Digital Entrepreneurship: 7 steps to starting an online business in South Africa in 2022

This is the 1st blog in a series focussed on digital entrepreneurship in South Africa.

Why Digital Entrepreneurship?


The idea of working from anywhere in the world and making extra income while you sleep is always very enticing, isn’t it? And it always comes up when we talk about digital entrepreneurship. After all, in the Internet world, you don’t have to be physically present when a sale is made. 

You’re probably bombarded with ‘success’ stories on how people are living the digital lifestyle.
However, before making that ‘lifestyle’ happen, you need to spend a lot of time studying the possibilities, analyzing your digital entrepreneur strategy and goals, creating a good digital business plan, and setting up your business (as an absolute minimum).

Getting started in a structured and strategic manner can be overwhelming for the majority of people, especially if you’re a newbie to the entrepreneurial business world, and even more so when the digital component is factored in.
You don’t know where to start? Don’t worry, At Re|Mind Virtual Academy (R|M|V|A), we’ve got you covered!!

We have prepared a complete practical, step-by-step guide to help youset up, build, grow and manage your digital business successfully. These guides will be delivered to you in a series of blogs that will provide an overview of a selected topic, as well as how to delve deeper into those specific aspects of setting up a successful and sustainable digital business.

The steps (and series) include:
  1. Owning the great idea
  2. Finding the needs, choosing your market
  3. Creating a sustainable business strategy (and plan)
  4. Break it or make it - learn the online business laws and requirements
  5. Build your store - online website: the game changer
  6. Marketing: one more thorough step towards customer service
  7. Learn from experts and successful online businesses

For now, let’s have a quick chat on what digital entrepreneurship is, and why it might be for you.

What is Digital Entrepreneurship?

Digital entrepreneurship consists of creating a business on the Internet, selling services or products online, without the need to invest in physical spaces.

if you’ve moved at least a part of your business online, whether it is selling on a site or social media, you are somewhat of a digital entrepreneur.
Why ‘’somewhat’’? By definition, a digital entrepreneur is exclusively focused on selling on the Internet. Their products are delivered, marketed, and supported entirely online. To be more, a digital entrepreneur can sell products that can be sold exclusively online such as downloadable software, eBooks, online education, web hosting, SaaS products, etc.
A few examples of digital businesses are online courses, e-commerce, blogs, YouTube channels, and technological solutions in general.

The main advantage of this business model is that you don’t need to invest a lot of money in order to get started, in comparison to the offline market. In addition, this format allows entrepreneurs to work from wherever and whenever they want to, having greater flexibility in their daily routine.

Reasons to become a Digital Entrepreneur

Before you get started on this topic, check out a few interesting headlines below:
  • Almost 4.66 billion people were active internet users as of October 2020, encompassing 59 percent of the global population.” – Statista (2021)
  • On average, more than 1.3 million new users joined social media every day during 2020, equating to roughly 15½ new users every single second.” – Hootsuite (2021)
  • Total online sales in South Africa should reach about R42-billion in 2021 – World Wide Worx
  • With digital buyer penetration expected to surpass 65 percent of internet users worldwide in 2021, the e-commerce industry is set to evolve and expand.” – Statista (2020)
  • According to World Wide Worx, 68% of South African consumers said they used the time during the pandemic as a positive learning experience, while the demand for online entertainment also surged, with 52% of respondents saying they have spent more money on virtual experiences than they did before the pandemic.
But how do you get into this market? Is it safe? How can you stand out from your competitors? How do you even get started? Here are some insights into how to ease your way into starting your own digital business.

You don’t necessarily need any previous knowledge in order to get started

In order to start your digital business, you don’t need to go through a selection, have technical programming knowledge or take specific courses, although it’s always recommended that you invest in learning, right? At R|M|VA|, we’re uniquely geared to providing an immersive and integrative learning experience suited to the new digital business environment created by the pandemic. 

No initial infrastructure or fixed costs are required

You can also add to this list the fact that you don’t need a large physical infrastructure for the development of your digital business. In fact, you can work from anywhere in the world. Between The Digital Business Agency (www.thedba.co.za) and R|M|V|A (www.rmva.co.za), you’re not only taught what to do in setting up and running your digital business, but you’re only provide with the practical services of establishing and growing your digital business with your unique presence.

What do you need to become a Digital Entrepreneur?

Initially, you’ll only need a computer with internet access to get started. But in addition to the equipment, certain characteristics are essential for you to stand out from the competition. These are just some of the basic stepping stones:

Willingness to study or specialize

It is common for people to study for a while and think they already know everything about that subject, ignoring that knowledge and tools are constantly changing, especially on the internet. In other words, if you are very curious but don’t like to study, digital entrepreneurship is not for you.

It doesn’t mean that you should spend hours of your day working on your computer. As with everything else in life, it’s necessary to find the balance between learning more and using this knowledge to implement change. At R|M|V|A, there is a range of learning opportunities aimed specifically at enhancing your digital business knowledge.

Desire to problem solve

Entrepreneurship is not necessarily about creating something that no one has ever seen before. But, at the very least, it should be about solving people’s known (or even unknown) problems.

Think of an app such as Uber, for example. There’s nothing innovative about a taxi, right?
But if you’re familiar with Uber, or AirB&B, or any similar business concept, you know that their services are not only about providing people with a service; it’s about offering a more accessible and practical option.

It’s a simple solution that had a major positive impact. As a suggestion, from now on, focus your efforts on providing a simple, accessible and practical solution to people’s problems.

Digital Entrepreneurship: Moving into action

No matter how much you prepare, there will always be knowledge that you only obtain by doing.

Even so, you need to follow a few steps in order to ensure that your business doesn’t end before it even begins. In the topics (blogs) that follow, we will show you a few points that concern all digital entrepreneurs, regardless of the type of activity you choose to pursue.

An alternative to generate income

Digital entrepreneurship can be a good alternative for those who want to open their own business, but don’t have much money to invest in the beginning. Besides the reduced costs, the market has a great potential to generate income due to changes in buying habits, and is still relatively new (even in 2022), with massive potential still virtually (pardon the pun) untapped.

It is worth noting that although accessible, digital entrepreneurship requires a lot of dedication and study, especially at the beginning of your business, until it gains traction with consumers and you become a reference in the subject. So be patient and don’t get discouraged with the first results!

And this is where RMVA (www.rmva.co.za) and DBA (www.thedba.co.za) shine! From the practical, real world application in setting up a digital business at every stage (legal, financial, marketing and everything else in between), to providing not only the skills enhancement training courses, but also ensuring that the necessary mentorship and business partnerships are in place.

WHY R|M|V|A?

Simply put, our WHY is to open-up the exciting world of interactive and engaging online learning by providing affordable, quality education to all.
The reason for our existence is based on our passion and commitment to the educational future of this country, and how we can help bring this country into the future of education.

With R|M|V|A, you can engage in interactive and immersive learning learn from anywhere, anytime and on any channel.

Check us out www.rmva.co.za 
Created with