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 ...

Adventure Boot Camp reaches new heights with savvy franchise model The outdoor fitness programme for women, Adventure Boot Camp ( http://www.AdventureBootCamp.co.za ) announces its National Trainer Programme for qualified fitness trainers across South Africa who are interested in owning their own Adventure Boot Camp franchise. Free to all shortlisted candidates, the training and mentorship programme is designed for those who are not immediately able to purchase a franchise, but who want to maximize their earning potential and enjoy flexible office hours and the ability to work unsupervised. In just seven short years, the outdoor fitness programme for women has opened its doors to more than 32 franchises across South Africa proving that personal trainers are seeing themselves as business owners and taking even bigger steps to help women get into shape.   In an economic climate where jobs are limited and resources scarce, buying into an Adventure Boot Camp franchise has ...

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...

A business plan means business W hen starting a business there are many factors that come into play that need to be analysed to ensure its success. Price, place, promotion and product are but some of the important aspects in the business mix that need to be planned and executed meticulously. In the flurry of dynamics to consider, many entrepreneurs tend to forget that having a business plan to drive the business processes is actually the most crucial, regardless of the sector type. This is especially true in franchising. Even though the franchising model affords owners the benefit of added support that is rooted in an established foundation, the business plan is just as important as in any other industry. Sally J’Arlette – Joy, the franchisor of Sandwich Baron , shares more on the importance of a business plan for the franchisee and the franchisor. A business plan is basically a document that summarises the operational and financial objectives of a business. Additionally, this...

Taste Holdings secures exclusive master licence for Domino's Pizza, world's largest pizza chain Taste Holdings this morning announced that it has signed an exclusive 30 year master licence agreement to develop the international Domino’s Pizza brand, initially in seven Southern African countries, including South Africa, Lesotho, Swaziland, Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Mozambique.  Zambia and Malawi will follow on the fulfilment of certain conditions. Domino’s Pizza is considered the world's leading pizza delivery brand in both store numbers and unit sales, and has over 10,800 outlets in more than 70 countries. The brand will form part of the growing Taste Holdings stable and will become the group’s leading pizza franchise offering as Scooters Pizza and St Elmo’s franchisees will be given the opportunity and assistance to convert to Domino’s Pizza. CEO of Taste Holdings and founder of Scooters Pizza, Carlo Gonzaga, says that the both Scooters Pizza and ...

Find the business you’ve been looking for – in one weekend   It is common knowledge that due to tried and test business formula, franchising offers potential business owners more security than traditional self-start businesses . In addition to selecting a sector and a business franchise that you will enjoy, looking for a good business profit model, researching high integrity propositions, understanding the legalities and pros and cons of franchising in general, you have hundreds if not thousands of opportunities to choose from. This year the International Franchise Exhibition (IFE), which will be held at the Sandton Convention Centre from 10 to 12 April 2014, will again offer potential franchisees the perfect platform to gain an understanding of the business opportunities available in South Africa. Over 50 different franchise brands will be exhibiting at the event, with Scooters Pizza being one of them. Sean Lilley, Marketing Manager of Scooters Pizza states th...

When Charlie Oliver needed a new challenge following some five years’ experience at an international franchising group, he decided that ‘local is lekker’ and put his management skills and passion for people to the test by purchasing his own Scooters Pizza store in Milnerton. Oliver summarises his management approach as creating equality for himself and his staff. “A previous employers’ slogan of: ”People capability first and profitability will follow” is one that impressed me immensely and it has stuck with me since then. By allowing employees and management to help run the business processes and be more actively involved, creates an opportunity for them to meet their personal needs, and also my business goals.” He believes that the key elements to running a successful store include skilled and motivated people, sound management and financial practises, and innovative products that meet and exceed customer expectations. CEO of Taste Holdings, Christo Calitz expresses his confi...

KAUAI’s new Canal Walk store boasts the group’s second fully-green new-look store. “We are very proud to introduce our new eco-friendly stores to the market, bringing us closer to staying true to the heritage of the Islands” says John Berry, founder and Chief of Innovations at KAUAI. “We brought in the Pattichides & Partners design team to help refine the new store image and are very pleased with the results.” The main contributors to this sustainable store design include solid Consol timber “off cuts” for all of the counters, with all of the counter tops being made of 75% recycled materials. With lead free eco-friendly paints being used on all surfaces.  Simplified screed floors were used rather than wasting costly tiles that get chipped up in a few years’ time. KAUAI’s new Greenline cappuccino machine use 48% less electricity, and all signage & lighting is powered with LED and low voltage lights. The design team was tasked with developing a modern Hawaiian genre that...

The team at Sandwich Baron Randburg welcomed new owners Vigeshen Moodley and Nadiah Maharaj to the store on 1 March 2013. Since taking over, the pair has ensured a remarkable turnaround in the store’s service delivery. Moodley, who has spent approximately 12 years in various franchises in the fast food industry, is also no stranger to the Sandwich Baron family, having spent his time before opening the store as a proud Sandwich Baron manager at a different location. Together with Maharaj, the two have done an exceptional job in bringing stability to the store to ensure that the team is delivering service that exceeds the standards of the franchise requirements. “The Sandwich Baron franchise has always appealed to me because I share and believe in their values. I have also found that the marketability and reputation of the brand as well as its growth potential, make it a feasible investment,” shares Moodley. Maharaj notes that the members of the community have been very welcoming ...

Tommy Roux made the decision to pursue a career as a Maxi’s franchisee in the middle of 2009, he chose Maxi’s as a brand, because he believed that this exciting business opportunity offered stability and the potential for financial growth. He also wanted a store not too far from his home in Pretoria, as he believes that a person should not run a restaurant business too far from home as it is a time consuming industry to be involved with. Before becoming a Maxi’s owner, Roux was a Senior Manager in the exports division of a well-known Japanese car manufacturer that looked after the African market. Roux journey in becoming a multiple store owner started when an opportunity came his way to take over two existing Maxi’s stores, as Roux recognised the potential immediately and now is the proud owner of not two but three Maxi’s restaurants. “The experience gained from my first store enabled me to take on the franchising challenge with confidence.  After owning one store, I wante...

Developing consistent and competitive costing models and structures are central to ensuring a food franchise can achieve short term profitability and sustainable success. Sandwich Baron Development Manager, Patrizio Nebuloni , elaborates further on this subject.  Undoubtedly, setting and determining prices of items sold to customers is a challenging aspect of running a successful food franchise business. While franchises wants to offer competitive prices that are lower than their rivals, this strategic imperative should be tempered by the notion that pricing needs to be profitable, in order for a franchise to survive in the long term. Every pricing decision should result in a win-win outcome in which customers obtain value for their money, while businesses still make a reasonable profit. As a starting point, the most efficient and recommended way to determine a selling price is to source the Cost of Sales amount, and multiply this figure by two and a half. Generally, food an...

The Maxi’s food group, a division of Taste Holdings, has started with their marketing campaign for the Mpumalanga region and is aiming to drive transactional growth through all of their identified marketing initiatives. The biggest focus area at present will be on primary school children in the region. The kids, and the schools that they represent, will be encouraged to express their creativity by means of their own marketing campaigns as they will need to design an advert for Maxi’s to win. Schools will be sent entry forms for the kids to take part and the aspiring creatives will be urged to bring their completed advert to their nearest Maxi’s store. Weekly winners will be chosen out of the two categories that have been allocated, namely that of children in Grades 1 to 3 and those in Grades 4 to 7. Schools will also be rewarded as the school with the most entries will win a cash prize of R5,000. An overall winner will be chosen from the accumulating weekly winners. Their advert w...

The SARB is set to announce its decision on whether or not to decrease the repo rate even further, this Thursday, the 23rd of May. The repo rate has been stable, at an unprecedented low of 5%, since the Monetary Policy Committee meeting of July 2012. At present no one is seriously expecting Reserve Bank governor, Gill Marcus, to lower either the repo rate or the prime interest rate (which currently sits at 8.5%) before October, at the earliest. "The question isn't whether the MPC will lower the repo rate now, which I don't expect them to, but rather whether now isn't perhaps the time to do it", says Jan le Roux, CEO of Leapfrog Property Group. Andre Mellet, economics lecturer at the Northwest University's Vaal Triangle Campus, told Business Day that there are a number of compelling arguments for a rate cut: the growing unemployment figures, the slow growth rate of the SA economy as well as the deficit on the government's budget are all good reasons to...

Did you know that nearly half of the world’s entrepreneurs are between the ages of 25 and 44?  This is one of the key findings of the GEM 2012 report from Global Entrepreneurship Monitor. The report also found that 25 to 34 year olds demonstrate the highest rates of entrepreneurial activity, in all geographic regions surveyed, including South Africa. This information is mission-critical for Business Opportunities and Franchise Expo exhibitors, who are directly targeting entrepreneurs. The expo, which is owned and managed by Thebe Exhibitions and Projects, and presented in partnership with platinum sponsor, Eskom will take place from 12-15 September 2013 at the Coca-Cola Dome in Northriding, Johannesburg. According to Lynn Chamier, general manager of the Business Opportunities and Franchise Expo, “Knowing the predominant age bracket of your target audience empowers you to customise your exhibit, the information you disseminate and the tone of your one-on-one engagements with ...

With an overwhelming love for pizza, Petrus and Cecile van der Merwe, along with their son, Heinrich, decided to take this passion to the next level and become the new owners of Scooters Pizza Menlo Park. The van der Merwes’ - strong family values are perfectly aligned with the Scooters Pizzas brand’s principles of integrity, innovation and respect.  They believe if you manage your life and run a business with these three values in mind, you are already halfway on the road to success. In addition to solid morals and ethics, Petrus’s financial know-how gained from 32 years’ experience in the banking industry, will contribute to the family’s goals of running a prosperous business. Since taking over ownership of the Menlo Park store, the family has secured eleven jobs, and created one additional job opportunity. Petrus upholds that motivated employees play a major role in contributing to the profitability and productivity of any business. “My management approach does not only...

For prospective entrepreneurs aiming to achieve success in the highly competitive business world, franchising is an enticing prospect. Recently established mobile spray tanning company, Ispray Tanning, which offers sunless tanning with added convenience to customers in the Gauteng area, are pleased to introduce their concept as a franchising option to entrepreneurs looking to make a mark in the beauty market. The company, which is based in Gauteng, saves a significant amount of time and effort for people seeking a sunless tanning alternative, by affording them the luxury of receiving this service in the comfort of their own homes. It was founded in 2012 by husband and wife team, Pieter and Elzette Craucamp, after they identified a niche in the sunless tanning market. With their firm believe in the service that they are offering, the Ispray Tanning team identified the franchising concept as the ideal model to increase the footprint of their brand to not only service the whole of ...

The Fish and Chip Co. is leading the way in securing black empowerment amongst food franchising companies in South Africa, with 76,57% of its 303 nationwide stores, being black owned. Further, 16,50% of these franchise owners are black women, demonstrating the black economic empowerment success behind The Fish & Chip Co. business model. The company has achieved rapid growth since being established in 2009, with 120 outlets having been opened in 2012 alone, and about 3,300 job opportunities having been created to date. Managing Executive of The Fish & Chip Co., Marcel Strauss notes that the company is proud of its achievements in terms of furthering and creating black owned businesses. “The Fish & Chip Co. constantly strives to be an equal-opportunity employer, and enhance business growth for promising entrepreneurs who were previously disadvantaged. The fact that we have ensured that so many black entrepreneurs have become franchisees within our business over the las...

The ultimate reason for going into business is to make a profit, but this primary objective is often not effectively planned for by small business owners, says Standard Bank. The first step towards ensuring that you are building a profitable business is knowing your numbers. This needs to be followed up by active planning to make a profit. “Generally, many small business owners try and increase profitability by controlling costs. However, by cutting costs, one rarely adds more than 10% or 20% to the business’ bottom line. More time should be invested in income generation than reducing costs,” says Clive Pintusewitz, Head of Small Enterprises at Standard Bank. Building sustainable profits requires: • Generating business leads This means knowing where your leads are coming from and how many you currently have. The easiest way of finding this out is by simply asking customers where they heard about your business. Advertise your product or service in local media and create a ...

Avaya is addressing the changing needs of small and medium-sized enterprises throughout the Middle East, South Africa and Turkey 14 May 2013, Johannesburg:- With more than 1 million[1] small and medium-sized enterprises driving more than third of the South African GDP, Avaya, a leading global provider of business communications applications, systems and services, is talking directly to these businesses about how to become more efficient and customer-focused. Identifying organisations with fewer than 500 employees as ‘The New Big’ force in powering the nation’s economy, Avaya, who is actively engaging with SMB’s across the region through an eight-city road show for the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and South Africa, has shifted its business focus on empowering SMEs to collaborate with customers, colleagues and suppliers through a range of collaboration, video and networking solutions. “Mid-sized organisations are instrumental in the growth of the economies in countries across the Middl...