Chief Operations Officer of the Hirsch Group, Margaret Hirsch gave the key note address at the launch of the Sanlam/Business Partners Entrepreneur of the Year competition that was held at the Hilton Hotel in February 17. The competition, which celebrates excellence in entrepreneurship in South Africa is now in its 27th year. Margaret was the first recipient of the Sanlam Lifetime Achievement Award in Entrepreneurship in 2013. Senior Investment Officer at  Sanlam, Janeesha Perumal, the programme director at the event said that entrepreneurs saw situations for what they could be, rather than what they are. “There are only a handful of people who possess what is required to be an entrepreneur. They are the people who help to stimulate wealth and growth in the economy. We must celebrate these ‘square pegs in round holes” she said. Margaret spoke about her and Hirsch’s meteoric climb to the top in the appliance and electronics retail industry, the pitfalls that were experienced in the early years and how the company overcame them. She said “Don’t ever restrict yourself, there should be no restrictions in what you do in life. You need to have a millionaire mind. Think about the bigger picture, and never put yourself in a little box. Don’t ever focus on what’s wrong â€" put the focus on what you KNOW is right. Think positively, and through the law of attraction you will draw in the good things.” Margaret also explained how important it was to give back to the community. She said “Hirsch’s are involved with many community based programmes, mainly involved with education and encouraging entrepreneurship. We run cooking schools that have been a great success; we started a Woman In Business competition at all our branches and have watched woman entrepreneurs blossom and succeed through these initiatives.”

To enter the Sanlam and Business Partners Entrepreneur of the Year competition go to their website www.eoy.co.za and fill in the form online.