The franchise ‘economy’ in 2014   The South African franchise industry has evolved to become a substantial contributor to the local economy. Recent reports indicated that South African companies dominated the latest World Economic Forum (WEF) global growth companies list, with six local businesses named the most dynamic in terms of growth in the continent.  Morne Cronje, FNB Head of Franchising explains that “Africa is fast becoming a dynamic business hub. The calibre of franchise brands in South Africa penetrating the rest of the African continent is remarkable. Together we need to find innovative ways of integrating business efforts that will ensure that there is greater diversification in the business sector. This will not only contribute to the economy but also encourage business partnerships on all levels.” He adds that “we need to continually network and create dialogue in the industry. The annual FNB Franchise Leadership Summit (FLS) does just this. It provides ...

Successful franchise brand shares tips on how to succeed in the industry  Bronwyn Oliveira Profitable franchisees have several things in common such as leadership skills, reliability, people and skills.  Bronwyn Oliveira, brand manager of Maxi’s, the franchisor of a nationwide chain of family restaurants, shares some insights on how to makes a success of your restaurant franchise.   Have you got a positive attitude to life and business? Are you the kind of person who is focused and motivated? Can you work hard and demonstrate to those under you that hard work can achieve positive results? If so, then franchising is possibly for you.  In order for your franchised store to succeed, it solely depends on you! Although most franchises have a business model that is in place, it does not mean that you are guaranteed success, the only thing that guarantees you success is attitude.  The following traits are those of a successful franchisee:  1. Leader...

Scooters Pizza’s Whizzkid Week supports Youth Month With South Africa focused on celebrating Youth Month, Scooters Pizza has joined in the fun once again by hosting their annual WhizzKid Week – proving that making pizza really is child’s play! Sean Lilley, Marketing Manager of Scooters Pizza, provides some insights on this initiative. “Whizzkid Week ran from 16 to 21 June this year and has been an essential part of Scooters Pizza since 2001. Whizzkid Week forms part of Scooters Pizza’s ongoing commitment to sharing our pizza passion, as well as educating and uplifting the children in our franchisees' local communities.” As part of the celebrations, Scooters Pizza invited local schools to pack away their books and put on their aprons for a day.  The concept is simple - the children come into their local store, where they learn a bit about the exciting history of pizza, before being taken on a working tour of the backstage areas of the stores. This is where they learn...

Siphiwe Tshabalala Shabba Talks About Striking The Balance In Business In business, balance is everything. Aside from ensuring that your accounts balance, making sure that your business and the other activities that fill up your daily life are also balanced is crucial. This is especially true in franchising. While there are many franchisees who commit their time solely to their franchised business, there are others who continue to work their ‘normal day job’ and manage their franchise from the side lines. This is certainly the case for Kaizer Chiefs midfielder, Siphiwe Tshabalala, who is also a brand ambassador for The Fish & Chip Co., as well as a multiple store owner. Here is an insider look into how he scores in business. While many people immediately associate Siphiwe, or Shabba as he is affectionately known by fans, with either Kaizer Chiefs, Bafana Bafana or the scorer of the first goal in the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, Shabba balances more than a soccer ball in his profe...

Customer experience key Striving to make a good and lasting impression with your customers is the goal of every business. According to the Ernst & Young Global Consumer Banking Survey, customer needs are evolving but the basic requirements remain stable.  The survey explains that the modern customer is not satisfied with dedicated banking hours and wants a 24/7 banking service. This move is to simplify communication and transparency in how banks communicate with their customers Organisations are realising that there is a need for efficient customer service. Delivering good customer service on a regular basis can contribute to loyal and satisfied customers of your brand. “Helping customers make the right financial decisions is important to us. Our innovative culture and passion for excellence facilitates a healthy and authentic relationship with our customers. We constantly review and enhance our business processes to improve our customer experience,” says Zak Sival...

The top predictors of success in business The prospect of starting a business is always an exciting one. When starting out, hopes are high, goals are set and entrepreneurs are eager to turn the business into a lucrative empire that will exceed their wildest dreams. The reality is, however, that there really is no crystal ball that can share revelations on a business’ success. Even in the business of franchising, in which the achievement rate can be increased by 80% or more due to the support and structure it provides, success is never a sure thing. Managing Executive of The Fish & Chip Co , Jan de Beer does however feel that there are certain elements and characteristics that a business owner expresses that can predict their triumph in business.  While there are a few determining factors to consider, such as adequate funding and a prime location, the real forecasters to success go deeper than the obvious. Even if an entrepreneur feels they have what it takes to make a bu...

SA Franchise Warehouse featured brand: ACDC EXPRESS   We look at the background and history of ACDC EXPRESS, its products and services, the support they offer their franchisees and what they look for in a business owner.   YESTERDAY, TODAY & TOMORROW ACDC Express is the retail arm of ACDC Dynamics, a leading manufacturer, importer and distributor of quality products in the electrical, pumps and tools industries. ACDC Express endeavours to provide a complete range of electrical solutions in the most convenient way possible, as well as supplying retail and industrial customers with practical and affordable solutions to all their electrical needs.  In 2007 this giant in the electrical industry took its first step into the world of franchising. Since then they have aspired to become the leading electrical retail franchise in Africa, and the first choice retailer for customers looking for top quality products, excellent customer service, convenience and competit...

Bimbo's welcomes Milos Mazalek Milos Mazalek has accepted our offer of employment as a general manager of Bimbo's. His first day was 1 June 2014. Milos has seventeen years of experience in increasingly responsible roles within franchising at several companies including Shoprite and Taste Holdings. In his most recent position, Milos managed new business development for (Fish & Chip Co.). His experience is enhanced by his National Higher Diploma in Business Management. Milos has extensive knowledge of the industry and has worked in many departments within the groups. Milos has a sound understanding of the franchising business.    As General Manager, Milos is responsible for the overall leadership of the Bimbo’s brand and staff. Milos will lead our efforts amongst others in these areas:    Researching and evaluating new product opportunities, demand for potential products, and customer needs and insights. Overall strategy and execution ...

  SA Franchise Warehouse Featured Brand: Mak-Rak Timber Shelving     We look at the background and history of  MAK-RAK TIMBER SHELVING , its products and services, the support they offer their franchisees and what they look for in a business owner. YESTERDAY, TODAY & TOMORROW “In early 1995, Marc and Arnold Klinkhamer came up with a simple, yet innovative, economical timber shelving system which could be put together like a big Meccano set and would suit the DIY enthusiast – the rest, as they say, is history.” In its simplest form Mak-Rak’s patented DIY timber shelving system consists of uprights and shelves bolted together to create a variety of shelving units of varying heights and shelf depths. The main feature that distinguishes Mak-Rak from other timber shelving systems, apart from its wide range of add-ons, is the superior connecting system between the shelves and the uprights that provides a strong metal-to-metal connection. O...

The Fish & Chip Co. now serves the most important meal of the day Nothing gets a day started best than a hearty breakfast. Often referred to as the most important meal of the day, even the word ‘breakfast’ indicates its importance, as this meal helps to break the fast that the body endured since the night before, making it important for good reason as energy is needed to get the body up and going. Without it, the body is essentially running on empty, which is never a good start to any day. After conducting thorough research among its consumers and competitors and bearing the benefits of a good breakfast in mind, The Fish & Chip Co. recently made the strategic move to include fresh and affordable breakfasts to the menu that will fuel the engines of customers, without making their wallets run on reserve for the rest of the month. “We felt so strongly about the importance of breakfast and how it will add value to our customers that we knew the new meal category was a must...

Mobile Workforce Solutions   With the increased functionality offered by smartphones and the improvements in mobile accessibility, mobile workers can now be more productive while in the field.   Until recently empowering a mobile workforce with custom software applications harnessing the advances in mobile technology has been the exclusive purview of big, large budget companies.   A NEW FUTURE The MobiWork suite of products is a smartphone application that runs on the cloud and affords small medium enterprises (SME’s) the opportunity to arm their mobile workforce with a cost effective, technologically advanced application that will improve their productivity, information exchange capability and customer satisfaction.   THE SOLUTION The MobiWork solution is a product of the Florida, USA based company, MobiWork LLC and is offered in South Africa by Ascendance (Pty) Ltd, a Pretoria based IT company. Ascendance is a progressive IT company specialis...

Ravi Govender Secure employees are happy employees   One of the major attractions of small businesses is that they rely on small teams of dedicated people for their ‘family feel’ and success. Looked at from an outside perspective, however, it is these very advantages that can add substantially to the risk of running a small business.   Ravi Govender, Head of Small Enterprises at Standard Bank, points out that in a small business severe injury or death of a key person, or even an employee’s family member/s, can severely disrupt the operations of a small business.    On the other hand, planning for such events can help employees avoid financial stress. The benefit for employers lies in increased employee loyalty, and reduces the time off required. “It is in this arena that embedded insurance policies, which cater for various contingencies, can be used to reduce risks and increase benefits for employees. They can also assist in differentiating your business...

New to the world of franchising? The Franchise Orientation Workshop can show you the way If you are an aspiring business owner you owe it to yourself to properly research all available opportunities and to ensure you have all your ducks in a row, before possibly making the biggest investment of your life. The Franchise Orientation Workshop held at the Sandton Convention Centre in April 2014 was an unmitigated success judging by the enthusiastic feedback from the 70 plus. It was encouraging to see how many people are interested in buying franchises and it is heartening that so many would-be franchisees are eager to educate themselves about the opportunities and potential pitfalls of the industry before taking the leap to become business owners. If you missed our workshop in Sandton take note of our upcoming workshops to be held in Waterkloof, Pretoria where we can help you understand the world of franchising and guide you to making an informed decision about which business is r...