The SAFRI HRD Project J2Ex began with a training needs analysis conducted in Namibia in 1998 in the form of a roundtable workshop with representatives of business organisations in SADC.

This led to the first Entrepreneurs' Workshop series,Entering Foreign Markets, presented in Zimbabwe and Mozambique in 1999.

The workshop format was refined in 2000 and became Excellence - the Key to Competitiveness. The South African Excellence Model served as the organising framework.

In 2003 development began for a program designed not only for entrepreneurs, but for entire management teams. The Road to Excellence, which included entrepreneurial mentoring, was introduced in 2004.

The current program, the Journey to Excellence, was introduced in 2006.