Best Practice Financial Management Principles of SMEs in South Africa The evolution of market dynamics accentuated the focus of large corporate enterprises towards the emerging world in search of growth and competitive advantage (Miller & Shamsie, 1996). Globalization and Information Communication Technology (ICT) development are at the forefront of...

I recently attended a seminar on Business Rescue – part of the New Companies Act (Did you know there was a new Companies Act?). It enables companies to remain in business when things are not looking good. Effectively, it suspends all creditors claims (including SARS although SARS may not agree)...

A snippet from my new group on Facebook: Entrepreneurs United.  Please join me if you want to stay up to date on similar self-help articles: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Entrepreneurs-United/303075119784673 Outcome: The goal of this series of articles is to find the quickest, simplest and easiest method to create a clear over-all understanding of...

What most people in business don’t realise is that you can try to drive the staff or push the staff but cannot do that if his goals of your staff are misaligned with your corporate/company goal. Without understanding the habits and behaviours, and what drives your employees and yourself it will...

Bookkeeping is a skill that is sadly overlooked in many small businesses and entrepreneurial ventures, because business owners try to minimise expenditure on “extras”. However, bad financial management – both on the large and small scales – leads to the closure of over half of all new business venture. In this...

The re-usable cloth nappy would actually be the perfect solution to replace disposables when babies/toddlers are at daycare or preschool. But why are schools so dead set against it? The steps in using a reusable cloth nappy are pretty simple.  You put the nappy on like you do a disposable...

Although this article covers what President Obama and America are doing for small business, I thought I'd post it as small businesses form the backbone of any economy...These points are valid in South Africa as our small businesses are so important to our economy....

Today President Obama travelled to Seattle, Washington and met with three local small business owners, Senator Patty Murray and Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke in a roundtable discussion about strengthening the economy and creating jobs. The President met with Gillian Allen-White, owner of Grand Central Bakery in Seattle and Portland; Tiffany Turner, owner of the Discovery Coast Inn in Long Beach; and Joe Fugere, owner of Tutta Bella Neapolitan Pizzeria in Seattle.  

The news that ESCOM will increase 24.8% this year, 25.8% in 2011 and 25.9% in 2012. What does this actually mean?
For every R1 of electricity you spend today, after the three hikes you will spend R1.98 in 2012, that mean basically that your electricity bill will be doubled.

The good part is that is it not 35%, the increase per annum that Escom was looking for.

According to Nersa (National Energy Regulator) that approved the increase, the effect on inflation will be less than 1.5% per annum.

Pravan Gordham first budget was a difficult one and although he had not much to play with he did give some relief for the man in the street. Here is the things he did not say but that will have an effect on everybody:

Target Marketing   Have you heard the term; Target Marketing?  And have you actually explored its awesome potential to increase your profits and exposure?  Perhaps we should start at the very beginning and explore exactly what Target Marketing really is. Definition: Target Marketing involves breaking a market into segments and then...

Did you know that all marketing is emotionally driven?  When you watch an advert on TV, such as a fast food advert, pay attention to when they advertised this product to you.  I guarantee it was at breakfast, lunch time or just before dinner time.  Why do they do that? ...

The Rule of 1% is simply defined as adding to your customer service one percent at a time. Before you can do this you must have your consistency perfected or it will never work. This one percent may seem small, but if you approach the vision for your company with...

Why is cash flow so important? Cash flow is the lifeblood of any business. Cash is absolutely critical in the growth and well being of a business. Business owners must plan and prepare for all future events and market changes. The most important aspect of planning is effective cash flow management....

Why starting small may be the right thing for you? “Big dreams, to do big things” These word simply describe just how each and every one of us entrepreneurs start off. Most of us want to change the world, bring an innovative product into the market that will grow into a...

Wellness programs are becoming increasingly popular in the workplace, as employers realize the direct correlation between healthy employees and overall company happiness. Having healthy and happy employees leads to increased productivity, reduced sick leave, reduced health care costs and higher talent retention. Although organizing wellness programs for employees will require time...

We often hear the cliché, “Just be yourself.” What does it really mean to be “your authentic self” and why is it so important? Everyone, at some point in their lifetime, looks in the mirror and does not recognise the reflection. We realise that we are strangers to ourselves and begin...

“Just let me close off and finish everything before year end and I will get back to you next year” echoes through the phone lines around the world. This got me thinking that we live in increments of 12, further divided into smaller, bite size increments which assist us cope with stresses though-out our lives – we are well conditioned that January arrives like a knight in shining armor with a clean slate in hand and a plethora of new beginnings! So lets do exactly that, unwrap the New Year box and allow a fresh start and new look at how we can do things better in 2012!

A JOURNEY OF INTROSPECTION
TO SELF HEALING
Shahah's Ladder is a seven day program that takes the participant on an internal journey to find the healer within. This allows one the opportunity to heal many illnesses, at physical, mental and emotional planes. This program is in effect a planned journey undertaken to try to un-manifest the toxic nature that covers who you really are and helps to rediscover that which is you and yours once again, in abundance.

Using size filters on Google Images can help you find pictures that are the perfect fit for your task. For example, if you're searching for a new desktop background like [jellyfish wallpaper], you'll want a rich, crisp image. Under Search tools, filter for large images, such as Larger than 2...

These days your business website is often the first impression new potential customers will have of your business. So it really makes sense to spend some time thinking about how best to present your business information, products or services and also how visitors to your new website will interact with this...

Work from home opportunities are a dime a dozen these days, and deciding on just one system can be a daunting task. But, you can be successful and grow your work from home business opportunity if you have a comprehensive model to follow. Working from home opportunities seem to be...

The internet had truly changed the way people around the World interact, discuss issues and do business. We are truly closer to each than ever before in the history of our modern world. From the internet came about web 2.0I will be talking about web 2social networking sitesblogswikisvideo sharingsites, hosted services,...

It�s time to join the World�s most successful social media website after google. The Facebook phenomenal. Social had changed the way we communicate and do business in the internet age and Facebook is at the full front of this change. Never seen before a social networking site created for students...

INGOING AND OUTGOING INSPECTIONS

What are ingoing and outgoing inspections? Do they have to be done when letting a property? Who must do them? When? What must be inspected? What happens if they are not done? To answer these questions...

ENLISTING A LETTING AGENT...

Why use a Letting Agent? What do Letting Agents usually charge / what is the cost involved? How do I choose a Letting Agent? What should I look for? To answer these questions...

Make 2012 the year that counts. Take charge of your personal finances. Begin your financial planning, by taking stock and working out your budget. Cut down on all the unnecessary expenses, and start working on a plan to settle all the expensive credit card loans etc. Review current portfolio and retirement plans....

“Efiling has become a very popular way of submitting or completing tax returns in South Africa” says Raimond Lamprecht of Lamprecht & Co Accounts. It is an easy and time saving process which is quick processing, anywhere-anytime filing, accurate data in return, no long queues and no personal interface.


Taxpayers can register for efiling for whatever tax returns they need with SARS with their own password and username. After an easy registering process they can download the necessary forms and complete it online. The completed forms can firstly be saved if you would like to make alterations to the return,  or can be filed directly. They can then print the returns for personal filing although it will always be available on the SARS system.

Saving extra cash monthly is probably one of the hardest things to do, but it's the number one rule you must obey in order to be able to invest in assets and be able to build passive that will generate even more money.

We have compiled some quick tips in our February issue of WealthWise magazine to help you finally decide to save and open a savings account as a first step to your financial freedom.

WealthWise is South Africa’s first free digital magazine about wealth, wealth management, business and investments. We are offering  easy-to-use, accessible and practical advice, tips and tricks on how to take your wealth to the next level. In other words, WealthWise focuses on financial education and ways of achieving wealth, but...

How to free yourself from the debt trap 9.6 million credit active consumers had negative payment records in December 2009 according to the latest Credit Bureau Monitor Reports. Hundred of thousands of newly purchased cars are being re-possessed by the banks every month – proof of consumers still living beyond their means.

Spring clean your computer By Colin Thornton, MD and founder of Dial a Nerd We’ve all come across it. A once sprightly computer system that actually did something when you clicked on an icon devolves into a machine with a response time that makes a dial-up connection in the 90s...

  I’ve been trying to get assistance from many places and organisations. I’m not sure if it has to do with my letter but I’m constantly getting rejected or even no response at all. Could you assist me in any way? I was refered to you by Donald Phejane from Corptrain....

What is cloud computing? Originally “the cloud”, was a metaphor for the internet. These days with “public clouds”, “community clouds”, “private clouds”, “hybrid clouds”, etc, the answer is no longer quite so simplistic.

In celebration of Madiba's 92nd birthday we would like to contribute to a small business that is doing good in their local community. We would like to sponsor a worthy small business products and services to the value of R10 000. This sponsorship will run yearly as our Madiba day contribution....