Long before the concept social media influencer became ubiquitous, a young marketer in London started planning his return to South…
Events such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent spate of riots have demonstrated how fake news can have far-reaching…
Wynand Geldenhuys was still at school when he sold his first computer programme. It was to the owner of a…
Almost every aspiring entrepreneur gets their chance to weigh up whether it is a good idea to have a close…
As ad agency CEO, Taryn Hunter Sharman knew how to spot talent, and had more than once tried to convince…
Maintaining a constant stream of cashflow is a common challenge that many businesses experience. Strategic business partnerships involving a barter…
It is hard to imagine a more difficult time start to a business than that of Mario Roos’s experience with…
Any business owner worth his salt can acknowledge the fact that there is always something new to learn about their…
Malesela “Ouma” Tema’s Plus Fab fashion brand started long before she knew it, when she began shopping for fashion at…
With the start of the 2021 commercial year coinciding with the peak of South Africa’s second wave of COVID-19 infections, the…
Most people who manage to escape the grinding poverty of South African townships find a single goal to focus on…
Due to COVID-19, consumer behaviour has changed drastically and instead of doing their shopping in-store, many customers are buying their…
The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the South African business landscape in a number of ways, with the pressures of lockdown…
In the world of corporate consulting, dominated by a handful of huge international auditing and consulting firms, you would think…
Business owners are forever seeking new opportunities to expand their operations – a characteristic key to entrepreneurial success. However, where…
Theo Baloyi, last year’s Emerging Business Entrepreneur of the Year at the 2019 Entrepreneur of the Year® competition, is proving…
It is becoming increasingly difficult for many business owners to stay afloat, maintain or increase profitability levels as South Africa’s…
Most entrepreneurs who use corporate careers as a springboard wait until at least their mid-30s before they take the leap…
While many sectors have found reprieve in the easing of the national lockdown to Alert Level 1, which includes the…
While the world economy languished in the doldrums of the COVID-19 pandemic, a small local cosmetics company has been increasing…
The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly changed our world and the way we do business. And it’s also impacted consumer purchasing…
It was inevitable that Cikizwa Nqolobe would one day run her own business. As a 10-year-old girl, she used to…
24 June 2020: The BUSINESS/PARTNERS Entrepreneur of the Year® competition today announced that the 2020 iteration of the event has…
Source: Business Partners Limited While recent statistics regarding South Africa’s economy may be discouraging, many local business owners remain optimistic.…
Source: Business Partners Limited As with any business enterprise, competition is part of the field of play however as a…
Source: Business Partners Limited With 2020 around the corner, it’s the perfect time to take stock and prepare your business…
The occasional description of the business world as a jungle is apt in many ways, not least because the frantic…
By Gugu Mjadu Spokesperson for the 2019 Entrepreneur of the Year® competition sponsored by Sanlam and BUSINESS/PARTNERS Starting out, many…
The Lifetime Achiever Award is the highest accolade in the Entrepreneur of the Year® competition sponsored by Sanlam and BUSINESS/PARTNERS…
The Lifetime Ambassador Award is bestowed on an individual who has spent a notable period of their lives in the…
By Jannie Rossouw Head: Sanlam Business Market The pipeline of any business needs to be continuously filled with new client…
When businesses start up, they are often small, tightly-knit groups of pioneers that come from the same background, even from…
Celebrating three full decades of discovering and cultivating the best entrepreneurial talent that South Africa has to offer, we have…
Research compiled by the University of Applied Sciences in Germany in 2016 has shown that only 20% – 30% of…
By Jannie Rossouw, Head: Sanlam Business Market It is said that there is nothing new under the sun … and…
Entrepreneurial lessons from generations of entrepreneurs Picturing a typical entrepreneur – the chances are you visualize a young, mission-driven techie…
By Byron Jeacocks Regional General Manager, BUSINESS/PARTNERS Nothing is as important to the financial health of a growing small business…
By Jannie Rossouw Head: Sanlam Business Market It is said that the perfect timing for a sale is when a…
By Gugu Mjadu Spokesperson for the 2018 Entrepreneur of the Year® competition sponsored by Sanlam and BUSINESS/PARTNERS. Globally, women experience…
By Ben Bierman Managing Director at Business Partners Limited Zig Ziglar, renowned American author and motivational speaker said: You don’t…
By Jannie Rossouw Head: Sanlam Business Market It is my experience as a consumer and sample of one, that the…
The recently released 2017-18 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) report for South Africa revealed that entrepreneurial activity in the country is…
By Ben Bierman Managing Director at Business Partners Limited The Global Entrepreneurship Monitor South Africa 2016/2017 reports that two-thirds (67%)…
Kaizen, a Japanese word and philosophy meaning “change for better”, reminds us that incremental and continuous improvement in life and…
Amid the current political optimism, entrepreneurs should be especially inspired by the continued commitment to SME support which emerged as…
By Ben Bierman Managing Director at Business Partners Limited The beginning of the year is the ideal time for small…
By Jannie Rossouw Head: Sanlam Business Market To improve the quality of business decisions we need basic sales information. For…
The 2017 Entrepreneur of the Year® winners share their advice for turning 2018 into a success When it comes to…
Cash flow management key to steering a clear course of business in 2018 A typical new year’s cliché is the…
By Veroshen Naidoo Area manager at BUSINESS/PARTNERS Financial management naturally tends to slip down the list of priorities for business…
By Jannie Rossouw Head: Sanlam Business Market When a prospective client invites us to do a quotation we need to…
Not only do entrepreneurial awards offer winning businesses a cash injection, but they are also a great platform to raise…
By Gugu Mjadu Spokesperson for the 2017 Entrepreneur of the Year® competition sponsored by Sanlam and BUSINESS/PARTNERS Growing a business…
Business owners are lucky that they create their own work environment, unlike managers in large corporations who step into rigid,…
By Jannie Rossouw Head: Sanlam Business Market You have surely heard the statement above, but what does it really mean?…
The Western Cape has over the recent past been hard hit by the severe drought in the region which has…
Navigating saving methods for your business and personal finances By Christo Botes Executive Director, Business Partners Limited South Africans have…
By Jannie Rossouw Head: Sanlam Business Market Come to think of it, it all seems simple enough – clients will…
A great many excellent business ideas never get past the spreadsheet stage and into the real world simply because entrepreneurs…
By Jannie Rossouw Head: Sanlam Business Market The quest for finding new clients and increasing sales is a reality for…
The 2016 Entrepreneur of the Year® winners discuss the advice they would share with their younger selves In the absence…
By Christo Botes Spokesperson for the 2017 Entrepreneur of the Year® competition sponsored by Sanlam and BUSINESS/PARTNERS As South Africa…
By Jannie Rossouw Head: Sanlam Business Market The needs of all consumers change over time as they age. It is…
Financial management naturally tends to slip down the list of priorities for business owners when the economy is booming, finance…
Many businesses make a point of giving, from sponsoring sports gear to donating goods to a nearby charity. By helping…
By Jannie Rossouw Head: Sanlam Business Market In a commoditised world it is becoming more challenging to differentiate your product…
As South Africa gears up for the 2017 National Budget Speech in anticipation for Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan to deliver…
Building your own business is not a sprint, but a marathon, with hills, headwinds, heat and dust. Those who succeed…
By Jannie Rossouw Head: Sanlam Business Market In business the general view is that there is no such thing as…
By Christo Botes Spokesperson for the 2017 Entrepreneur of the Year® competition sponsored by Sanlam and BUSINESS/PARTNERS 2016 was a…
The life of an entrepreneur is different from that of ordinary people in many ways, and one of the main…
By Jannie Rossouw Head: Sanlam Business Market What was first – the chicken or the egg? In some way we…
For a spectator of a game of football, the half-time break is merely a chance to stock up on some…
By Harry Welby-Cooke From Action Coach for Sanlam Business Market Sales and Marketing is a term loosely thrown together and…
Following a fiercely competitive preliminary round of the 2016 Entrepreneur of the Year® competition sponsored by Sanlam and Business/ Partners,…
By Jannie Rossouw Head: Sanlam Business Market When I looked at the typical “hassle map” of a business owner, it…
The 2015/2016 Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) report for South Africa shows an upsettingly low entrepreneurial involvement level among 18-to-24-year-olds, when…
By Jannie Rossouw Head: Sanlam Business Market www.businessdirectory.co.za defines a crisis as: “A critical event or point of decision that,…
The South African economy had a bumpy start to 2016, impacting both small and large businesses alike. Recent attention grabbing…
Five reasons entrepreneurs should enter business competitions Entrepreneurs running small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are required to assume many roles…
By Jeremy Lang Regional general manager of BUSINESS/PARTNERS In a sense, almost all owner-managed businesses are family businesses. The fortunes…
By Jannie Rossouw Head: Sanlam Business Market Many business owners manage the finances of their businesses by means of their…
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We are excited to announce the launch of the 2016 Entrepreneur of the Year® competition sponsored by Sanlam and BUSINESS/PARTNERS!…
Many business owners mistakenly think their operation is too small for a formal budgeting process. The budget (of sorts) that…
If you are working on something exciting that you really care about, you don’t have to be pushed. The vision…
By Kobus Engelbrecht, spokesperson for the 2016 Entrepreneur of the Year® competition sponsored by Sanlam and Business Partners Limited Just…
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There is something to be said for making the time to investigate, evaluate and think about some critical elements impacting…
The number of unused gym contracts and abandoned diets by the first week of February is enough to make anybody…
As business owners we are often so busy working in the business that we fail to work on the business.…
Culture can make or break a company. It is incredibly important because it sets the tone for everything from how…
“If all business owners in South Africa commit to mentoring one young entrepreneur, we have the potential to double entrepreneurship…
In a sense, almost all owner-managed businesses are family businesses. The fortunes of even those run by a single entrepreneur…
Article written by Jannie Rossouw, Head: Sanlam Business Market The first rule of any technology used in a business is…
Article written by Jannie Rossouw, Head: Sanlam Business Market In order to properly address this subject, we first need to…
Generating demand for your product requires much more than simply releasing it onto the market. You need to conduct research,…
The latest South Africa Global Entrepreneurship Monitor (GEM) 2014 revealed that entrepreneurial activity in South Africa is not sufficient, and…
“The surest way for an executive to kill himself is to refuse to learn how, and when, and to whom…
Article written by Jannie Rossouw, Head: Sanlam Business Market “Exceed your customer’s expectations. If you do, they’ll come back over…
Christo Botes, spokesperson of the 2015 Sanlam / Business Partners Entrepreneur of the Year® competition, provides insight into how entrepreneurial…
Article written by Jannie Rossouw, Head: Sanlam Business Market “Without reflection, we go blindly on our way, creating more unintended…
1. Drop some unprofitable products or services Drop some unprofitable sales channels. Entrepreneurs too often want to do more. But,…
Article written by Jannie Rossouw, Head: Sanlam Business Market It is said that something well planned is 50% done. If…
Unemployment remains the country’s greatest economic and social challenge Finance Minister Nhlanhla Nene, 2015 Budget Speech The 2015 State of…
Now in its 27th year, the Sanlam / Business Partners Entrepreneur of the Year® competition – the premier entrepreneurial platform…
Organisations that approach things with order, common sense, consistency and persistence will ultimately succeed. If you are going to deliver…
Article written by Jannie Rossouw, Head: Sanlam Business Market A guarantee is a formal assurance (typically written) that certain conditions…
Here is some good news for business owners who are more comfortable with machines and production processes than with people:…
Article written by Jannie Rossouw, Head: Sanlam Business Market In a competitive market environment business owners are prone to sell…
The business support landscape in South Africa for young entrepreneurs is like the business world itself: it is teeming with…
Article written by Jannie Rossouw, Head: Sanlam Business Market A unique selling proposition is defined as the factor or consideration…
One of the major reasons why entrepreneurs decide to start their own business is the freedom that this lifestyle offers.…
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When you build your home you employ various specialists to assist you to ensure that the plans are drawn up…
Marketing tips that may be implemented immediately: Evaluate the success of your current marketing actions Article written by Jannie Rossouw,…
As your fledgling business starts to grow, it’s critical that you don’t inadvertently strangle it in its infancy. Here are…
In light of the recent launch of the 2014 Sanlam / Business Partners Entrepreneur of the Year competition, which aims…
We all know we should check our cars before travelling. Equally important is the need to check your business plan…
Like retirement savings and disability cover, medical cover is a crucial part of everyone’s financial planning. “Good healthcare can be…
The month of December is generally filled with a sense of excitement with not only anticipation for the end of…
While the thought of starting one’s own business may be exciting, it can also be intimidating – even for someone…
With 51% of surveyed pensioners not making ends meet and 62% of job changers still not preserving their retirement savings,…
Entrepreneurs are often exposed to duties, situations, problems and opportunities that many have never had to face before. Entrepreneurs also…
Business budgeting, just like personal budgeting, is imperative for financial peace of mind. In the case of business owners, says…
It is no secret that women business owners are more affected by the addition of a child in comparison to…
As a business owner, your main concern is working hard to make your business successful. You know you have employees…
Most businesses, at some stage or another, are likely to experience seasonal fluctuations, which are often related to various seasonal…
Looking beyond guaranteed return products for inflation-beating returns As a business owner, you pour all your energy into making your…
At one time or another, every business goes through a growth spurt and, whether it’s a multi-national corporation or an…
In order to celebrate entrepreneurial excellence, Sanlam / Business Partners Entrepreneur of the Year® (EOY) have been staging business workshops…
By Clive Hill (Legal Adviser: Sanlam Trust) As a business owner, time-management is your greatest challenge. You need to focus…
During an economic recession small and medium enterprises (SMEs) often adopt a survivalist mentality by focussing on cost cutting strategies…
Any business operation is vulnerable when faced by unplanned crises. The crippling and unexpected costs associated with these risks are…
Government has not yet been able to help solve the unemployment crisis in South Africa, which leaves the responsibility with…
In the current challenging economic environment, SME owners and entrepreneurs need to do what they can in order to keep…
The 2013 Sanlam / Business Partners Entrepreneur of the Year® competition is officially open for entries! We asked our 2012…
Feed on the positive SME entrepreneurs! The Sanlam / Business Partners Entrepreneur of the Year® team welcomes you to 2013!…
Why does seasonality affect your business? Seasonality in your business refers to regular and predicable changes in business activity at…
With the festive season looming, entrepreneurs often get caught up in the rush and forget to step back and analyse…
What documents do financiers require when considering my application for business finance? The information required varies between financial institutions. If…
After months of searching and assessing, the 2012 Sanlam / Business Partners Entrepreneur of the Year® competition winners were announced…
The failure rate of start-ups is exceptionally high – why do these businesses fail? It is a known fact that…
The 22 finalists of South Africa’s premier entrepreneurial platform, the 2012 Sanlam / Business Partners Entrepreneur of the Year® competition,…
Why are many businesses’ cash flow issues aggravated as a result of tax contributions? If you are liable to make…
Entries into the 2012 Sanlam / Business Partners Entrepreneur of the Year® competition have officially closed and we are fast…
Youth Month is celebrated annually throughout the month of June. Not only does this month coincide with the historically significant…
How can entrepreneurs effectively manage and plan their cash flow close to financial year end? Cash flow is often glibly…
During start up, a company tends to be very sales driven – operations are fast paced, highly flexible and often…
As South Africa’s economy is susceptible to global trends, it is imperative that entrepreneurs are cognisant of both local and…
It is a business arrangement between a franchisor (the owner or holder of a business concept, brand or an arrangement)…
Aspiring South African entrepreneurs need to take note of the successes being celebrated by their global counterparts on World Entrepreneurship…
A vital life saver to SMEs this time of year Entrepreneurial airline, Velvet Sky’s recent cash flow issues, resulting in…
South African women make up approximately half of the country’s work force and therefore play a crucial role in the…
Although Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan has given further tax relief to small businesses and micro-enterprises in his 2012/13 Budget, there…
Stimulating entrepreneurship is the key to igniting economic growth and job creation in South Africa. However, when compared to other…
Lewis Thomas, Partners Hair Design, 2010 and 2011 Finalist For Lewis Thomas, entrepreneurship is a trait he was born with.…
Making it in the tourism industry New tourism statistics paint quite a rosy picture of an industry that is under…
Family businesses weather recession Family owned businesses are made of strong stuff according to a new survey. The PwC Family…
“Entrepreneurs need to take their rightful place as role models in South Africa so that when young people leave school…
How to close deals and deal with conflict In any business, partnership or joint venture, there will be conflict. Mostly,…
Long before the concept social media influencer became ubiquitous, a young marketer in London started…
Events such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the recent spate of riots have demonstrated how…
Wynand Geldenhuys was still at school when he sold his first computer programme. It was…