Expert Financial & Business Insights for South Africa
Strategic analysis from Idea Accelerator and ready-to-publish content from Financial News Daily.
We drove out during the festive season to Millers Point to buy fresh Snoek from the professional ski boat fishermen at the Rumbly Bay slipway.
The Snoek was in very good condition and was a large one with a humongous head. I couldn’t throw the head away because it had so much potential to make tasty Snoek head soup. This delicacy was a staple in our household growing up. Continue reading “How many business formats do you know that remain a sure thing like snoek kop sop?”
A while back a report stated that more than 40 tertiary colleges were degree or diploma mills or not properly registered to do what they are offered. These so-called colleges inflict financial loss on unsuspecting students who spend their money on certificates that carry no weight or future. It is also a disappointment and setback for young people who think that these qualifications can be an entry pass to the future. Continue reading “Promises flying like lies from politicians’ lips”
“If anything happens Mike, you don’t – don’t leave me over there. You got, you gotta…Just don’t leave me. You gotta promise me that, Mike.” Nick – From the Deer Hunter
I recently re-watched the movie “The Deer Hunter”. Apart from the commentary of the times that the film depicted, the idea struck me that the characters held an important lesson for business.
Michael, the hero in the movie, looks after Nick and Steven. Michael helps to restore Steven’s marriage, broken by his disability because of the war. Nick is another story. Without giving the plot away, Mike tries his level best to “rescue” Nick from his emotional and psychological hell in Vietnam. Continue reading “How far would you go to help your customer (even if you feel like puncturing their car tyres with a knife)?”
We were travelling through the Karoo in 34° heat. It was lunch time and during the festive season we didn’t want to stop at one of those service stations owned by the giant conglomerates that want their customers to bring two rand coins to use their toilets.
So we went down the back road and found a supermarket where we could order burgers at a third of the price of the giant service stations, get cold drinks at half the price, coffee at two thirds of the price and warm, friendly service. While we were waiting for the burgers to be prepared we wondered around the supermarket and came across an amazing display – that you won’t find in many supermarkets. Continue reading “At least this supermarket gives a leg up to start-ups”
I was speaking to a visual merchandiser a while back who was leaving for a week to go help open a new retail store in his region. His biggest complaint was how difficult it is for branch staff to do their jobs. There are not enough branch staff because of the austerity measures the company has put in place and the staff are woefully lacking in training.
The problem with this retail chain is that the people in head office with big titles are given training on a silver platter. But the staff at the branch where the interface is with customers, where the sales take place, where the money is made, receive little or no training at all. Isn’t it ironic, he said, that those who float around in the head office with fancy titles receive all the training but the people who ring up the cash registers receive very little or nothing at all? Continue reading “Why do staff dealing with customers get the least amount or no training?”
By Chesney Bradshaw
About a year ago a fast food flame-grilled chicken outlet with a restaurant opened up in the local neighbourhood. The previous premises were completely refurbished at great expense, a new kitchen built, the table arrangement changed and the outside decor was modernised with the latest signage. The doors opened, the store traded for about 6 to 8 months and then shut down.
Just imagine how much money the owner put into this restaurant. No expense was spared at bringing it up to a level that matched or even in some cases surpassed the giant fast-food chain stores. Sometimes it’s like this. A would-be owner of a small business needs to start up with everything ready so that they can serve customers with the quality and price perception that they are trying to create. To go smaller or with less bells and whistles might mean a turn off for customers. Yet the risk of going full-scale is much higher because simply the market hasn’t been tested for demand. Continue reading “Should you start out with a smaller project before you take the leap and run a full-scale business?”
When I have visited the small coastal town of Fish Hoek in the Western Cape I have noticed local artists selling their paintings in shopping malls. What stands out for me is the wonderful, almost idyllic, beach scenes. The beaches are pristine, the sea blue and the mountains fresh and vibrant. It’s a kind of unreal world that reminds one of how things used to be, not as they are now.
You never see these local coastal scene artists with paintings that depict the rough reality of today. Go for a walk on the beach and you likely to see pickpockets and sunbathers leaving their trash in the sand. Go up a little further to Jagger’s Walk where the subway is and you will catch the stench of urine and find unsavoury characters lurking in the shade of the tunnel. This is not to say that the beaches aren’t cleaned up before the holidaymakers arrive but with high-density urban living the picturesque coastal towns just aren’t what they used to be. But many people would rather have the idyllic coastal painting than the sordid reality. Continue reading “Small business reality series – what information or advice to can you trust?”
A family small business owner has been running a small business for several years now and it has continued to be successful. The staff who have been employed by the family business team have stayed with this business for years.
That tells you something, doesn’t it?
The staff are happy and deal with any one of them and you’d be delighted by their customer service.
Despite those who claim that small businesses take advantage of employees, this small family business has created jobs for community members. Continue reading “Are you a value creator or value taker?”
I went fishing in the Vaal River near Parys. We got up early and started out in small rubber rafts at 7 AM. We rowed upstream for about a kilometre and then we anchored the raft below a rapid up river.
It was a beautiful early summer morning with a river otter sighted as well as a leguan lizard, (get spilling from Internet),cormorant birds, yellow finches and the occasional swirl of yellow fish rising to the surface. This time of the year the banks are green with the tall Eucalyptus and Populus trees. Even the reeds alongside the banks are green. Continue reading “Be careful about the advice you give, it may come back to bite you”
A few weeks ago I attended an awards function for entrepreneurs and was highly impressed with what they had achieved without any support from the sponsors of the event. The entrepreneurs were being acknowledged for their innovation and excellence despite not receiving funding, technology or initial encouragement from various public and private institutions.
These entrepreneurs had pulled themselves up by their own boot straps. They had done it by themselves. Only after they had achieved success did private and public institutions rush in to celebrate the achievement. Yes, it’s a long and lonely road as an entrepreneur. Continue reading “What makes an entrepreneur?”
