Catherine Wijnberg – Business Acceleration & SME Growth
What did she study?
How small businesses can accelerate their growth and create sustainable, inclusive wealth through the interaction of:
PEOPLE – IDEAS – ECOSYSTEMS
She focuses on how the right conditions can help SMEs flourish and contribute to broader economic transformation.
Why interesting: the paradox?
Traditional view:
Business growth is mainly about the individual company — having a good idea, working hard, and having the right strategy.
GAP:
Small businesses do not operate alone. Their success also depends on their ecosystem: access to networks, finance, knowledge, partnerships, leadership and supportive conditions.
The paradox: To accelerate a business, you cannot only focus on the business itself — you have to create the conditions around it that allow it to grow.
What did she identify?
Wijnberg identifies the importance of creating the right conditions for business acceleration.
Her approach, the Fetola Growth Method®, combines:
* People → leadership, capabilities and human potential
* Ideas → innovation and entrepreneurial opportunities
* Ecosystems → networks, partnerships and supportive business environments
Her main result is that SMEs can grow more successfully and sustainably when these three elements work together, rather than treating business growth as purely an internal process.
Managerial implication
Managers should not only ask “How can we make our company grow?”
They should ask:
“What conditions do we need to create so that our people, ideas and ecosystem can grow?”
This means managers should invest in people, networks, partnerships, innovation and supportive structures instead of focusing only on short-term financial performance.
Boundary conditions
* Mainly relevant to SMEs and entrepreneurial businesses, rather than automatically applicable to every large corporation.
* Her approach is strongly informed by the African/South African business context, so it may need adaptation elsewhere.
* The framework is largely practical and experience-based, so it does not necessarily prove a causal relationship between the Fetola Growth Method and business success.
What did she study?
How small businesses can accelerate their growth and create sustainable, inclusive wealth through the interaction of:
PEOPLE – IDEAS – ECOSYSTEMS
She focuses on how the right conditions can help SMEs flourish and contribute to broader economic transformation.
Why interesting: the paradox?
Traditional view:
Business growth is mainly about the individual company — having a good idea, working hard, and having the right strategy.
GAP:
Small businesses do not operate alone. Their success also depends on their ecosystem: access to networks, finance, knowledge, partnerships, leadership and supportive conditions.
The paradox: To accelerate a business, you cannot only focus on the business itself — you have to create the conditions around it that allow it to grow.
What did she identify?
Wijnberg identifies the importance of creating the right conditions for business acceleration.
Her approach, the Fetola Growth Method®, combines:
* People → leadership, capabilities and human potential
* Ideas → innovation and entrepreneurial opportunities
* Ecosystems → networks, partnerships and supportive business environments
Her main result is that SMEs can grow more successfully and sustainably when these three elements work together, rather than treating business growth as purely an internal process.
Managerial implication
Managers should not only ask “How can we make our company grow?”
They should ask:
“What conditions do we need to create so that our people, ideas and ecosystem can grow?”
This means managers should invest in people, networks, partnerships, innovation and supportive structures instead of focusing only on short-term financial performance.
Boundary conditions
* Mainly relevant to SMEs and entrepreneurial businesses, rather than automatically applicable to every large corporation.
* Her approach is strongly informed by the African/South African business context, so it may need adaptation elsewhere.
* The framework is largely practical and experience-based, so it does not necessarily prove a causal relationship between the Fetola Growth Method and business success.