It was at a humble cafe in the south of Johannesburg that Robert Brozin sat down to the best Portuguese-style chicken he’d ever tasted.

Making the transition from a locally-focused business to an international player requires an entrepreneur to have more than just knowledge of the underlying fundamentals of running a business. Instead, it needs a complete shift in mindset.

There’s plenty of evidence that women-owned businesses can deliver attractive returns for investors, and yet, there’s still a significant gap in funding for them.

From A-listers and royalty to ordinary folk, here at home and abroad, people are enamoured with the redesign and return of the iconic South African velskoen shoe.

Jannie Mouton, who has built and financed some of South Africa’s most successful businesses, says it is neither a lack of funding nor a lack of opportunities that is holding back South African entrepreneurs.

James Caan of Dragon’s Den fame and acclaimed entrepreneur spent some time with Finweek journalist Lisa Illingworth unpacking his thoughts on the future of small business development and the impact that it will have on the economy.

Ghanaian entrepreneur and former Olympic athlete Kenny Andam plans to return to Africa to give a little back. His mission is to revolutionise entrepreneurship among African youth through his television show The African Entrepreneur Within.

Tommy Makhatho, owner of Bibi Cash & carry, a retail group in the rural area of Qwa Qwa in the Free State, has been named the 2013 Sanlam/Business Partners entrepreneur of the year.

It took Chris Wilkins just over ten years to build his software company, DVT, into a R100 million business. Less than two years later, he has more than doubled that turnover, with R250 million in revenue expected in 2013.

Mark Lamberti is enjoying a very active post-Massmart career. Bruce Whitfield finds out where his entrepreneurial adventures started and what he is up to now.