A community to help entrepreneurs fast-track brand clarity for business growth

Most entrepreneurs don’t struggle with effort—they struggle with clarity and alignment. Despite working long hours and investing heavily in marketing, many business owners still find their brand fails to connect with customers and generate consistent revenue.

Launched this month, Brand Growth Track is a community-led learning pathway for entrepreneurs that provides the practical tools, clarity, and guidance needed to build brands that actually work. Founded by top brand communications strategists Janine Lloyd and Nadia Hearn, the initiative aims to close the gap between passion and profit by empowering business owners with expert-led, real-world strategies.

The urgency: Why South African SMEs need support now
South Africa’s small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are widely seen as the panacea for the country’s unemployment challenge, contributing significantly to job creation, social stability and economic welfare. Yet they remain highly vulnerable:

• Over 65% of SMEs fail within their first two years, largely due to poor market fit and lack of investment in market research.
• Among SMEs, a lack of marketing skills—including competition analysis, establishing demand, and ensuring proper product/market alignment—remains one of the leading causes of failure.
• SMEs account for around 55% of all jobs in South Africa, meaning their survival is directly tied to the country’s employment and growth outlook.
• More than half (52.8%) of small businesses are currently contracting, trading with difficulty, or at risk of closure—and over 55% say they may not survive longer than a year under current conditions.

These challenges highlight the urgent need for initiatives that give entrepreneurs deeper knowledge of market fit, stronger brand clarity, and accessible marketing skills to keep businesses open and people employed.

“We see so many entrepreneurs wasting time, money, and energy chasing disconnected tactics,” says co-founder Lloyd. “Brand Growth Track exists to help them stop second-guessing, get clear on their brand, and apply proven steps that lead to real growth.”

Why entrepreneurs struggle with brand growth and marketing:
1. Lack of brand clarity – many can’t articulate what their business stands for or why customers should choose them.
2. Weak differentiation – they blend into the noise with generic messaging instead of standing out.
3. Poor marketing strategy – they dive into tactics without a roadmap that connects to sales.
4. Inconsistent content & visibility – their marketing presence is sporadic, unstructured, and forgettable.
5. Disconnect between brand & sales – awareness is built, but it fails to convert into paying customers.

What makes Brand Growth Track different?
Unlike academic institutions, Brand Growth Track is practical, short-form, and impact-driven. Its approach blends expert-led workshops, actionable toolkits, and step-by-step frameworks with the support of a like-minded community of entrepreneurs.

• Not academic – practical, not theoretical.
• Entrepreneur-focused – designed for real business owners.
• Expert-led – delivered by award-winning practitioners, not lecturers.
• Real-world application – strategies tested with local and global brands.
• Short-form, high-impact – workshops and toolkits over long courses.
• Community-oriented – a network of brand builders supporting each other.
• Empowerment through ownership – entrepreneurs are equipped to lead their own brand.

Co-founder Hearn explains, “We understand that a business and its growth are too important to waste time going in circles. We remove the frustration of trying to build a brand on their own by equipping entrepreneurs with the tools, guidance, and accountability they need to fast-track growth.”

With over 55 years of combined experience across local start-ups, SMEs, and global organisations, Lloyd and Hearn have distilled the lessons of decades into a guided pathway designed to help entrepreneurs from the confusion of DIY brand-building.

Brand Growth Track is now open for free membership, inviting entrepreneurs, small business owners and marketing professionals who want clarity, confidence, and consistent growth.

Join the FREE WhatsApp Brand Growth Community here: https://chat.whatsapp.com/ITLHbeP7PYKCix4qlnCGJ7.

For more information email hello@brandgrowthtrack.co.za, and follow Brand Growth Track on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube: @brandgrowthtrack.

To attend any of the brand growth mastermind sessions visit: https://brandgrowthtrack.co.za/mastermind/webinar