For funders and programme owners

Programmes your board can see working

Five programmes J29 delivered for a financial institution, an accelerator, a university, a skills authority and a growing firm, and what each one left behind. Client names are shared in proposals, with permission.

145Businesses supported
160+MSMEs trained
90+Branded and online
22MSMEs mentored

Diagnose. Deliver. Document.

Every programme runs the same way, so every funder gets the same three things.

1

Diagnose

Each business is scored on the S.E.E.D.S Compass before work starts: 150+ questions across 22 dimensions. You see where every MSME stands on day one.

2

Deliver

Real deliverables, not attendance: a brand, a website, a mentoring plan, a skill. Boutique quality at cohort scale, because one small AI native team can now do what used to take an agency floor.

3

Document

A programme report with before and after scores, live links your funder can click, and participation records from the Learn Portal. Proof your board can read in ten minutes.

Five programmes, five results

Descriptors, not names. The names, reports and reference letters come with a proposal.

A major South African financial institution

46 township businesses through a business makeover, 2023

The brief

Take a cohort of township business owners in Soweto, Eldorado Park, Daveyton and Kempton Park through a practical makeover: skills, a brand, a presence, and a grant to spend on the business.

What J29 delivered

  • Six workshops in digital marketing, finance and business support
  • A brand and digital presence for the businesses that qualified
  • Grant administration, with every payment traced to a business account

What it left behind

46businesses completed the programme
R188,000in grants paid directly into their business accounts
26 of 50owners were women; 42 of 50 were 35 or under
An enterprise acceleration programme

Eight startups, eight complete brands, one programme report

The brief

A cohort of early stage businesses, from a kitchen and a laundry to a driving academy and a textile maker, each needing to look like a business worth backing, on one programme budget and one deadline.

What J29 delivered

  • A logo and brand identity designed for each business, not from a template
  • A brand style guide, company profile, digital business card and link in bio page
  • A live website for every business
  • A formal programme report with every deliverable accounted for

What it left behind

8 of 8businesses finished to the same standard
22businesses branded for this programme across its cohorts
1report the funder could put in front of its board
A university incubator, a beverage manufacturer and a skills development consultancy

22 MSMEs mentored, with the outcomes on record

The brief

Mentoring is the easiest support work to fake and the hardest to prove. Three programme owners needed mentoring that left evidence: session records, plans, and business changes they could report.

What J29 delivered

  • A S.E.E.D.S Compass diagnosis for each business before mentoring began
  • Structured monthly sessions with signed records, 143 documented hours for one programme alone
  • Business plan reviews, marketing plans and pricing work, with websites built where a mentee needed one

What it left behind

First ordersa first paid order for one mentee, new supply contracts for another
3mentees linked to a financial institution's youth entrepreneurship fund
30%margin reached by one business after pricing work, up from break even
A skills authority funded youth programme

20 young people, 19 graduates, one new business

The brief

Twenty young people aged 18 to 35, most without work, on a year long accredited programme in advertising and digital media. The funder needed completion, not enrolment, and wanted AI in the curriculum before most providers offered it.

What J29 delivered

  • A full accredited qualification, blended classroom and workplace, with AI tools taught alongside advertising and digital media
  • Monthly attendance and assessment records submitted to the authority
  • Business skills woven in, so graduates could start something of their own

What it left behind

19 of 20graduated, rated successfully completed by the authority
16 of 20women
1graduate business started: a design and print studio
A skills development consultancy

A national campaign for a growing firm, measured to the click

The brief

An established, mid sized consultancy selling to corporate decision makers who were not yet hearing from it. It needed a national presence that matched the size of its clients, and the numbers to show whether every rand spent was working.

What J29 delivered

  • A six month television campaign on a national business channel, placed and managed by J29
  • Thought leadership placed in national business press
  • Monthly social media management and a monthly performance and ROI report

What it left behind

1.73Mmeasured impressions
1.26Mtelevision viewers
4 of 6campaign targets met, reported monthly, client retained

What every funder receives

The same pack, whatever the programme. Ask for a sample with your proposal.

  • Baseline scores for every business before work starts
  • A deliverables register: what each business received, with live links
  • Participation records from the Learn Portal, per learner
  • Before and after scores on the 22 dimensions
  • Outcomes log: orders, applications, contracts, registrations
  • Demographics you can report: women owned, youth owned, location
  • A one page summary written for a board, not for a consultant

Programme proof: common questions

Why are client names not shown?

J29 names clients only with their permission. Names, programme reports and reference letters are shared with a proposal.

What is a business makeover programme?

A cohort programme in which township business owners complete workshops in digital marketing, finance and business support, receive a brand and digital presence, and receive a grant paid into the business account. J29 ran one for a major South African financial institution in 2023: 46 businesses completed it and R188,000 in grants was paid into their accounts.

What does every funder receive?

Baseline scores, a deliverables register with live links, participation records per learner, before and after scores on 22 dimensions, an outcomes log, demographics you can report, and a one page summary written for a board.

How does J29 measure change in a business?

With the S.E.E.D.S Compass, a diagnostic of 150+ questions across 22 business dimensions, completed before the programme starts and again at the end.

Can we see a sample report before we commit?

Yes. Tell J29 about your cohort, dates and budget, and you receive a proposal and a sample report within two business days.

How are the numbers on this page verified?

Every figure comes from a programme record: registers, deliverables, grant payment records and programme reports. The documents behind them are available with a proposal, with each client's permission.

Tell us about your cohort

Your dates, your budget and the outcomes your board wants to see. We come back within two business days with a proposal and a sample report.

Request a programme proposal See programme shapes