Entrepreneurs should celebrate their successes by giving back in 2020

Entrepreneurs should celebrate their successes by giving back in 2020

By Mahesh Singh, founder of iClick Marketing.

When I founded iClick Marketing in 2012, I did so because of my passion for digital marketing. Over the past eight years, the business has grown exponentially and in 2018 it earned the New Generation Award for Most Innovative Digital Campaign by a Small Agency for our client Dis-Chem.

Some you win, some you lose

When looking back over the past year, our biggest win was bringing on a few new clients, which gave us the ability to move into new offices closer to the central business district.

As is the nature of business, staff members come and go and staff-turnover was our biggest challenge in 2019. As a boutique agency, we like to give employment opportunities for young graduates but find that many of these aspiring young digital marketers only use us as a stepping stone in their careers, leaving as soon as they have enough experience to join one of the larger agencies.

The explosive growth of new business ventures

Entrepreneurship in South Africa is booming and the economy has been inundated with SMEs over the past 12 months. At the New Generation Awards, so many startup agencies entered their campaigns, indicating just how fast the marketing industry is growing.

There are also so many job losses that many people start businesses. But, your success as an entrepreneur depends on your principles – some people start up a venture as a short-term solution to a financial problem, and others do it to achieve a long-term dream. People who start a business for the wrong reason usually fall along the wayside.

Let 2020 be the year of giving back

But that said, I think that there is a place for everyone in South Africa and its economy. I believe that the government is doing a lot to encourage entrepreneurship. There is funding, tenders, and all sort of opportunities.

I think that 2020 will continue to foster entrepreneurs. I hope that, in the coming year, small-business owners will celebrate their successes by passing it on and allowing others to be successful. Whether it means you take on interns or you take on unemployed youth or unemployed women – all I ask is that you give something back.


About Mahesh Singh

Mahesh Singh founded iClick Marketing in 2012. Over the past seven years, he has overseen the exponential growth of the agency that earned it the New Generation Award for Most Innovative Digital Campaign by a Small Agency for its client Dis-Chem in 2018.

As a  digital marketing strategist, he has worked at various award-winning agencies throughout his career. An entrepreneur at heart, Singh started his agency when he was only 26-years old. His business and leadership skills helped him take the agency from strength-to-strength.

His digital marketing insights span across various disciplines like PPC, digital strategy, training, and website and App development, which makes him a hands-on leader of the team.

Singh holds a B.comm Marketing Management degree focused in Marketing Management from the University of South Africa (UNISA).

About iClick Marketing

iClick Marketing is a proudly certified Google Partner with a focus on consumer digital behaviour and how to optimise digital platforms to drive engagement with brands. Their clients include Tsogo Sun Hotels, Dis-Chem Pharmacies, Tsogo Sun Gaming, OneCart, and Toys R Us to mention a few.