The decision to become master of your own destiny by owning a business appeals to many. To those who follow through with their ambitions, the realisation that this can’t be accomplished without first registering your business can be daunting, says Standard Bank. Clive Pintusewitz, Head of Small Enterprises at Standard Bank, says: “Entrepreneurs have two avenues open when it comes to registering a business. Both have requirements that must be fully considered before a decision is made.” The easiest option is the Sole Proprietor (Sole Prop). All that is needed is for a business owner to open a bank account, which registers your name and the identity you will be trading under, for example John Doe trading as (T/A) ABC Consulting. “An important consideration for this option however is that it places your personal assets at risk,” he says. “If the business fails, then so do you in your personal capacity, and hard-earned assets and cash are lost. A Sole Prop’s net profit is taxable fr...

Due to the current revamp at the shopping centre next door to Thrupps at 198 Oxford Road, Sandwich Baron Illovo has had a slight change of scenery. Consequently, the undeniably delicious pit-stop for lunchtime goers has relocated within the same shopping complex from shop 8 to shop 4. At the repositioned shop, customers can still look forward to fresh, made-to-order meals complimented by a relaxed dining experience in either the outside or main seating area. Even with the change in shop location, Sandwich Baron Illovo remains as committed as ever to quality service delivery for their customers, says owner Jennifer Oberholzer. “Delivering excellent and friendly service as well as preparing only the highest quality meals is, and always will be, our top priority. We appreciate our customers and the support they have given us.” Produced specifically for online, call in and over the counter orders, Sandwich Baron Illovo creates a variety of high quality food products ranging from s...

This year marks the 20th anniversary of one of South Africa’s most successful exhibitions for a niche, high value audience of aspiring and established entrepreneurs. The 20th annual Business Opportunities and Franchise Expo will take place from 12-15 September 2013 at the Coca-Cola dome in Northriding, Johannesburg. Thebe Exhibitions and Projects, owner and organiser of the expo, has announced that in order to satisfy growing demand, the expo will share its business opportunities and formulas for business success with a wider audience, with the launch of the Cape Town Business Opportunities and Franchise Expo, from 6-8 June 2013 at the Cape Town International Convention Centre. According to Lynn Chamier, general manager of the Business Opportunities and Franchise Expo, “The expo’s success in the past two decades rests solely on its ability to marry entrepreneurs and investors with the best business opportunities available to them in the market at a given time. A proven formula a...

Flightsite, a subsidiary of Club Travel, launched Flightsite Agent at a well-attended event in Cape Town on the 13th of March 2013. Flightsite Agent offers users a web based system which, once a user has registered and been activated, gives them access to net airfares on various airlines. Once the user has loaded money onto their Flightsite Agent account, they can book flights, add a service fee and sell these to friends and family.  Registering on Flightsite Agent is free and can be done in less than a minute. As the fares on the system are net, the Flightsite Agent user will be more competitive than any other agency in the market. Flightsite Agent allows the user to search for seats on any airline, including Low Cost Carriers, hold the seats and send quotes to potential customers via e-mail or sms directly from the system. Once the flights have been finalised the user can select to book the flights. This means that the tickets will be issued instantly by the system and can be ...

A storm in a coffee cup…Wiesenhof Coffees multiplies its territories and market share, with the acquisition of a controlling share in Dulcé Café Tuesday, 19 March, 2013 “The merger of human love with Divine love brings about Cosmic Order.” ~ Sri Sathya Sai Baba Similarly, Wiesenhof Coffees recently purchased a controlling share of Dulcé Café, signalling the birth of a new and advantageous era, for both brands. An ardent courtship: As of 01 February, 2013, Wiesenhof Coffees acquired a 70 percent stake of the Dulcé Café franchise, for an undisclosed sum. The transaction between Kobus and Belinda Wiese, founders of Wiesenhof Coffees, and incumbent Dulcé Café Managing Director, Mike Pullen, took approximately 12 months to negotiate and conclude. In order to retain valuable company DNA, Dulcé Café New Business Director and Leasing and Franchisee Co-ordinator, Martin Fuller, retains his stock in the chain of 42 national stores. The addition of 45 Wiesenhof Coffee outlets to the bu...

Entrepreneurs who have longed for on-tap expert advice on how to run a small business will soon have access to a series of online webcasts by leading specialists on all facets of setting up, managing and growing their business. Standard Bank is behind the move to equip small enterprises with valuable insights, knowledge and guidance, all accessible from an entrepreneur’s own office or home. The Business Coach webcast series will provide practical advice on topics ranging from starting a business to more complex matters such as company law, planning for profitability and handling tax matters correctly. Contributions will come from specialist experts including the Business Coach, Greg Mason. “Small businesses have a major role to play in the South African economy. We want to help them through the challenging and sometimes intimidating process of starting and managing their business,” says Clive Pintusewitz, Head of Small Enterprises at Standard Bank. “The Business Coach TV series...

The restaurant industry is a notoriously challenging one to operate in, especially in the context of significant increases in food prices, electricity and gas, coupled with increased pressure on consumer discretionary spending.  However, in the midst of these difficult conditions, many of the bigger franchises are showing growth. The Spur Corporation’s January report indicates that the franchise group’s restaurant sales across its portfolio – which includes Spur, Pannarottis and John Dory’s – increased by 17.5% in the six months leading up to December. This followed similar reports of record turnovers for Steers, Debonairs, Wimpy, Mugg & Bean and Fishaways, released by Famous Brand in December 2012. Compared to sales from December 2011, the turnover generated by these franchises increased Famous Brand’s sales across South Africa and the rest of Africa by 13.2%. However, this growth is not necessarily representative of the restaurant industry as a whole. Rey Franco, Cha...

Much has been said about the current, worldwide economic climate as well as the pressures people are feeling locally. Currently the debt-to-income ratio in South Africa stands at 76% - lower than the 82% high in 2008 – but still worryingly high. John Loos, Household and Consumer Strategist at FNB, indicates that there was renewed growth in the debt-to-disposable-income ratio in 2012, and believes that based on the acceleration in household credit growth towards the end of last year; 2013 will see further increases in this credit section. Credit growth is picking up Earlier this year Salomi Odendaal, an economist at Citadel, told Fin24 that: "Credit growth is quite steady at the moment. It has picked up over the past year or so. The household credit growth is still mainly outside of mortgages. Mortgage growth is the one part of credit growth that's still very slow. It's growing at about 2% at the moment which is probably a reflection of the housing sector that's s...

Residents in Bloemfontein are in for a hot and cheesy treat with the opening of the new and dynamic, rebranded Scooters Pizza store in the city. The new Scooters Pizza store, situated at Bloemgate Shopping Centre, opened its doors on Monday, 11 March at an elaborate event. Not only will the store provide hungry customers with a scrumptious and appetising meal, but will also be pleasing to the eye with a fresh new look. Scooters Pizza, which was rebranded in 2012, is now sporting a more energetic feel that is sure to ignite some desire for pizza among customers. The new owner at Scooters Pizza Bloemgate, Jose Gomes, brings with him years of experience that is sure to take service excellence to the next level. Gomes has been involved in the retail business for almost 20 years, having established his roots in food franchising whilst still at school. This is the second Scooters Pizza store that Gomes owns, in addition to his second Bloemfontein store on Curie Avenue. He notes that h...

The recent strategic decision made by Scooters Pizza to refresh their brand has paid dividends, with monitoring conducted on ten of the company’s revamped stores, revealing that they have achieved financial growth in excess of 30%, since the food franchising company underwent rebranding in 2012. The rebranding involved a design transformation to the Scooter Pizza logo, menu, signage, and furnishings in its stores. The company’s Port Elizabeth store was the first to benefit from the rebranding, and to date, a further 13 stores have since had a branding overhaul. While some stores will undergo total revamps to the value of approximately R220 000, others will only be retro fitted to the value of R70 000 as these stores require minimal upgrades. With the rebranding, Scooter Pizza’s core identifying colours of red and yellow were retained, but are now complemented by a complete turnaround in font and logo aesthetics. The new logo is prominent in the store design and in elements such as ...

By applying the tools and protection provided for in the Companies Act written into law last year, business owners can manage their business risks and rescue it before they hit rock bottom.  By Juan Engelbrecht Donald Trump, whose successes and failures have been widely published, described his second Chapter 11 reorganisation in terms of the US bankruptcy code as a sign of success, not failure. On his return to Apple, Steve Jobs faced a huge task to turn the business around and build it to the richest company in the world. Closer to home Whitey Basson had turned an ailing Checkers brand into a powerhouse retailer with R72-billion sales per annum. In South Africa there is a certain stigma attached to insolvency as it is generally regarded as a sign of failure and insolvent debtors are often suspected of being reckless, dishonest or both. This view, however, may be changing as more high profile businesses apply for business rescue as a means of avoiding liquidation. An exampl...

By Steven Cohen, MD of Sage Pastel. It’s that time of year again and if you’re facing the duanting task of rummaging through dusty shoe boxes of receipts and trying to remember what goods and services you bought, then we need to have a little talk. The task of closing the previous financial year can be stressful and time consuming. To top it all, any mistakes made in wrapping up the financial year come at a cost; whether as taxes, penalties or even a tarnished reputation. If you don’t want to be in the same position this time next year (doing last minute preparations), you should start March 2013 off with a good piece of software. The truth is that very few entrepreneurs are natural administrators. We’re creative by nature and I understand how easy it is to get so absorbed in innovative ideas that day to day financial management is neglected until the last minute. I’m not saying that you need financial savvy to be a successful entrepreneur, but you must teach yourself good habits...