This chapter assesses business model innovation readiness for South African
SMEs. The assessment is based on the perspective of two challenges that SMEs went
through pre-, during, and post-novel coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19). The
challenges are about the readiness to innovate the SMEs’ business models and grip
disruptive technologies such as Intelligent Analytics (IA). To investigate the challenges
identified, the chapter expands on IA. In considering IA, four major areas of IA are
synthesized. Importantly, IA is about smarter ways of doing business across different
sectors. Society 5.0 and the fourth industrial revolution plus (4IR+) complement IA, as
the chapter proposes. By and large, the novel COVID-19 accelerated the adoption of
disruptive technologies. The chapter concludes by considering the role of the SMEs’
owner-managers in embracing the technology.
Keywords: Business Model Innovation, Disruptive Technology, Growth, Industry 4.0, Intelligent Analytics, SMEs.
