Willem Gous, a South African trailblazer in Entrepreneurship Development with over 24 years of experience, has developed a recipe for job creation.
The founder of The Human Entrepreneur, Gous specialises in guiding unemployed individuals in South African townships to start profitable businesses.
He takes unemployed people from townships, and help them develop the right mindset, mental fitness, and rhythm of success to start a profitable business with customers without external funding in just 5 weeks.
Unbelievable isn’t it? Well Gous has created a unique, Africa-designed approach that disrupts traditional entrepreneurship development and training.
Unlike conventional programmes, his accelerates job creation and slash costs by more than tenfold.
Gous has successfully cracked the code of mass entrepreneurship development.
“My innovative process can produce new entrepreneurs at scale, generating hundreds, even thousands, of new businesses monthly. This breakthrough offers a tangible solution for job creation, poverty reduction, and economic growth,” he says.
Gous said he is particularly interested in applying entrepreneurial thinking in different settings and how it can unlock resourcefulness, innovation and action, leading to better results in life and business. He works with individuals, schools, universities, and communities to use entrepreneurial thinking to unlock job creation and local economic development.
He also works with corporates to help their staff think like entrepreneurs and innovatively drive results, making innovation part of the business’s DNA.
His topics includes Entrepreneurship Mindset and Thinking, Innovation, Leadership – InsideRisk Program and Teambuilding and Facilitation.
Gouw’s energetic presentation style blends thought-provoking perspectives in a conversational tone and a practical approach with humour. He is able to both inform and inspire action with audiences of all levels and functions. He believes you should be able to apply what was shared when you leave the event.
According to Gous, success is a result of doing the right things every day. But how do you know what the right things are? He helps you find the right things to do for success, teach you how to create consistency through a daily rhythm and help you overcome the fears and limiting beliefs that hold you back from implementing these practical steps.
He teaches people to innovate faster by thinking like a Township Entrepreneur, whom he says, have to think fast and innovate to drive results in a matter of days and with few resources.
“I can help your staff do the same. Based on my work with thousands of township entrepreneurs in South Africa.”
Gous says in these uncertain times, with tricky job prospects in South Africa, many people – from parents and university students to school children – are keen to start side hustles to earn extra income and secure a better financial future.
However, many of these aspiring entrepreneurs don’t have the necessary business knowledge and mindset to make their ideas and dreams a reality.
For that reason, Gous wrote an incredible book based on his work with thousands of township entrepreneurs in South Africa. He also designed a practical companion masterclass to energize people and help them overcome limiting beliefs, helping South Africans become confident entrepreneurs quickly and cost-effectively.
His book, “Side Hustle Success – A Low-Risk, Low-Cost Way to Make More Money in 5 Easy Steps”, has been written with the African context in mind. It highlights the key aspects of starting a business, showing how anyone can get their side hustle up and running in just weeks, even without external funding.
He hosts engaging Side Hustle Masterclasses in universities, schools, and communities nationwide, empowering South Africans to reach for their dreams.
His book helps to turn big ideas into real action steps.
This book provides people with the right thinking tools and strategies to step out confidently towards success.
Said Gous: “Even if you’re already running a business, this book offers helpful tips to boost your mindset, keep your spirits high, and get better at what you do, taking your business growth to the next level.”
The book offers a simple five-step process:
- Why are you starting a side hustle?
- How to start your side hustle quickly
- How to find customers with money?
- Overcoming fear, demotivation and rejection
- How to find your Rhythm of success and accelerate your success
He says the book is like a friendly guide, giving you the clear thinking you need to launch your side job confidently.
Gous has a Master’s degree in Information Systems Management from the University of Liverpool, U.K. His dissertation focused on applying innovation methodologies within established businesses.
A single father, Willem is also a firewalking instructor for fun. He teaches people to overcome fear and walk barefoot over fire.
He has won several awards for his work including the ASEB Winner 2023 (Startup Mentor of the Year), ASEB Winner 2023 (Entrepreneurship Education Programme – The Human Entrepreneur), ASEB Finalist 2022 (Startup Mentor of the Year), ASEB Finalist 2022 (Incubator of the Year – The Human Entrepreneur), and the 2022 & 23 Africa Startup Ecosystem Builders Awards.
Gous can be contacted on Willem@gous.ws and/or https://thehumanentrepreneur.org/
