Entrepreneurship is becoming an increasingly important source of employment for women in
many countries. Policymakers and other stakeholders typically fail to differentiate between the
needs of different SMME sectors when designing support programmes. Using survey data
obtained from SMME owner managers in the Western Cape, this article attempts to identify
whether the level of education and gender has an impact on business growth. A survey instrument
in the form of a questionnaire was utilized to capture the data from 369 face-to-face interviews.
The findings from this research reveal a positive relationship between the level of education of
business owners and their respective business abilities to increase business growth. There were no
significant differences between men and women in relation to business growth. The research has
implications for policymakers seeking to understand the factors that influence business growth.