King Price is backing young South African entrepreneurs through Youth Advance, providing practical business skills and support to help build sustainable, job-creating enterprises nationwide.
The national entrepreneurship programme supports young people aged 18 to 35, helping participants move beyond starting a business towards building enterprises capable of surviving, growing and creating employment.
Supported by King Price Insurance in partnership with Primestars, YouthStart Foundation and Seed Academy, Youth Advance focuses on entrepreneurial capabilities, sustainable enterprise development and employment opportunities.
The programme responds to a significant challenge facing young South Africans. The latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey figures cited by the initiative put unemployment among people aged 15 to 34 at around 47%, compared with 23.8% among those aged 35 to 64.
Entrepreneurship therefore provides another potential pathway into economic participation, but the programme recognises that having a business idea and developing a sustainable enterprise require different levels of knowledge and support.
“If we want entrepreneurship to become a genuine entry point into economic participation, we have to give people access to the skills that help them make informed decisions, solve problems, and keep learning as their businesses evolve,” said Adele Beetge, Head of Training at King Price.
Building businesses that last is central to the initiative.
Research cited by the programme puts SMME failure within the first five to seven years at 70%, with cash-flow management, limited business experience, weak planning, skills shortages and restricted market access among the challenges entrepreneurs can face.
Youth Advance addresses these challenges by combining entrepreneurial thinking with practical knowledge about running and growing a business.
Financial literacy, pricing and costing, planning, marketing, compliance and understanding customers are among the capabilities that can help young entrepreneurs turn ideas into viable enterprises.
Mentorship and practical exposure can also help participants navigate the decisions and challenges that emerge once a business begins operating in the real world.
“Entrepreneurs have to be able to understand the numbers behind their business, identify opportunities, respond when things change, and make decisions with confidence,” said Beetge.
“These are skills that can be developed, and they become increasingly important as a business grows – and this is why we believe that what Youth Advance does really matters.”
King Price’s involvement builds on its relationship with Primestars, which began in 2025 through the Step Up 2 A Start Up Programme.
That initiative develops entrepreneurial skills among high school learners through theoretical and practical learning, creating an earlier introduction to entrepreneurship.
Youth Advance extends that journey by supporting young adults as they apply entrepreneurial skills to developing sustainable businesses.
The potential impact reaches beyond individual business owners. Successful SMMEs can create jobs, support households, purchase from other businesses and generate additional economic activity within their communities.
For King Price, strengthening the ability of young entrepreneurs to build businesses that survive and grow can therefore contribute to broader economic participation.
“The real opportunity is to help people build something that lasts,” said Beetge.
“Because when an entrepreneur succeeds, the impact reaches far beyond their own livelihood. It can create careers, support families, and give other people the opportunity to participate in the economy too.”
