South Africa’s unemployment crisis continues to hit women hardest.
In the second quarter of 2026, the official unemployment rate for women stood at 37.5%, compared with 30.3% for men.
Against that backdrop, creating more ways for women to participate in the economy matters, and entrepreneurship is one of them.
Wandile Dumakude, Head of Distribution at The Unlimited, has spent almost a decade working alongside entrepreneurs building their own businesses through the company’s Ownership Development Programme. Over that time, he’s seen a significant shift.
Today, one in three Franchise Owners at The Unlimited is a woman.
“Ten or fifteen years ago, the picture looked very different,” says Dumakude. “There were only a handful of women in a largely male environment. Today, we’re seeing more women step forward and build businesses of their own — and they’re doing it with confidence.”
Through working alongside these entrepreneurs, Dumakude says four qualities repeatedly stand out among women who succeed in turning individual performance into businesses and teams that can grow.
1. They communicate well
At The Unlimited, direct sales is how we take our products to customers. And, in this business, listening is as important as speaking. You need to understand the customer in front of you, communicate clearly and build trust. Those skills become even more important as a business grows, when an entrepreneur moves from making sales herself to teaching, training and leading others. Strong communication helps turn individual performance into a team that can perform too.
2. They lead with empathy
Direct sales is hard. Rejection is part of the job, and there will be difficult weeks. As a business owner, you need to understand what the people in your team are going through while still helping them learn, improve and keep moving. Empathy matters because it allows a leader to support people without lowering the standard expected of them.
3. They build strong relationships
Building a relationship with a customer might help make a sale, but building a business takes much more than that. It means earning trust, developing people and creating a team that can grow with you. You can be an excellent salesperson, but if you want to build a business, you’ve got to learn how to build people too. That shift from individual success to developing others is critical to long-term growth.
4. They play the long game
Building a successful business takes time. There are very few overnight successes, and the journey is rarely a straight line. Playing the long game means understanding that the work you put in today may only pay off further down the road. It means staying committed through slower periods, learning from setbacks and continuing to build even when the results aren’t immediate. In entrepreneurship, long-term thinking isn’t about waiting for success.
For Dumakude, these qualities aren’t just personality traits; they’re the foundation of good business. “Communication builds trust, empathy builds teams, relationships build businesses, and discipline keeps people building even when results are slow to show.”
“Now, more than ever, I believe women deserve to be celebrated. Women’s Month gives us an opportunity to recognise their achievements, but it’s also a reminder of how much harder many women still have to work to access economic opportunity,” says Dumakude.
“What excites me, though, is seeing more women step forward, back themselves and build something of their own. They’re building businesses, creating opportunities and changing what’s possible for themselves, their families and the people around them. That’s something worth celebrating, not just during Women’s Month, but every day.”
