702 Small Business Awards with Softline Pastel

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August 2008

An exciting new awards initiative from Talk Radio 702 and Softline Pastel, will honour successful small businesses and highlight the vital work being done in the SME (Small and Medium Enterprises) sector.

Talk Radio 702 talks a lot about business, and a lot of this talk concerns big business, but the station realises that the real engine of the South African economy is small business.

“These are the companies our listeners are dealing with every day,” said 702 programming manager, Alastair Teeling-Smith. “They’re the plumbers, the garden services, the people who come to fix your satellite dish, and they’re the entrepreneurial roots of the economy,” he explained. 702 felt it was time to reward the small businesses who go the extra mile for their customers.

Awards partner, Softline Pastel, South Africa’s leading provider of SME accounting and payroll software, has served the SME market for over 19 years. They believe that SMEs are the differentiating factor in improving employment and generating wealth. “We believe the SMEs are the unsung heroes of the economy and would love the best-of-the-best to be recognised and to enjoy the benefit of exposure on 702,”said Steven Cohen, managing director of Softline Pastel,
“We also remember what it was like to be a small business and are well aware of the considerable challenges they face”, said Grant Lloyd, managing director of Softline Pastel Payroll.

The competition launches on Monday 4th August with a call for nominations. Listeners are encouraged to nominate a small business they have dealt with that has provided outstanding service. From these nominations, 30 will be shortlisted, and two of these businesses will be featured on 702 each day, one in John Robbie’s breakfast show, and the other on David O’Sullivans afternoon show. This offers a unique opportunity for nominees to share their stories and for listeners to learn what it takes to make a business work.

The winner of the award will be announced at a gala event on the 8th September 2008. They will be awarded an advertising package for 702 which includes production and airtime. Furthermore, Pastel will provide small business start-up software to the top three finalists.

The deadline for nominations is 31st August 2008.

For more information log on to www.702.co.za