small Business Academy (SBA) – launched in 2012 – the business school gives life to its vision of having a meaningful impact in society. The aim of the SBA is to make a difference to the lives and businesses of small-business owners in low-income communities. The activities of the SBA are made possible through private and public sector partnerships/sponsorships. Representatives of stakeholder groups sit on the SBA Steering Committee, the governing body of the SBA.

The SBA’s activities include:

• Small Business Academy Development Programme: This nine-month programme helps smallbusiness owners to grow their businesses. The programme is presented in the Western Cape and Eastern Cape. A key feature of the programme is the mentorship component made possible by pro bono one-on-one mentorship by alumni of the school.
• SBA Growth Initiative: Continuous development opportunities are offered to SBA alumni and pre-programme start-up businesses in the form of workshops, masterclasses, advanced training, mentorship sessions and networking events.
• Student engagement: Business school students and visiting international students assist SBA small-business owners with various aspects of their businesses. This forms part the business school students’ academic programmes. 
• SBA Research Unit: Research is done on the impact of the SBA programme, small-business mentorship, and small-business development in Southern Africa.