Ethel Nyembe In a few short weeks, another year will draw to a close and thousands of South Africans will begin setting off for holiday destinations around the country. For franchise owners, especially those in the fast food business, their busiest and most lucrative time of the year awaits. But, says Ethel Nyembe, Head of Small Enterprise at Standard Bank, being ready for the festive business boom means making sure that all preparations are in place.  Timely preparations mean planning for all contingencies to ensure, as far as possible, that a successful and profitable holiday season is guaranteed. Unfortunately, being realistic in these times means that precautions are taken to upgrade security, and safe cash management procedures. “The holiday season is all about great sales and increased turnover. This, unfortunately, means pressure on staff that have to cope with increased foot traffic, increased stock holdings to cope with demand and more effort being put in to ensur...