Sparkling Auto Care Centres offers a complete range of auto body repair and car wash services including auto detailing, dent and paint repair, polishing and mag wheel repair to name but a few. The Sparkling team is happy to announce that two new outlets have recently opened for business. On 16 May the Sparkling Auto Care Centre at the Mall of Africa welcomed their first customers and on 17 July the Sparkling Auto Care Centre at Menlyn Retail Park followed suit. We are also looking forward to two more outlets, Sparkling Auto Hazyview and Sparkling Auto Vanderbijlpark welcoming their first customers in the next two to four months. It is estimated that these venues will attend to between 10 and twelve cars per day in the auto body repair section and up to 200 cars per day through the car wash and auto detailing departments. Other outlets opening soon include Mafikeng, Wonderpark – Pretoria, Lusaka – Zambia and more! Sparkling Auto Care Centres was founded in 1992 and has b...

Gerrie van Biljon Nearly a decade since the bottom fell out of the property market, the global financial crisis of 2008 continues to cast its long shadow in South Africa. The gloom is made worse by yet more shadows cast by recent economic setbacks – most recent being South Africa’s GDP growth forecast being revised to 0% in 2016. This is according to Gerrie van Biljon, executive director at Business Partners Limited (BUSINESS/PARTNERS) , who says that the local property market is not independent of the overall economy and how it performs. “Rising inflation, a weak currency, doubts over the stewardship of the economy and the threat of a downgrade, among other factors, means that property values remain low for those who have it, and unaffordable for those who want to acquire it.” However, a closer look at the different sub-sectors of the property market reveals a more nuanced picture which is far from uniformly sombre. “The worst performer is the residential property sector, which ha...

Tammy Taylor Nails South Africa recently opened their flagship beauty and nails salon in Moreleta Park Pretoria. What was not so long ago just a dream of Mel Viljoen, brand owner in South Africa, became reality with this state of the art but yet friendly salon environment. Here a lady can come sit down, relax and be pampered and then walk out as the queen she should be. Only the most professional, artistic and yet so friendly nail technicians will make sure that each and every lady will have that unique Tammy Taylor Nails experience which she deserves. This salon is a good example of the high standard set and maintained with every Tammy Taylor Nails Franchise as well. Tammy Taylor Nails Moreleta Park is easy the find in Rubenstein Drive with ample parking space. Coffee or cappuccino lovers will be treated with only the best coffee or cappuccino while they enjoy their Tammy Taylor Nails experience. In-between all of her other responsibilities as brand owner, founder and pr...

Minimising costs is key to running a successful business, however, there are some core areas of a business for which it is imperative to spend – ultimately in order to save. While spending to save may sound like a paradox, Kobus Engelbrecht, spokesperson for the 2016 Entrepreneur of the Year®  competition sponsored by Sanlam and BUSINESS/PARTNERS , says that spending a little extra on certain services will not only save you in the long run, but will also save you time – the most valuable commodity for an entrepreneur. “Time is one of the biggest issues facing small to medium business owners the world over and time to an entrepreneur can be more valuable than money. Often, an entrepreneur is attempting to play all roles in a business, but instead, he or she should be allocating budget to specific areas in their business, so that they can place more time and value on what they do best, driving a business’ vision. For example, should a geyser burst, one wouldn’t spend time trying ...

As the brand celebrates its 20th anniversary, Sandwich Baron founder and CEO Sally J’Arlette-Joy offers 20 reasons why potential franchisees should consider buying a Sandwich Baron franchise and join in the phenomenal growth of South Africa’s fastest growing sandwich business. Globally, and in South Africa, sandwich shops are a growing industry with a sustainable profit outlook. The sandwich shop industry has enjoyed steady global growth in each of the last five years, largely supported by robust demand for healthy meal options and fresh ingredients, according to a recent IBISWorld report, a global business intelligence leader specialising in industry market research. The sandwich shop industry world-wide is dominated by franchises. Sandwich Baron stores often sustain a higher gross revenue per store than competing independent sandwich stores, given higher brand recognition and prime locations. Research indicates that almost 80% of self-start business ventures fail. This is ty...

Christo Botes Youth unemployment is on the rise in South Africa, and yet at the same time youth entrepreneurship is declining. Christo Botes, executive director at Business Partners Limited (BUSINESS/PARTNERS) , says that  the recently released  Social Profile of Youth 2009 – 2014 report highlights this trend, and reveals that the number of youth entrepreneurs declined from 609 000 in 2009 to 543 000 in 2014. He says that in order to reverse this trend, South African youth need to be equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to start and run a micro or small business. “Many youth possess an entrepreneurial mind-set but either simply don’t have the necessary skills or access to resources to take a business idea and turn it into a successful start-up business.” To bridge the gap between entrepreneurial thinking and actually establishing a start-up business, the 2016 SME Toolkit BUSINESS/PARTNERS Business Plan Competition for Aspiring Young Entrepreneurs will once ag...

Your employees are directly linked to your business’ success. For your employees to take your customer’ experience to the next level, they need the skill, knowledge, capability and passion. Wouldn’t it be great if employers could generate the same level of dedication in their staff that we see in the loyalty of sports fans to their team? How do you create the same passion and emotional buy-in for your employer brand? Customer experience can only ever match employee satisfaction. Employee engagement not only affects employee commitment and employee loyalty, but it also has a direct and indirect impact on customer satisfaction. “We place great emphasis on employee satisfaction,” says Heino Gehle, General Manager of PLP SA . “Satisfied employees are motivated employees and they have the motivational resources to deliver adequate effort and care. Satisfied employees are empowered and they have the resources, training and responsibilities to understand and serve customer needs. Satisfied ...

Gugu Mjadu Following a fiercely competitive preliminary round of the 2016 Entrepreneur of the Year® competition sponsored by Sanlam and BUSINESS/ PARTNERS , a shortlist of 15 standout entrants has made it through to the final round of the competition, with the ultimate winners to be announced in September. According to Gugu Mjadu, spokesperson for the 2016 Entrepreneur of the Year® competition sponsored by Sanlam and BUSINESS/PARTNERS, there was a steep increase in the number of entries received this year in comparison to the 2015 competition. “We are thrilled to announce that we received 213 entries this year, which is one of the highest number recorded to date, and an impressive increase of 40% compared to last year. “The large number of entries has certainly raised the overall standard of the competition and is testament to the thriving level of entrepreneurial talent and success present in the country. We would like to congratulate and commend all entrants, as these are the in...

Saving for your children’s future is a financial gift every parent would like to provide, especially if it can shape their lives in a meaningful way. According to Jenna Hartley, Investor Consultant at 10X Investments , many South African parents place significant importance on ensuring that their children receive a good education. “The challenge however, is that all too often, parents have simply not saved up enough to be able to comfortably fund their children’s tertiary studies. To prevent this from happening, parents should prioritise long-term financial savings plans that will enable them to send their children to a reputable tertiary institution.” Hartley provides some saving tips that can help you prepare for your child’s future financially: Know your goal Before you consider saving for anything, set a goal. Knowing what you’re saving for not only makes the task tangible, but automatically gives greater meaning to your saving - for example saving for your child’s terti...

Jeremy Lang Even in a period of looming recession, accessing capital to fund a business venture or grow a business is necessary. This is according to Jeremy Lang, Regional General Manager at Business Partners Limited (BUSINESS/PARTNERS) , who says that whether it be capital to start a new business, to fund growth of an existing business or to support a viable business during trying economic times, there is always a need among small and medium enterprises (SMEs) for financing. He stresses however that SMEs should assess whether it is in fact a good idea to source additional funds given current trading conditions. “There are many reasons as to why a business needs to apply for finance. Whatever that reason, business owners should ensure that sufficient research is conducted to assess the feasibility of the credit to avoid placing the SME in a poor financial position.” Lang says that SMEs are increasingly feeling the impact of the economic downturn, and are under financial strain as a...

Dr Sibongiseni Tunzelana Photo credit: http://www.cput.ac.za/blogs/ bulletin/2015/03/05/mover-and-shaker-returns-to-cput/ Around the world, the development of small businesses has been identified as a major potential driving force in the growth of a country’s economy and South Africa today is no exception. Against this background, a successful business owner and founder, Dr Sibongiseni Tunzelana, shares some of her experiences in starting and eventually operating a successful business. This will give aspirant owners of local small, medium and micro-enterprises (SMMEs) insights on getting started.  In 2011, Tunzelana together with Matsepo Matloporo Africa founded Flavalite Innovations, an Information and Communications Technology (ICT) service provider. The company specialises in innovative ICT services and focuses specifically on digital innovation, digital analytics, cyber security, e-ticketing and e-commerce. Having proved its potential in the local ICT space, the compa...

If you’re considering entering the potentially lucrative franchise business, get to the Full on Franchising Theatre at #BuyaBusiness expo 2016 find out everything you need to know about franchises. Buying a franchise is an exciting opportunity to build your new business on the back of an established brand. But not all franchise models are the same, and not all opportunities are all they appear to be. At the #BuyaBusiness expo 2016, prospective entrepreneurs will discover hundreds of business opportunities, including many top franchise opportunities. To help prospective franchise owners understand the various franchise models, important strategic considerations and the laws regulating franchises, SA Franchise Warehouse will present in-depth Franchising 101 Workshop in the Full on Franchise Theatre. These information sessions will run throughout the three days of the expo. Kobus Oosthuizen Kobus Oosthuizen, Founder & MD at SA Franchise Warehouse, says: “Many people don’t ...

Sandwich Baron , South Africa’s fastest growing sandwich franchise, is pleased to announce the finalists of its ‘Varsity Eat Off’ competition following round robin events at three Johannesburg universities in June. At each of the three university campuses five students battled it out to see who could eat the most foot-long sandwich subs within 20 minutes. Three very hungry under-graduates emerged as winners: Philani Mlatshwayo (University of Johannesburg, eating three chicken mayo foot longs); Nkuleleko Diji (Wits University, also eating three); and Maui Pardise (AFDA, eating almost four foot longs). The three finalists will next compete against one another in July when the varsities reopen - and by which time they will have built up an appetite after the extravagances of their foot-long feast - where the final winner will be crowned the ultimate Sandwich “BARON”. In recognition of this competitive spirit, the winner will receive a free sub every week for one year.  The ‘Varsity ...

Adrian Zanetti T o stay ahead of the pack and lead innovation in a fast-changing society, is essential. How can you ensure that your customers have an exceptional experience when dealing with your company? The top business priorities for any CEO will be reducing costs, retaining customers and attracting new customers. How do you ensure that you have customer retention? Today customers demand a lot more than good service or a nice product. The reason for this, is twofold. Firstly, as Generation Y has moved into the consumer market, they expect us to know who they are and what they want. They are critical, outspoken and demanding. Secondly, with the rise of mobile technologies and the fast rate of technological innovation, this consumer-generation is also hyper connected - telling their friends and families about their experiences with your brand on every available social media platform. “Today’s customers are more demanding simply because they are exposed to an array of options in ...

Gerrie van Biljon Advice to SA business owners in avoiding liquidation Although the number of liquidations recorded in South Africa has been steadily decreasing over the past six years, there were still close to 2 000 businesses that were liquidated in 2015, leaving ample room for further improvement. This is according to Gerrie van Biljon, executive director at Business Partners Limited (BUSINESS/PARTNERS) , who says that during tough financial times, such as those currently being experienced, South African business owners need to take active preventative measures to encourage sustainable growth and avoid company liquidation.  The May 2016 Statistics of liquidations and insolvencies report by Statistics SA show that from 2010 the number of liquidations have decreased from 3 992 per year to 1 962 in 2015. The first five months of 2016 also reported a decrease of 3.5% when compared to the same period in 2015. “While this decline is encouraging, what is concerning is that 807 bus...

Marcel Klaassen In a bid to combat the increasing spate of fraud, South African Banks are legally required to establish the source of funds coming into their customer’s bank accounts. As a result, banks regularly review their compliance with the Financial Intelligence Centre Act (FICA) and Know-Your-Customer (KYC) regulations to ensure that customer accounts are supported by updated, legally required information and documentation. Marcel Klaassen, Head of Sales at FNB Business says financial institutions, on an ongoing basis identify accounts that are non-compliant. The account owners are notified of their accounts’ non-compliance and are requested to provide their respective banks with updated information and documentation. He cautions businesses against making common FICA compliance mistakes that could result in them failing to submit the required documentation on time, leaving banks with no option but to restrict the account activities on such non-compliant accounts, as the ver...

Quinton Douman Incompetence, or just plain toxic behavior of employees, negatively affects the culture, and by extension, the overall success of an organisation and yet there are not enough people getting dismissed for this. While it is a cumbersome legal process and often tough to prove or even to correct, the main reason is that management is unwilling to have honest and tough conversations that ultimately lead to difficult decisions. This is a leadership deficiency that we see in small businesses as well as within executive teams in big organisations and in governments. CEO of 212 Consulting , Quinton Douman, explains further. Organisations are filled with employees who really don’t want to be there. We all know them, they are the ones who will not contribute in meetings, instead they will have a separate caucus after the real meeting and it will often only be with people who are equally miserable. But dare I say that sometimes the disgruntled employee is a result of their own c...

Tracy Jensen According to South African Finance Minister, Pravin Gordhan, only about 10% of South Africans enjoy a ‘decent retirement’. For the rest, retirement means financial hardship or, at least, a drop in lifestyle. Tracy Jensen, Chief Product Architect at 10X Investments , says that the problem is that the retirement industry habitually blames savers for these poor outcomes. “They start too late, they save too little, and they do not preserve when they change jobs. Invariably, the call is for more investor education. But, this achieves very little if employees refuse to engage, or take an active interest in the retirement fund. Unfortunately, these employees are in the great majority.” Even committed savers fall short. According to a study by Alexander Forbes, the average final income replacement ratio of long-term retirement members is only around 30% - half the recommended minimum. Jensen points out that retirement fund trustees are unable to regulate their members’ savings...

By Camilia du Plooy Would you let a brain surgeon conduct surgery after a ten minute crash course on the anatomy of the brain? Well I certainly hope not! Yet most people who work on the front line in any business that work face to face with customers are given a short information session- A ten minute crash course on how to look after, satisfy, delight and spoil their customers. For staff to do this properly they need to be exposed to training that will include: company systems, sales and service techniques, communication skills, inter-personal skills, products and the industry, to make them into qualified customer service orientated personnel. One way to ensure optimal client satisfaction is to have a client service department, not only for your employees to be able to report back, but to be a buffer, and safety net to deal with complaints rationally and efficiently. “In order for any brand to bring across their values, it should be implemented as a daily criterion, by which they al...

The On-Demand Economy is revolutionising consumer behaviour around the world. But what is it exactly and how can you ensure your company is ready for it? Disruptive technologies such as Airbnb and Uber are changing the way business gets done. This new on-demand economy is the immediate real-time provision of goods and services by companies using smart technologies. Consumers have embraced this trend with a frequency that is unprecedented. The increase in the number of smartphone connected consumers, simple and secure purchase flows, and location-based services are a few of the market conditions and technological innovations that propel the explosion in on-demand services. Customers have real choice with an on-demand economy, and rapidly changing technology is changing the way we do business forever. The always on, always connected revolution has made convenience, efficiency, and simplicity critical ingredients in purchasing decisions — never before has a consumer been able to b...