Sanondaf is one of the most progressive disinfectant methods utilized internationally and it now presents South Africans with the opportunity to not only better their work, and personal environments through touchless disinfectant, but also creates prominent job opportunities for those who want to invest in franchising. Mother and daughter team, Kirsty and Jackie Harron brought the Sanondaf franchise to South Africa in 2017 and they aim to be the #1 disinfection service business in the country, making a positive impact on your family’s health and that of your customers, staff and your business. Sanondaf’s touch-less disinfection solutions combine the effect of both spraying devices and disinfectant solutions. The dual effect of both devices and disinfectants, enables the air and surface in a room to be disinfected automatically. Since launching in March 2017 we have grown in leaps and bounds. With 3 new franchise owners and numerous clients on board. Servicing clients from butch...

Since the establishment of the Signarama brand in Southern Africa in 2000, 95% of the people who have purchased Signarama franchises had no experience in the signage industry prior to becoming franchisees – that’s right, no prior experience. This might seem strange in a relatively technical industry, but it speaks volumes for the training Signarama franchisees receive initially and as they grow their businesses going forward. Signarama believe ongoing training is key to growing a successful, sustainable business. According to Signarama franchisor, Kurt Tyack, the approach they take is that ‘to EARN you have to LEARN’. This mantra means that it is necessary to be a lifelong learner in order to grow a successful business and earn a good living. According to Tyack, “We ensure that each new franchisee receives the same initial training in order to ensure high standards are maintained across our network. In addition, our focus is to ensure that the franchisee receives additional trai...

Nico Viljoen, Executive Director Context – the world is changing The world has become self-describing and self-interpreting and organisations are exposed to the “now third wave” which means “hyperscale” and demands a bold, new architecture for businesses. Hyperscale businesses are pushing new rules of digitization; challenging conventional management intuition about scale and complexity and is a potent competitive force. Digital powerhouses already flexing their hyperscale muscles to move from search and social networking into new sectors like banking and retail. The world is moving rapidly towards global connectivity that will further change how and where people associate, gather, and share information, and how they create, consume and capture value. Digitization has significantly altered the ways accountants and tax practitioners think of competition and industry and has change the nature of business in industries. It has redefined the boundaries between partners and comp...

FICS facilitators trained people from two newly bought Franchises from 2 to 6 July at the FICS Training Facility in Centurion. Franchise Owners from Nkomazi and Tshwane East attended the theoretical and functional training. Paulette van der Merwe and Charlé du Preez (just back from a 2-year stint in the USA) represented the Nkomazi area while Wessel and Andries Radyn (two brothers) represented the new Tshwane East Owners. The Van der Merwes already own the Mbombela Franchise and the logical step for them was to acquire the adjacent area, Nkomazi. With the experiences gained from already owning a FICS Franchise, Paulette added a lot of value during the training week regarding pitfalls, challenges and best-practices in managing a FICS Franchise. Charlé with her exposure to cutting edge technology in the USA brought youthful ‘outside the box’ perspectives into the classroom. Wessel is an ex-Colonel in the SAPS and gave valuable insights into investigation practicalities in the field...

Andy Raouna A+Students (Pty) Ltd chairlady Marlene Mouton announced that Andy Raouna who has been with the group in an advisory capacity since 2016 has been appointed as CEO. According to Mouton the impact that he has had on the franchised business has already been felt and the appointment coincides with the company’s growth strategy to expand the brand not only within the borders of South Africa but internationally as well. “Trading conditions are extremely tough even in the education industry in which we operate, but we have our eye firmly on the target and we know what we want to achieve. The appointment comes at the right time when we need expertise to continue building the brand here and also gives us the time and space to concentrate with our international expansion. We have already opened our first office in the U.S. and will start operating in the next few months” said Mouton. A+Students is a home grown educational franchise specialising in educating children from as...

As the business environment for workshops becomes more diversified, new opportunities are opening up for ambitious, entrepreneurial businesses. Rather than restricting themselves to servicing a single brand, increasing numbers of workshops are looking to extend the scope of their offering. By doing so, they are able to access new growth potential by attracting a wider range of customers. This is precisely the situation that the Bosch Car Service concept was designed to enable. Robert Bosch was one of the first to recognize the need for consistent excellence in both component quality and customer service: attributes that still define our offering today. Bosch Car Service has become one of the world’s leading workshop networks as a result of our unique know-how and systematic approach to quality control. Our worldwide reputation for quality and service helps Bosch Car Service workshops to boost their image as the most competent experts in their area, while allowing them to increase...

To tackle unemployment, Government has identified the SME sector as a promising platform for job creation. Fair enough, but an unacceptably high percentage of new SMEs fail, often within the first or second year of their existence. Business failures are a toxic mix of broken dreams, lost jobs and significant financial losses but fortunately, there is a better way. Investing in a franchise gives new entrepreneurs access to a tried and tested business model and increased chances for success. Unfortunately, not all franchises are created equal, posing the question, “what makes a good franchise?” We decided to find out. What makes a successful franchise? Text books on franchising will tell you that a franchise needs to be based on a product or service that satisfies a proven need by a growing market. The founder of the business should optimise product design, operations, marketing and sales channel development, systems and procedures before considering expansion via the franchise ...

In an industry beset by thin margins, the importance of careful purchasing cannot be overemphasised. By Ian Said Stock and cost control are vital aspects of most businesses. For restaurant owners, accurate stock control that allows them to analyse their stock on hand and the stock they need, is necessary in order to maximise profits. Analysing costs Cost control is a significant consideration for any business. The first step is to consider the value your current suppliers offer in terms of pricing and efficiencies. If two suppliers have identical delivery accuracies, it would make sense to use the cheaper supplier. However, choosing a supplier based purely on price, even though they do not deliver the correct products or quantities, would be counterintuitive. Given the seasonal nature of many products, some variation is to be expected, but a large company should be able to deal with the variation and deliver accurate quantities as ordered. When buying larger quantities, it...

Over the last 11 years, as I have worked with and experienced the highs and lows of several franchise relationships, I have come to realise that all franchise partners experience the same journey. By Pieter Scholtz The journey to successful franchise relationships has fascinated me to the extent that I highlight its pitfalls to all franchise prospects in our business. It is my belief that all prospective franchise partners need to understand not only the technical and product aspects of what makes a franchise successful, but also the mindset that is required to be successful as a franchise partner. To this end, I spend a certain amount of time ‘educating’ potential franchise partners on what it takes to be successful and how to build strong relationships with other franchise partners as well as with the franchisor. The better prepared a franchise partner is for their role as franchisee, the better for all involved. A couple of years ago I attended a workshop with Greg Nathan, ...

As an employer, what is the extent of my responsibilities as it relates to fire prevention in the workplace? Fires in the workplace can be caused by anything from smoking in the toilets to computer equipment overheating or malfunctioning heaters. On top of this, the amount of paper found in most offices means a fire can spread alarmingly fast and as such the importance of a fully functional fire extinguisher cannot be overstressed. In fact, all employers are legally required to provide and service fire equipment such as fire extinguishers and hoses. The key to eliminating the potential for fires is a solid fire prevention plan that does not just involve having an alarm and fire extinguishers, but also incorporates preparations that could save lives. A fire prevention plan requires a solid foundation. To this end all potential fire hazards should be documented; the ones you miss are the ones that are likely to cause the most significant incidents. A fire prevention plan should ide...

So, you’ve started a business and managed to make it through the start-up phase, but what’s the next step? How are you going to successfully grow your business in the right direction?  Compiled by Courtney Braham, Lucro marketing Assistant To answer the question above, we offer five realistic yet simple ways to grow your business. Don’t own your business, run it.  “Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning.” — Benjamin Franklin This is the part where you transform from a business owner to an entrepreneur. You have made it through the hardest part of starting a business, but realising the results and profits you desire will demand a continued investment of time and effort and also that you maintain an active presence in running the ‘behind the scenes’ of your business. While the business may be able to stand on its own, it still relies on you for growth. Focus on what you’re good at and outsource the res...

Challenging times require agile decision-making and the willingness to adapt to the constant changes in the business landscape. Rapid decision-making and the effective implementation of a well-researched strategy is highly dependent upon a phenomenon called ‘the speed of trust’. By Dirk Coetsee During operation Desert Storm in Iraq, General ‘Stormin’ Norman’ Schwarzkopf became famous for the impressive rate and quality at which his commands were executed. Implementation of his strategies happened at ‘the speed of trust’. General Schwarzkopf was highly respected by his fellow soldiers for his decorated actions in Vietnam. He was awarded a medal for bravery after risking his own life to drag a wounded fellow soldier to safety through a minefield. His impeccable service history and first-hand experience of the harsh conditions soldiers are often faced with, gained him the trust of the soldiers under his command, his fellow commanders and his superiors. His vast experience enable...

Customers today are king. They are demanding and expect excellence at every point of their sales journey with your business, online and offline. With a mobile in every pocket, you better believe that poor customer service will spread like wild fire across every digital touch point you can imagine. The pressure is on businesses to create powerful customer experiences at every touchpoint. The businesses of tomorrow will create teams who are unapologetically customer-centric in their decisions and actions. Studies show that customer experience will overtake price and product as the key brand differentiator by 2020. Organisations will need to implement significant business model changes to improve customer experience. For every negative experience, it takes 12 good experiences to make up the damage. How? Well before you answer that, understand the who. Meet the customers of today Customers are more connected than ever before. They really hold the key to the success or failure of...

Franchising sector specialist, Nedbank , is hosting three networking seminars, in Johannesburg, Durban and Cape Town, to highlight opportunities in the franchising sector in 2018. With franchising being a preferred lower-risk business model for business owners, these seminars, taking place for the third year running, are expected to be heavily subscribed as delegates rush to book for the three events. The dates for the seminars are: 18 July 2018 in Johannesburg,  25 July 2018 in Cape Town, and 26 July 2018 in Durban. The speakers at the seminars include experts in their field, such as Nando’s Robbie Brozin, Ocean Basket’s Grace Harding, Sorbet’s Jade Kirkel, Chicken Xpress’s Devon Scoulelis and Col’Cacchio’s Michael Terespolsky, as well as representatives from Nedbank, sharing expert advice on how to succeed in the franchising sector. Robbie Brozin Brozin is the co-founder of Nando’s, which is now an international restaurant chain and one of the most visible high-st...

Every two years, a very peculiar and eye-catching procession travels 2000kms in a wide loop from Pretoria to Cape Town. This group is diverse in age, language, nationality, appearance and mode of transport but united in purpose. These are the pioneers of solar energy, of zero emission, clean-powered vehicles. They consist of universities, schools, corporations and private individuals with a common dream: making solar powered vehicles a reality in everyday life. They are the brave pioneers of the Sasol Solar Challenge. Teams from South Africa, Australia, China, Japan, The Netherlands, and the USA are expected in 2018. Teams will set off from Pretoria on 22 September and finish in Stellenbosch on 29 September. 22 September: Pretoria – Sasolburg – Kroonstad 23 September: Kroonstad – Winburg – Bloemfontein 24 September: Bloemfontein – Edenburg – Gariep Dam 25 September: Gariep Dam – Middelburg – Graaff-Reinet 26 September: Graaff-Reinet – Jansenville – Port Elizabeth 27 Se...

30 years of the Skukuza ½ Marathon Celebrated : A unique race in a unique place to make a difference The opportunity to run in the Kruger National Park – for recreation, not survival – is a privilege only a few will have. Entry into this race is so limited that a lucky draw is held to determine who the fortunate few will be! Raising at least R750 for the park’s many conservation projects is also a prerequisite for participating and many runners have raised substantial amounts for these wonderful causes. This year runners again have access to an ample supply of their life sustaining Oasis water at the seven water points, one of which will be manned by Oasis Brand Ambassadors. Oasis’s relationship with the Kruger National Park is rooted in a love for nature, conservation and sustainability. The Oasis Expresses in the Park’s shops in Skukuza and Satara rest camps stand testament to their commitment to a greener more sustainable waste free lifestyle.

With Creative Minds ® computer short courses, you can get positive results in no time at all. Just call your nearest Creative Minds® branch for a consultation and find out how easy it is to make a huge difference in your computer skill set. Creative Minds® offers the complete range of end-user courses on Microsoft Office 2013, 2016 and Windows 10. These courses are aligned to the Unit Standards of SAQA (South African Quality Authority) and accredited by MICT SETA. Courses available at Creative Minds® are: Creative Minds Courses: Windows 8 or 10 Level 1 + 2 Word 2013, 2016 Level 1, 2 and 3 Excel 2013, 2016 Level 1, 2 and 3 PowerPoint 2013 2016 Level 1 + 2 Outlook 2013, 2016 Level 1 + 2 Access 2013, 2016 Level 1 + 2 Publisher 2013, 2016  Full course MS Project 2013, 2016  Full course Creative Minds® offers the most relaxing way to learn Pastel Partner V18 Intermediate! Contact your nearest Creative Minds® branch for more detail and prices. Especially for o...

Why supposedly "safe" sectors may be nothing of the sort Many investors are attracted to the perceived stability of certain sectors. But safety stems from the price you pay, not the underlying dynamics of the businesses you buy. Defining defensives and cyclicals Stock market investors group companies into sectors in order to gauge their likely performance at different times in the economic cycle. For example, producers of food & beverages and tobacco fall within consumer staples, a sector often called “defensive”. According to global asset manager Schroders , this is because demand for food, cigarettes, etc, typically remains stable regardless of the performance of the wider economy. Therefore, revenues and profits for these kinds of companies tend to hold up well, even if the broader economy is suffering a downturn.  As a result, these defensive companies are often perceived as safe, reliable investments. Such companies can be of particular interest to income inve...