COMMENT
Despite sweeping generalisations about how this generation behaves, the study shows that these business leaders have
diverse traits which align them with five workplace personality types.
In Nigeria, 36% say they started
their own business to become
masters of their own destiny and
29% to turn an idea into reality.
Among South African respondents,
29% started their own business
to become masters of their own
destiny, followed by to make
money 21% and to turn an idea
into reality 21%.
When it comes to the work life
balance, 66% value work over life.
For respondents in Brazil 71%,
Australia 70%, Belgium 70%,
Singapore 73% and Switzerland
70%, reducing the amount of hours
they spend working and retiring early
is a key focus for them. Some 66% in
South Africa and 71% in Nigeria say
life comes before work.
62% believe they will be a serial
entrepreneur, starting more than
one than business in their lifetime,
with 52% saying this is because they
have lots of ideas they want to share
with the world. In South Africa, 82%
respondents aim to start more than
one business; among Nigerians, the
number is an astonishing 94%.
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Doing social good
is especially
important
to young
entrepreneurs
in South Africa
and Nigeria, both
80% compared
to other
countries
Kriti Sharma, Director, Product
Management, Mobile, Sage, explains,
“As a millennial entrepreneur myself
I know first-hand that this business
group are shaking things up. We are
rejecting established patterns of
working and making technology work
for us. We see business through a new
lens. We are willing to work hard, but
want flexibility in how, when and with
whom we do business.”
“The opportunity to foster a new
economy, triggered by young
entrepreneurs, has never been greater
and the way millennials choose to
operate in the business world is set to
become the new normal,” says Anton
Van Heerden, EVP and Managing
Director, Sage South and Southern
Africa. “It is the entrepreneurial spirit
that makes the difference all over the
world, so policymakers and big business
would do well to listen to the voices of
the young African entrepreneurs who
are inventing our futures.”
“Millennial entrepreneurs have a huge role
to play in the start-up economy and are
shaping the modern workplace at great
pace,” explains Stephen Kelly, Sage CEO.
“But they can’t be grouped together as
a homogenous stereotype. Our research
shows that they fall into distinct camps
with specific hopes, fears, concerns and
ways of working. They will be our next
generation of business builders, the heroes
of the economy, and understanding what
makes them tick now stands us all in
good stead for the future. That’s true of
the people that want to do business with
them, buy from them, hire them or create
policy that helps them to grow.”
INTELLIGENTCIO
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