SA Guide to Business Opportunities Vol. 10.1 by SA Guide to Business Opportunities

M A G A Z I N E Publishing Editor: Warwick Smith-Chandler warwick@saguides.co.za Publisher’s Assistant: Cat Robinson cat@saguides.co.za Deputy Editor: Jo Kromberg Restaurant Food Opportunity Editor: John Kilian johnk@saguides.co.za Design and Production: Ikhala Graphics, Shawn Hancock Advertising Executive: Rory McClean rory@saguides.co.za Marketing Assistant and Events Co-ordinator: Lena Raman lena@bizassist.co.za Online Campaign Manager: Cat Robinson catr@bizassist.co.za Events & Database Admin: Abongile Mapapu abongile@bizassist.co.za Editorial Contributors: Katja Hamilton, Julian Phillips, Scott Gerber, Toby Bennett, Elna Jennings, Steve Curr Subsciptions: R200 for 1 year (6 issues) R375 for 2 years (12 issues) Address your subscriptions to: PO Box 44214, Claremont, 7735 subs@saguides.co.za Published by: BizTech PO Box 44214, Claremont, 7735 Tel: (021) 761 1091 Printed by: Creda Press Distributed by: RNA Distribution

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SA GUIDE TO BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES VOL 10, # 1

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FROM THE EDITOR

An Attitude of Gratitude Over the years my lead article has been an opportunity to spread my views about issues pertaining to South-African entrepreneurs. Attitude in business is the one area that will always separate successful businesses from the rest. When considering material for my lead piece Dr Brian Jude submitted his article on attitude which appears verbatim below. He has said it much better than I ever could – so with a break in tradition I have for the first time in our history adopted someone else’s article as my lead. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Okay, enough doom and gloom, let’s get down to business and talk solutions. We will be examining five ways, to become really responsible and to improve our attitude dramatically. •

You ask for well done, and you get it raw! You want to change a shirt for a larger size, and you’re harassed about not having a cash slip. You order 100, and get 10 delivered instead. And then..... while waiting for a solution and an apology, you’re given the age old favourite, “Don’t blame me, I only work here” excuse instead. Sadly, we’re all too familiar with stories like these and many others that spell out the sorry state of customer service that is found so often throughout commerce and industry. Is the whole of commerce and industry suffering from stinking thinking and B.A. -Bad Attitude? People come to work with faces that look like they’ve been sucking dilute hydrochloric acid. They try to get away with doing the minimum while demanding the maximum. People are seeing their job as a right, and not as a privilege. And this is happening at ALL levels within organisations today. The problem, in a word is “ATTITUDE!” A company is only as good as its people. Products, systems, advertising and premises only provide a structure that allows a business to operate. It’s the people that determine the success or failure of the company. From the managing director to the driver, the receptionist to the accounts clerk. Everyone is responsible for the success, and yes, even the survival of an organisation.

•

The first way is to become proactive. Instead of waiting for things to happen and then reacting, rather become proactive and prevent unpleasant situations from arising in the first place. People are often so busy running around putting out fires, that they don’t have enough time for creating fire breaks. We are all very well aware of the problems and potential disaster areas within our organisation. And usually long before they actually occur. So instead of using our time and energies correcting situations, we need to try to prevent them from happening. The second way to become more responsible is to educate yourself. Here I’m referring to product knowledge, knowledge of company systems, and knowledge of the industry and communication skills. School is never out for the professional. Knowledge equals power. The more we know, the better equipped we are to service our customers. As we demand 100 percent product knowledge from our brain surgeon, so also should our customers be able to make the same demand of us. As a professional, anything less than 100 percent is not good enough.

As we all know so well, a company is only as good as the weakest member of the team. If there is one person who is not a team player, and they are pulling in a different direction to the rest of us, it affects the overall performance of the team. Ask yourself the question… Are you perhaps that person? Are you always moaning about things, and swimming against the current? •

And lastly, number five. Develop an attitude of gratitude. If you have a job and are putting bread on the table you need to be thankful for that. Instead of grumbling and moaning about what the company is NOT doing for you, rather concentrate on what they are doing. The unemployment figures in South Africa are high, and those that are bringing money home have a lot to be grateful for.

I believe everyone should take a once a month cruise past the many squatter camps and slums that exist around the towns, and pause for a moment to watch how those people are living. What they have and the difficulties that they have to contend with. Perhaps then an attitude of gratitude may be easier to develop and understand.

Now, number three. Become self employed. By that I mean develop an attitude that the company that you work for is your own business. Nothing is better designed to improve attitudes and of course in turn behaviour, than this point.Think about it for a moment. If you were working for yourself, how would you answer the phone? How would you talk to your customers? What would your service levels be? Now, I’m willing to bet that there would be a dramatic improvement.

If people would look to see how they can give more service… how they can become more responsible for both their own personal future as well as that of the company, we will all be well on our way to success.

The fourth way to become more responsible is to become a team player.

Warwick Smith-Chandler

Dr Brian Jude is a professional speaker/ trainer who addresses issues of Attitude, customer service, communication, stress, and conflict. He can be reached on (011)485-2150

NEWS AND TECH REVIEWS News from the Smartphone frontline The pace of change is breathtaking, today’s winners could easily be tomorrows losers. Listed below are the defining worldwide trends that currently dominate the smartphone landscape.

Smartphone’s Gain Traction among ‘Early Majority’ Driving Mobile Media Consumption Smartphone’s gained rapid adoption among mainstream consumer segments across markets. Nearly 42 percent of all U.S. mobile subscribers now use Smartphone’s, along with 44 percent of mobile users across the EU5 (comprised of France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the UK). Mobile media usage – defined as browsing the mobile web, accessing applications, or downloading content – saw a surge in activity and surpassed 50 percent penetration in many markets, supported by the proliferation of high-speed networks and increased public WiFi availability.

Smartphone Platform Wars Intensify As Android and Apple Take the Lead in Most Markets The Google Android and Apple iOS Smartphone platforms emerged as the leaders of the U.S. Smartphone market in 2011, with Android capturing just shy of half the Smartphone market and iOS accounting for nearly 30 percent of the market, ousting other platforms in the process. Android’s rapid rise is notable given its relatively recent emergence on the scene. In the EU5, Android saw similarly significant gains, unseating market leader Symbian in 3 out of the 5 European markets measured. But the platform race is far from over as other players fight to reclaim market share. Under new leadership, RIM held on to the leading position in Canada’s Smartphone market, albeit followed closely by iOS. Microsoft took steps to rebuild its platform share with a Nokia partnership in the works and the launch of its Metro user interface across multiple devices.

Surge in Mobile App Usage Shapes a Dual Mobile Browsing Experience, Fueling Category Growth Along with the growth in Smartphone adoption, investment in mobile applications by publishers has fueled increasing app usage among total mobile users. In 2011, both the U.S. and EU5 saw strong growth in the usage of apps, reaching parity with the mobile browser audience by year’s end. Health ranked as the fastestgrowing mobile media category in the U.S. in 2011, followed by Retail and other commerce-related categories such as Electronic Payments and Auction Sites. Continued on page 6

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Continued from page 5

‘Smart Shoppers’ Disrupt Traditional Retail as Smartphone’s Enter Brick-and-Mortar Stores More than half of the U.S. Smartphone population used their phone to perform retail research while inside a store in 2011, illustrating the emergence of savvy Smartphone shoppers who bring online shopping behaviors in-store. At the end of 2011, nearly 1 in 5 Smartphone users scanned product barcodes and nearly 1 in 8 compared prices on their phone while in a store. Male and female Smartphone users exhibited mobile retail behaviors to differing degrees, as females were more likely to use their devices to share their shopping experience socially while males were more likely to do product research. As mobile retail usage grows not just in the U.S. but also across other markets, retailers face the challenge of understanding how audiences interact with their mobile devices while shopping to take advantage of any opportunities to increase customer conversion.

Mobile Devices Fuel Social Networking On-TheGo, Driving Real-Time Online Interaction With the means to connect on-the-go, mobile users have not only adopted real-time social networking on their devices at a growing rate but they are doing so with increasing frequency. 64.2 million U.S. Smartphone users and 48.4 million EU5 Smartphone users accessed social networking sites or blogs on their mobile devices at least once in December 2011, with more than half of these mobile social networking users accessing social media almost every day. While mobile social networking users showed the highest propensity to read posts from people they knew personally, more than half of those in the U.S. and nearly half in the EU5 also reported reading posts from brands, organizations, and events. With people increasingly using social networking sites not just to interact with their friends but also with brands and organizations, this platform will only grow in importance for those advertisers seeking to engage their social networking audiences through mobile with location-based services.

Mobile Connectivity and Connected Devices Encourage Cross-Platform Digital Media Consumption among ‘Digital Omnivores’ Tablets quickly rose in popularity in 2011, taking less than two years to reach nearly 40 million tablets in use among the U.S. mobile population, significantly outpacing Smartphones which took 7 years to reach similar levels of adoption. By the end of 2011, nearly 15 percent of U.S. mobile users also had tablets – a trend seen across other markets as well. Combining portability with powerful computing functionality in a sleek, user-friendly package, tablets have emerged as the fourth screen, heralding a shift to an increasingly multi-device lifestyle that is becoming the norm for many consumers we call “digital omnivores” who engage seamlessly with multiple online touch points throughout a day. Even when accessing the same content, each device has very different peak usage times throughout a typical day, highlighting their varying use cases and value propositions to the digitally-connected consumer.

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UPCOMING EVENTS DIY Marketing Success Conference & Workshop

Dates: 10 – 11 April 2012 Location: Cape Town, Western Cape Venue: Bandwidth Barn (5th Floor), 125 Buitengracht Street, Cape Town Tel: 021 761 2531 Web: www. diymarketingsuccess.co.za Small Business & Finance Expo

Dates: 03 – 05 May 2012 Location: Soweto, Gauteng Venue: Walter Sisulu Square, Kliptown Tel: 087 808 0921 Web: www. smallbusinessfinance.co.za Marketing Indaba Conference & Expo

Dates: 09 – 10 May 2012 Location: Cape Town, Western Cape Venue: CTICC Tel: 021 855 4750 Web: www.marketingindaba. com IFBOS: International Franchise and Business Opportunities Show

Dates: 23 - 25 March 2012 Location: Nairobi, Kenya Venue: Kenyatta International Conference Centre Tel: +254 02 213 3048 Web: www.ifbos.com My Business Conference & Expo - Joburg

Date: 29 March 2012 Location: Midrand, Gauteng Venue: Gallagher Convention

SA GUIDE TO BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES VOL 10, # 1

Date: 20 - 22 July 2012 Location: Midrand, Gauteng Venue: Gallagher Convention Centre Tel: 031 765 4286 Web: www.dogscats.co.za

Centre Tel: 0861 726 722 Web: www.mybizexpo.co.za/ joburg.html

Markex CT IFE Dates: 17 - 19 May 2012 Location: Sandton, Gauteng Venue: Sandton Convention Centre Tel: 011 615 0359 Web: www.ife.co.za

Markex JHB Dates: 12 - 14 June 2012 Location: Sandton, Gauteng Venue: Sandton Convention Centre Tel: 011 835 1565 Web: www.markex.co.za

My Business Conference & Expo - Durban Date: 21 June 2012 Location: Durban, KwaZulu Natal Venue: Southern Sun Elangeni Hotel, Durban Tel: 0861 726 722 Web: www.mybizexpo.co.za/ durban.html

East Africa Business Summit Date: 20 July 2012 Location: Sandton, Gauteng Venue: Hilton Hotel Tel: 011 678 3908 Web: www.eastafricabse.com World of Dogs and Cats Expo

Date: 23 - 25 August 2012 Location: Cape Town, Western Cape Venue: Cape Town International Convention Centre Tel: 011 835 1565 Web: www.markexcape.co.za HobbyX

Dates: 6 - 9 September 2012 Location: Midrand, Gauteng Venue: Gallagher Convention Centre Tel: 011 478 3686 Web: www.hobby-x.co.za BOFE

Dates: 13 - 16 September 2012 Location: Northriding, Gauteng Venue: Coca Cola Dome Tel: 011 549 8300 Web: www.bofe.co.za My Business Conference & Expo - Cape Town

Date: 27 September 2012 Location: Cape Town, Western Cape Venue: Grand West Casino Tel: 0861 726 722 Web: www.mybizexpo.co.za/ capetown.html

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HOT OPPORTUNITIES

Compiled by Cat Robinson

(The SA Guides team apologises for supply of incorrect contact information for HomeChoice in our previous issue.) Founded in 1985, HomeChoice has gone from strength to strength to become southern Africa’s leading catalogue retailer. Our exclusive range of homewares includes something for every room in your home, be it the bedroom, kitchen, bathroom or lounge. Thousands of satisfied customers shop with us every month, by phone, fax, mail and online.

Now you can be a part of this legacy too – HomeChoice is giving YOU the opportunity to become a Sales Agent. As a Sales Agent, you will market our top quality homewares to customers, and earn commission on every sale you make! You choose your working hours and your customers – it’s entirely up to you. There is NO COST to you and of course HomeChoice will be there with you every step of the way, providing FREE advice, training and selling tools – everything you need to generate as much commission as possible. Don’t waste any time. Call us on 0861 466 324 to sign up today. It’s FREE! Alternatively, send an e-mail to salesagents@ homechoice.co.za

HOME BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES IN THE BUTTON AND BADGE MAKING BUSINESS

You can create professional looking designs with our button and badge making machines and cash in on button and badge sales!

Looking for the freedom, flexibility and earning potential of operating your own business without investing thousands of dollars? BadgeWorks is the answer! Our buttons are easy to make and bring a high return on investment. Opportunities for business are limited only by your imagination. You are only limited by your imagination and your desire to make money! Become successful in your town or city in the home business opportunity of making buttons and badges. Let our 10 years of experience in the button and badge making world help you cash in on the button and key ring explosion that is now happening world wide! We have set up many people around the world who have gone into the home business opportunity of making buttons and badges, either full time or part time- to supplement their income! Remember your success is our goal, and we can show you the way. This is not a franchise- no fees are paid! You simply buy into a way to succeed in making money with only a small investment! WHO BUYS BUTTONS AND BADGES? Many businesses and individuals! Customers in the button and badge making business include: Event Promotion – Political - Employee Motivation - Product Advertisements Fund Raising - School Awards - Sporting Events - Sales Help in Stores Photo Pins - Awards - Group Functions - Carnivals - Religious Functions - Parties - Mall Stands Ad Promotions Birthday Parties, etc.

TO WHOM WOULD I SELL BUTTONS AND BADGES? Churches - Synagogues - Schools - Movie Theaters, Retail Stores - Restaurants - Political Parties - Groups - Fund Raisers Manufacturers of Products - Musical Groups - Auto Dealerships ...and the list goes on!

NAIL-WORKS BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY

It’s quick , it’s fun, can be done at home at work in your own salon or even at your clients home. Enter the glamour world of Nail-Works nail printer. Priced at R9750 this remarkable machines produces high quality finger and toenail finishes. With thousands of designs to choose from and an extremely high profit margin the Nail-Works printer is your ideal profit companion. Take it anywhere and with a set up time of minutes and super profits and short application times – profits are amazing. Nail printing is the most innovative concept to hit the fashion market for almost 50 years. Be part of this international growth trend. In March 2012 The UK’s BBC released the following nail bar report. A survey of 500 town centres by retail analyst the ‘Local Data Company’ suggests chain stores that have closed are being replaced by small shopkeepers with Nail bars leading the growth figures – up 16.5%. No artistic experience or capability is required. Just choose the nail design and print. It’s as simple as that. In fact there is no other business like it. Included in your purchase price is all the equipment an tools needed. In that includes sales material. Training is provided although you will be required to have your own PC or notebook /tablet computer. For more information on this hot new and innovative business opportunity please contact 0829798014 0r sales1@prodesigns.co.za or visit www.prodesigns.co.za Nail-works is a ProDesigns Business Opportunity.

Start up cost from only R1995. Designs supplied - or can be designed on any computer. The greatest fun business in South Africa sale1@prodesigns.co.za ph 0829798014 A ProDesigns Group Business Opportunity.

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SA GUIDE TO BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES VOL 10, # 1

HOT OPPORTUNITIES A SIGN OF THINGS TO COME Looking for a fabulous business opportunity? Have you considered buying into Retail Vision? Retail Vision is a broad reaching brand of signage solutions, which is fast changing the way small businesses market themselves. Suppliers of hi-tech Multi Poster Display Systems, this fast-growing enterprise is helping more and more SME businesses achieve maximum exposure for their products at value-for-money ad-spends. Featured on shop floors and high pedestrian traffic areas, this system displays 15 images in the ‘space’ normally occupied by one static image. Its movement is 500% more noticeable than static displays, and the repetitive exposures allow for up to 85% more brand-memory retention. Surveys have demonstrated that motion displays are 51% to 102% more effective than static displays in generating sales and awareness.

Compiled by Cat Robinson

PLAY IT SAFE – OR NOT

Safe Working Practice is a network of business consultants who set out to advise businesses and organisations on best-practice measures related to safety procedure and regulations as set out in the Occupational Health and Safety Act. The services offered by Safe Working Practice comprise, among others, the preparation of safety documentation such as safety plans, safety files and risk assessments; carrying out safety inspections and audits of sites, providing recommendations for compliance with legislation and presenting tailor-made safetytraining courses. Safe Working Practice is the only company that offers an online and electronic reporting system nationally.

“Each display can bring in between R1000 and R2500 in ad revenue per month. Each display therefore pays for itself in a very short timespan,” said David Mark, founder of Retail Vision. Established in 1999, Retail Vision currently has 150 displays countrywide. It aims to grow its partners by a further 20 by 2013. The entry level cost per unit is R12 000 +VAT which is a special introductory price to help you establish your business as easily as possible. Partners receive a business pack complete with marketing material and proven strategies for success. You are also supplied with equipment for servicing your displays and training and on-going mentorship is provided. This opportunity suits an ambitious, flexible, social person who is good at maintaining client relationships. No previous entrepreneurial experience is required. Contact David Mark on 083 400 3371 or email him on info@ retailvision.co.za. Alternatively visit www.retailvisionindoor.com

“We assist the owner, the staff and the public to work in a safe environment and to minimize any potential risk of any accident happening. We ensure that, in the event of any incident, that all reasonable measures are in place and that, should there be any claims for damages, the insurers have no reason not to pay out,” said Chris Oosthuizen, Director of Safe Working Practice. As all workers should be given the information and training they need by law, the service provided by Safe Working Practice is essential. To this end, new clients are guaranteed daily clients and franchisees are assured of a good financial turnaround as their money is not tied up in stock or products. This makes buying into a Safe Working Practice franchise highly lucrative. “As long as we have people who own businesses in this everdeveloping country, Safe Working Practice will remain one of the most financially stable business opportunities one can invest in,” said Oosthuizen. Safe Working Practice is approved and underwritten as a franchise supplier by FNB. The price of a franchise is R350 000 (excl VAT) and includes all costs and accredited training, as well as market and client support. If you are people orientated, ambitious, consistent, service orientated and a team player then this business opportunity could be yours. Give John Kilian a call on 021 979 2410 or 076 509 4590, or email him on franchise@safepractice.co.za. Visit www.safepractice.co.za SA GUIDE TO BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES VOL 10, # 1

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HOT OPPORTUNITIES

Compiled by Cat Robinson

SA travel website a booming online franchise For a franchise opportunity of a lifetime you won’t want to miss out on this fabulous opportunity. ShowMe™, launched by Bev and Graham Theobald in August 2010, is one of South Africa’s most comprehensive online travel portals. It offers readers everything they need to know about towns and cities in South Africa. Each page is jam-packed with current local news and events calendars, pertinent to each town, as well as the area’s accommodation listings, the best restaurants and the hottest properties up for grabs. With a web page dedicated to each town, and already 40 towns and cities featured, this is a ‘one-stop’ online platform that tourists are flocking to when planning their holiday to South Africa and that locals are finding a pleasure when organising an out-oftown weekend getaway. The secret to this resourceful web tool? Each ShowMe™ webpage is owned by a franchisee. “To this end, ShowMe™ is the only multi-national franchised network of

websites and our unique business model offers you the opportunity to start your own, sustainable business in the fastest growing industry in the world with relatively minimal capital required,” said Graham. With license fees ranging from R75 000 to R300 000, you too could be part of this group of forward thinkers. The ShowMe™ head office will supply you with the web-page infrastructure, hosting, Search Engine Optimisation and full technical back-up. In return, you will be able to easily load your own content, ad listings and banner advertising on your page. All ad revenue collected will be directed to the ShowMe™ head office of which you will receive a percentage. “If you have time to dedicate to this great idea – do. You never know what growth you could achieve if you start working on it today,” said Graham.

New franchisees get to enjoy a full week of training in Plettenberg Bay. Training covers complete technical management of the website, sales and marketing, and sourcing of content. A complete business pack and comprehensive online operating manuals are provided. For further information contact Franchise Development Manager, Yolandi Badenhorst on 044 533 6289 and 076 111 8674, or email her at yolandi@showme.co.za. Visit www.showmefranchising.co.za

RESTAURANT AND FOOD OPPORTUNITIES

Fast food and mobile vending By John Killian

“A hotdog at a ballgame beats roast beef at the Ritz “ Humphrey Bogart. Lifestyle living has been adapted over the years to meet the ever-changing needs of the times we live in. Our modern hustle bustle way of life so often dictates the way we sleep, eat and socialize.

s much as an economic downturn has it negative effects, it also creates opportunities. In South Africa there are many such success stories - what was a means to an end for survival became a national brand or multiple franchise. Perhaps as an interesting introduction to fast foods, lets look at the history and origin of this phenomenon. The following extracts are from Albert Jack’s wonderful book “What Caesar Did for My Salad.” A quick history of fast food: Fast food goes hand in hand with modern living – people lacking the space or time to prepare food for themselves – and as the Romans are credited with the invention of the town, so it is most likely that they came up with the idea. In Roman cities much of the poorer communities were packed into insulae (islands in Latin) - multi storey apartment blocks built out of cheap materials – proving that high-rise accommodation is not such a new concept either. With little opportunity to cook for themselves without burning down the neighborhood, many had to depend on the food vendors for their meals. This wasn’t what we would recognize today as fast food: in the mornings, bread soaked in wine was eaten as a quick snack and cooked vegetable and stews were in demand later in the day but the idea behind it is the same. By the middle ages, all large towns and urban areas supported numerous vendors, providing a huge range of dishes. As in the cities of antiquity, these establishments catered for those without cooking facilities: workers, the poor, travelers and pilgrims. At a time when the daily diet of most people living in the British countryside consisted of simple fare such as PEASE PUDDING, the food on offer would have seemed highly sophisticated: the pilgrims in Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales (1387 – 1400), for instance, are constantly talking about snacks, and munch their way through everything from pasties and roasted onions to sweetmeats such as blancmange. This kind of food fascinated people living in rural areas, who had a much more limited and unimaginative diet. Even quite lowly folk in the cities had access to a huge variety of speedy meals. Then as now, it was all part of the instant gratification of urban life. ‘London Lickpenny’, a popular fifteenth-century poem, picks out many of the cries of the food sellers on the streets, who offer the narrator a whole range of cooked food, from ‘hot sheep’s feet and oysters’ to ‘ribs of beef and many a hot pie’. These precursors of the burger bars, fried-chicken outlets and kebab shops that litter (quite literally) today’s inner cities had only their owners’ voices and distinctive jingles to make them stand out from the crowd. As a consequence, London became notorious for the constant racket from vendors trying to drown each other out. As Joseph Addison wrote in the Spectator in

SA GUIDE TO BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES VOL 10, # 1

1711: ‘there is nothing which more astonishes a foreigner, and affrights a country squire, than the cries of London.’ Street hawkers were a popular subject for artists and by the middle of the 1700s, engraving of the ‘Cries of London’ had become all the rage. Likewise, their attention-grabbing cries were written down and collected, such as this one, taken from an eighteenthcentury primer: ‘Hot Mutton Dumplings – Nice Dumplings, all Hot. Hot Mutton Dumplings,’ this man cries. ‘What more could one desire, To save the trouble of making pies, Or puddings, and save your fire?’ Food Trailer Business Boom For the person who wants to open a restaurant, the brick and mortar issue can make it an impossible dream, with property and rentals being so expensive and risky. For many years, we have seen food trailers that park on street corners, in events grounds and parking lots and business parks. These business people run low overhead operations that are less expensive than rent and easily moved where the revenue will be best. It is like embracing a new food culture. The creativity and personal style of cuisine and the design of these rolling restaurants is a lifestyle which appeals which to many a family. Some of these are brightly painted to match the food they’re selling. Investing in one of these little mobile restaurants would present a multitude of opportunities. What may be a great venue this year may fade in time but now you are not stuck with rent and overheads. Pack up and move to the next venue and if this fades down the line there’s the venue somewhere else. People willing to work late hours can profit from the late nightclubs too. A well-placed coffee trailer can reap many profits through morning peak hour business. The start up investment for a trailer is around R25, 000. It’s possible to do it for less. Then it’s getting the proper licenses and permits where required. Look for auctions where you can find great bargains on catering equipment. Keep it as simple as possible – simple menu and manageable productivity and profits. Street food vendors today supply a range of foodstuffs from fire-roasted mielies on the cob to a gourmet schwarmas or pancakes. www.saguides.co.za

As a business opportunity it can be a low cost way of starting up a business. Many have started up out of desperation for extra income. There are many vendors who travel from venue to venue which in itself has become a lifestyle for them. Mobile food vending offers everything from hotdogs, burgers, chicken, Chinese, Thai, Mediterranean, as well as coffee-on-the go from a trailer to a fully equipped van. What about more variety of wraps style mobile stalls, for people who eat while they are driving, mobile curry stalls, healthy alternatives, organic variety, salads, Mediterranean style kebabs, soups and ice cream parlor mobile stalls? What about offering decent espresso and a selection of quality pastries, in the mobile market? The options are endless, and there are more than enough experts who can tailor design and manufacture mobile trailer units. Don’t wait for the mega trends from overseas to dominate the market. Follow through on your own ideas and meet the needs of the eating population. Street stalls and kiosks can meet the needs in an economic slowdown. Reviewing the costs and potential franchisable concepts, it presents itself as an efficient way of doing business almost anywhere. Opening a mobile street stall or kiosk does not require significant amounts of money. This way you can also offer and sell freshness that is easy to manage and control. Where to start? Well, like everything else, it starts with a plan. The bigger the outlay the more detailed the business plan should be. There are a number of trailer specialists who will assist you in designing a trailer to your specific requirements. There are companies such as Priclo, Venter, In Tempo Trailers to name a few. Other alternatives could be to get an engineering company to build one for you or find an old second hand caravan and convert it as required. One could always purchase a second hand vending trailer. Containers are another alternative too. But let’s review some valuable pointers first: Starting your mobile food business Many people dream of a work style that gives them independence, enjoyment and, at the same time, a decent income. But it still takes effort, careful planning and diligence. A few things to ponder in your planning: 1.

What are you selling? (ice cream, candyfloss, pancakes, burgers, Chinese, soup etc.). 2. Develop a menu. 3. Who is your target market? (general public or business, trading times etc.). 4. Who will operate the stand? 5. Due diligence and evaluate various venues and locations. 6. Select the menu (seasonal or general). 7. Design the correct trailer and research ideas 8. Cooking, serving and storage space requirements? 9. What catering equipment will you require? 10. Source your regular and reliable suppliers. 11. Enquire if you require licenses or permits. 12. Make sure you do your costings correctly. 13. How much capital do you require before turning a sustainable profit? 14. Do a dummy run. 15. Create an operations procedure. 16. Make sure you comply to Health and safety regulations. 17. Brand your trailer well. 18. Let the community know of your location – marketing and for expansion. 19. Will you require seating? 20. Will you require insurance? With this information you should be ready to roll!

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GREEN FEATURE

Sustainability and economics with renewable energy By Julian Phillips The more I become acquainted with the renewable sector, the more I realize that there are some key issues that need to be looked at, and they are not necessarily on the subject of renewable energy. After engaging in projects in this arena, I have come to realize that attitude plays a major part in whether people are interested in adopting or investing in renewable energy. It is often not the product in particular that affects the decision but more the adoption of a change in thinking from short term to long term. The main objective in writing this article is to encourage as many people to adopt and incorporate more sustainable solutions, not just for the planet but also for our own abundance and preservation. But soon I realized that this would naturally happen. Consider this world to be run like a business.

he same principles that run a successful business are the same principles that we should be adopting to sustain our own planet, for instance if we had to keep taking money out the till and spend it carelessly we would not have money left to buy new stock and eventually the business would run at a loss and fail. If you stick to a 5 to 10 year or even 20 year plan you will make sure you stay on track to expand your vision and execute the plan at key stages along the way. So the same applies to the way in which we should be sustaining our own planet. Now this is a clear example of how long term planning and action is needed to sustain any system. When it comes to nature we think that we are under the perception that everything is for free, but this attitude allows for us to be misguided and take things for granted, and has led to contributing to the degradation of natural systems that support us.These systems include polluting air, land, rivers, and sea. These are the very systems we rely on to survive. With the rapid growing population and everyone needing resources that are now being depleted, it seems very likely that it will be a rocky road for the next generation, unless some key visionary decisions are made. And as we can see from the result of COP17, we cannot rely on government and institutions to adopt any major changes in a hurry. So every time we drink a cup of coffee, a glass of water, shower, eat, take a breath of fresh air, climb in the car to go to work or any other basic thing that we take for granted, we are creating a footprint, and using natural resources that are running out. So we need to start asking ourselves how and what we can do to lessen our impact or put back resources. Every small effort we make, in a unified effort will make a big difference, and contribute to sustaining our current and next generation of activities on the planet. A couple of cents added up over a year can add up to a couple of thousand Rands, does this make cents? Some major shifts are already happening worldwide and as the natural resources decline, the cost of natural resources like food,

SA GUIDE TO BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES VOL 10, # 1

water, coal, oil, gas, metals, paper, wood, increase in price. And as the prices increase, the cost of renewable energy becomes more affordable which then leads to more investment, bringing the prices down further, creating more opportunities and leading to more product efficiencies and in turn creates more jobs. So as you can see, all of these stages will happen naturally. At this present stage there are a vast number of businesses that are currently profiting from this industry and count themselves among some of the fastest growing industries in the world today such as solar voltaic, solar heating, wind, hydro power, biogas, batteries and numerous ways of saving, storing and recycling energy. Let’s take a look at some of the advancements that have already been made with technology. Solar Voltaic – This technology has been around since the 1950s but has showed little progress on a large scale and due to its high cost and low efficiency it is put it into the bracket of the elite only. Now there are all kinds of breakthroughs in the production and efficiency of the actual cells, including the announcement of a 3d solar cell with estimated efficiency of 25% and more using the current technology of silicone to keep the prices down. Every time there is a breakthrough in technology, it brings the prices of old technology down, changing the costto-payback ratio. This will lead to more affordable systems that people are eagerly awaiting. There are many new and exciting technologies that are making breakthroughs in this field which will keep this technology moving forward into the future. Solar Heating – This is the most popularly adopted and widespread technology involving the heating of water from the sun and one of the more simple technologies of heating water instead of the artificial method of heating water with an element. The biggest adoption of this technology is incorporated with concentrated solar technologies like parabolic dishes and storing the energy in various methods to create 24/7 renewable energy for the first time without batteries. This technology already has efficiencies of 25% and above which makes it more attractive www.saguides.co.za

Energy Saving – This is a very broad market, and can be adopted in many different ways, from simply switching of unused appliances and devices, or controlling the switching on and off with modern senses and electronic devices, to a wide range of energy saving products, including geyser blankets, timers, more efficient motors, shower heads and lighting. Batteries play an important role in energy storage especially for solar voltaic and wind in home and business systems, so they are an integral part of storing energy for use when needed. They also play an important role in the development and refinement of the electric car, motorbike and bicycle and are therefore also in the forefront of technology with many breakthroughs being made every month with refining the current technologies to new methods. This is an exciting and revolutionary market with all kinds of possibilities coming to the surface. More and more companies are starting to invest in locally manufactured products and there are now local manufacturers producing solar panels, solar hot water systems, wind turbines and L.E.D lighting, helping to keep the technology local.

than photo voltaic cells since both efficiency and storage problems are resolved. This is a hot investor’s choice and I am sure we will continue to see growth and lower prices entering the market. Solar trackers are making both solar technologies more efficient but the extra cost has to be justifiable. Wind – There are many different ways to harness wind and just about any type of wind harnessing device has been thought of and made, some more successful than others. The advantage of wind is that it can harness large amounts of energy when conditions are favourable and can run day and night. Unfortunately these conditions are not predictable and to supply energy to the grid you need vast areas to harness the wind energy. Those areas need to be in the right location and feasibility studies with 2-3 years of wind data records and many other factors need to be taken into consideration, before it can be set up. Maintenance can also be expensive during the lifespan of the turbines. Even domestic installations need approval and noise pollution can also be a problem. You need the right height to harness the more constant and stable wind systems, making wind an expensive option. Some of the latest products in this field are high-flying inflatable kites like turbines that do not take up as much land space and can capture wind in the right places, making this also more avian-friendly. Even though there are challenges facing wind farms, there are many successful installations through the world and the industry is growing rapidly, making a positive contribution to the renewable energy mix.

Fluctuations in exchange rates, the cost of transport, damages and import duties and long waiting periods, make importing an expensive and risky business, but as long as there is a wide selection of quality products at a good price available, there will always be an import market. Even large corporations will choose to use countries that have inexpensive and highly productive methods of manufacturing products, to ensure low prices and volumes to meet demand. Until local manufacturers can offer the same quality experience and price ratios, we will continue to see imported products. We are still far from going off the grid completely, but the grid itself can be continually supported and upgraded with renewables, by bringing in many different sustainable energy methods, and adopting more efficient products, appliances and methods of saving energy. We can move towards phasing out our reliance on none sustainable fossil fuel and gas to generate electricity for the masses.This in turn will help move us towards a cleaner way of sustaining the grid for us and future generations. Localized production of green electricity in each area should be a priority in order to maximize efficiency, localize responsibility and maintenance, making each area more self-reliant. With the help of more and more individuals and businesses creating their own green electricity, and feeding back to the grid with excess, we can create and evolved self supporting systems with many different areas contributing and helping each other to make a balanced grid of green energy. In this way we will eradicate blackouts that affect many areas, due to inefficiencies and shortages. Knowing that our future generations do not have to suffer the consequences of our continued reliance on nonsustainable methods and harmful effects. We CAN empower ourselves for a cleaner, greener future.

Hydro Power – Hydro power has been successfully adopted in many countries and is a relatively cheap and easy way of harnessing energy once it has been set up. It also has the added benefit of giving large amounts of constant electricity production. This has made it a feasible and reliable contributor to renewable energy. The downside of hydropower is the limited amount of dams and lakes that can support this method. During the establishment of a dam for this particular method, it can result in whole ecosystems being damaged.

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WHEELS FOR THE NATION By Mike Blake Compiled by Katja Hamilton While a viable option, using public transport in South Africa has many drawbacks. Buses do not run to schedule and mini-bus taxies are driven recklessly. Yet, of the approximately 3.9 million public transport commuters, 63 per cent still opt to use the mini-bus taxi system, with some spending up to 50% of their monthly salary on transport. Now there is a way for public-transport commuters to reclaim their independence and the quality of their mobility, while not only saving money but being ambassadors of a ‘greener’ lifestyle. This thanks to the e-bike, which has taken off in China with over 140 million e-bikes in use there today. The e-bike - regulated with a 250W size motor - qualifies and is operated as a bicycle, and can cover long distances quickly with relative ease. It reaches speeds of 25 km/hr on a straight road under good weather conditions, and travels up to 45km without needing a recharge. More importantly, it requires no license to drive. For this reason, the e-bike is already in huge demand by tourists in this country. Security firms too, have cottoned on to the cost benefits.

If you’re looking to tap into this market as a business prospect, then look no further than Thula Lulu eBikes - an electric bicycle e-merchant. Here you’ll not get to source and sell the conversion kits for those people wishing to convert their existing bicycles into e-bikes. The basic prerequisites to owning such a dealership are to ensure you have a location where you can meet with customers and to have sound mechanical ability so that you can safely and professionally install the conversion kits on customer’s bicycles. Thula Lulu does, however, provide the option of installing conversion kits at R150 a bike. As a first-time dealer in these conversion kits, it would be ideal for you to have four kits on hand in order to have various sizes and options available to clients, but a minimum of two kits will need to be purchased at the start. One kit must be installed on your own bike so that you can become familiar with the process and the other – preferably a 250W motor for a 26” rim - should be kept in stock. As soon as you sell a kit, you’ll be able to order another from Thula Lulu’s head office. For each conversion kit sold you will get a 5% commission. For 10 orders or more you will get 8%. Potentially, you could potentially earn between R1000 to R2000 a week. If you are interested in obtaining a dealership license email Thula Lulu from www.thula-lula.co.za. In future, Thula Lulu will offer Skype lessons in repairing e-bikes. SA GUIDE TO BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES VOL 10, # 1

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GREEN FEATURE

How Green is your Carrot? By Elna Jennings The Green Economy will not only affect the way we do business, it will create a wave of opportunities ripe for the picking by visionary entrepreneurs who commit to a healthy planet, its people…and their pockets.

hese innovative green business leaders from both large and small companies use their success in business to achieve social and environmental change. Their emerging business models seek to preserve environmental quality, promote social equity, and stimulate sustainable economic growth. Richard Branson comes to mind. Having done his part in depleting the ozone layer, one can today call him an envirotrepreneur. After having made billions from Virgin Atlantic Airways, Virgin Trains, Virgin Limousines, and some 200 other Virgin brands he is now on a mission to make amends. In September this year he announced that he will donate all profits from Virgin’s transportation businesses during the next decade -- a sum that could exceed $3 billion -- to combating global warming. Then he and Al Gore set up a $25 million prize for the first inventor who develops a cost-effective way to extract greenhouse gases from the atmosphere. He has also partnered with Boeing and General Electric to produce a biofuel to power the jets of the future. An enviro-trepreneur indeed. South Africa is calling for innovative enviro-trepreneurs, today! Look no further than young mover and shaker, engineering student Siyabulela Xuza currently in his final year at Harvard University in the US. He intends developing a new “nanomaterial” for personalised energy systems with nano-enabled solar energy. But this may still be a few years in the making. South Africa currently faces two historic sets of challenges; one to our economy and the other to our environment. Unyielding unemployment currently stands at approximately 25% or 4.4million citizens without work in the third quarter of 2011. At the same time South Africa’s economy is also one of the most carbon-intensive economies globally. The emerging clean-energy economy addresses both challenges and offers a vehicle which simultaneously protects our natural resources and promotes sustainability, whilst also stimulating economic growth, innovation and job creation. With the world transfixed on the outcomes of the 17th UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP17) held in Durban recently, it is as clear as daylight that the world is facing a second industrial revolution, so to speak. Business models, especially those of energy-intensive industries need to be structured differently and re-evaluated. We are entering a post-petroleum age where an increased demand for renewable energy can potentially change the face of business forever. A low-carbon economy requires a fine balance of realistic targets (maybe not the very ambitious voluntary target SA has set itself under COP of a 34% reduction in CO2 emissions by 2020 and 42% by 2025), an investor and business friendly regulatory framework and buy-in from business, leadership and society at large.

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Though still very much in an incubation phase, the very complex and extremely diverse green economy is essentially dealing with the progressive and simultaneous introduction of technologies that are either being improved, developed or commercialised. “The economic merit of many of these technologies may only be fully established in years to come, opening up opportunities for the establishment of infant industries over time,” said DBSA’s Divisional Executive of Strategic Operations, David Jarvis. He spoke at the recent launch of The Green Jobs Report, a collaboration between the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC), Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA), and Trade and Industrial Policy Strategies (Tips). This 150-page report finds that there could be lucrative opportunities in construction, operations and maintenance, as well as the manufacturing of green technology components, such as those used in solar and wind power generation as well as solar water geysers. One such project, funded by the IDC’s Green Energy Efficiency Fund which funds projects ranging from R1mil – R50mil, is Solar Water Heaters (SWH). SWH is a financial intermediary that provides Solar Water Heaters on a lease-to-own agreement to private households and commercial buildings (e.g. guesthouses). Solar-water heating systems are one of the most cost-effective uses of solar energy in South Africa as they replace more than 40% of electric heated water. “Our mission is to make Solar Water Heaters (SWH) accessible and affordable. The Green Energy Efficiency Fund will enable Solar Network to roll out Solar Water Heaters to at least 400 households, by removing the challenge faced by many SA GUIDE TO BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES VOL 10, # 1

clients in financing the high upfront costs of SWH,” says Quinton Zunga, CEO of Solar Network. Solar heaters could contribute up to 23% towards the government’s target of renewable energy, contributing 10 000GWh of final energy consumption by 2013. However, the Department of Energy’s roll-out of its solar heater programme has not been without various challenges ranging from shoddy installations, high capital costs of the heaters and programme financing.

You have the power If you’re looking to cut your spending on electricity and to receive notifications when running low on prepaid electricity, then we have the ideal solution for you.

The Sustainable Energy Society of South Africa (Sessa) has been established as the industry’s ombudsman to monitor installation standards and advising on training and mediation on installations that are not working. The R12bn Green Energy Efficiency Fund includes R8, 3bn for renewable energy generation; R1bn for manufacturing downstream components; R800m for resources and waste management; and R1, 6bn for energy management. Renewable energy is driving a new economy, yet long-term decarbonization of South Africa’s economy will require substantial changes in the composition of energy use, moving from coal to lowcarbon resources. “When dealing with the climate change crisis, we can’t afford to have a short-term focus…90million tons of carbon dioxide are released into the atmosphere every 24 hours, and 20% of that will be there in 20,000 years”, said environmentalist, Al Gore who was speaking at the Discovery Invest Leadership Summit earlier this year. The government’s Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) lays out an ambitious agenda to increase power generating capacity by 2030, drawing on a broad array of options, including expansion of solar and wind power, nuclear, hydro (through regional cooperation) and natural gas, as well as new coal-fired capacity. Also, the IRP envisages securing a minimum of 711 MW of power generation capacity from combined cycle gas turbines, possibly using imported liquefied natural gas (LNG), which once legislation has passed, probably in 2012, could also become a lucrative opportunity for private energy companies. PetroSA, which is the largest employer on the Garden Route, is fully aware of the affect of their carbon footprint and the impact of their sustainability commitment in the region and has therefore spent over R200 million on community projects in social, environmental and economic spheres across South Africa since 2003, with R40 million having been allocated in 2010 alone. Most recently, in May this year, the company announced a R8.5 million initiative to improve environmental management and community development specifically in the Mossel Bay area. Mossel Bay plays a critical role in the regional economy, with petrochemicals as one of its main economic activities, and can take a leading role in shaping a sustainable future especially of all small towns on the Garden Route. In summary, on a macro, micro, global, national and regional basis, renewable energy is the economic driver of the future. Elna Jennings is Managing Director of Blueprint Biotech LAB, a biotech company with an industrial portfolio focusing on turnkey renewable energy solutions in e.g. biofuel, bioethanol, biogas etc. As part of her social commitment, she is also involved in developing sustainable economic models for small town regeneration Southern Africa. She is a sought-after speaker and commentator on topics relating to economic and social upliftment as well as entrepreneurship development and global economic trends. Contact her: elna@blueprintbiotechlab.co.za/ 083 228 6959 SA GUIDE TO BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES VOL 10, # 1

The Homebug is a web-based tool that enables you to monitor the energy consumption of your lights, pool, irrigation system and geyser. The unit transfers data to a web platform where you’re immediately able to view detailed graphs of hourly, weekly and monthly feedback on these areas of power usage via either your desktop computer or Smartphone. “Information is provided in a clear, fun and easy to understand way enabling you to troubleshoot the energy drains in your home, even when you’re not at home. This allows each household to make the changes necessary to reduce their electricity usage accordingly and in turn to save money,” said Neil Rudden, founder of Homebug. This is particularly useful with hot water cylinders that comprise approximately 30% of a household’s total electricity consumption. In this instance, Homebug enables you to control when the hot-water cylinder is on, and the temperature required. This allows you to create schedules to suit your household’s hot-water needs and to save money while you’re at it. The greatest cost savings, however, are to be had with irrigation systems. The Homebug system is cued by daily precipitation forecasts powered by World Weather Online. Homebug pre-empts upcoming rain and configures your irrigation systems to automatically switch off for 24 hours during that time. This results in a direct Rand saving. “We believe strongly that the only way to save energy is to understand how your home is consuming energy. With our solution, we put the user back in control of their energy usage,” said Neil. A standard monitoring unit is priced at R800 while a monitoring service costs a mere R35 a month. In addition, respective units are available to monitor the power usage of your pool, hot-water cylinder and irrigation system. If you’re looking to be an agent of this fantastic product, which is sold online, call 021 554 1171 or 074 131 7625 (all hours). Visit www.homebug.co.za www.saguides.co.za

Top Opportunity – ITS Solar ITS Solar was established six years ago and is a professional manufacturer and international supplier of solar hot water systems and heat pump technologies with more than 20 years of experience in the various technologies.

ith its head-quarters in Cape Town, ITS has depots throughout South Africa and neighbouring countries, supplying over 400 companies – from retailers, distributors, solar installers and pool maintenance companies. ITS pride themselves on their unrivalled knowledge and technical expertise in the water heating industry and are pioneers in this regard. The idea of establishing a franchise network to gain greater control of the sales and marketing of the product and especially of the customer experience management process and installation quality was conceived in mid-2011. ITS Retail and Commercial was registered as a separate company to develop the franchise division and has quickly grown to a network of 22 branches throughout South Africa and their goal is to increase this footprint to 40 branches by mid-2012. Heat Pump technology is well established in both the residential and commercial sectors in South Africa. ITS has been supplying systems for the last six years and is the leading company in terms of units supplied over this period. The residential sector was given a big boost early in 2011 when Eskom started providing a rebate to consumers who purchased residential systems, making it much more affordable to acquire a system. The main shareholders of the ITS franchise division have extensive experience in both franchise operations and the renewable energy sector through their previous involvement with one of the leading solar franchise networks. There was clearly a gap in the market for a heat pump supplier with a national footprint who would implement systems to ensure very high installation standards and on-going support for customers. Hence the concept to establish a franchise network with a focus on customer service excellence and high quality installations was actioned. Without question, selecting franchisees with the right profile and attitude to buy into our vision and customer experience management standards has been the biggest challenge. In the first six months since establishing the business, they have personally interviewed over 100 applicants and selected only 22. Their approach is to only select those candidates who they believe will be successful in promoting the brand and most importantly who have the entrepreneurial skill to make a success of their own franchises business. Each franchise has an exclusive marketing territory – there are a limited number of these which cover the whole geographical area of South Africa – 59 in all so the reality has already dawned that an ITS Franchise in any particular area is very valuable as it is a “scarce commodity”.

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Franchisees are expected to conduct direct marketing in their territories and interact with their local residential and business communities though local advertising, product promotions and direct selling. ITS also has a very strong internet presence on GOOGLE with multiple websites which point to ITS. Check it out depending on the search words, their websites already come up as much as 6 to 8 times on page 1! This excludes PPC (pay per click advertising) as they also spend a high percentage of the franchisee brand management fee on PPC advertising. Their other major marketing activity is to participate in selected exhibitions throughout South Africa over the calendar year. At the franchisor level, there is an on-going programme to establish joint ventures with key commercial clients e.g. franchise networks, insurance companies, hotel chains, major developers etc. to secure multiple unit deals which can be rolled out through their national footprint. The growth prospects for heat pumps over the next few years are phenomenal. They anticipate that they will have the entire network of 59 franchisees established, even in the more remote areas such as the Northern Cape by the end of 2012. After that it will be a case of franchisees hanging on for the ride of their lives… It is estimated that there are over six million high pressure geysers in South Africa which use electrical energy to power them. The savings which are available to consumers through investing in a heat pump make it a “no brainer” decision for EVERY household with an electrical geyser. The only question becomes when and ITS provides a range of monthly payment options to consumers who may find it difficult to make a single payment. The compnay believes that collectively the ITS franchise network can make a huge contribution to the energy crisis in South Africa through facilitating the reduction in power consumption of standard electrical geysers. An equally important aspect is the contribution to reducing global warming by giving consumers the opportunity to reduce their carbon footprints. The installation of a heat pump effectively reduces carbon dioxide output by three tons – the equivalent of taking a small car off the road. ITS Solar has its head office in Somerset West in Cape Town and ITS Retail and Commercial is based in Centurion in Gauteng. Their network of 22 franchisees are based around the country and at the full extent of 59 branches we will cover every town in South Africa and also Swaziland, Lesotho and neighbouring countries. Contact: Landline: 087 802 7134 Email: info@itsheatpumps.co.za Web: www.itsheatpumps.co.za SA GUIDE TO BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES VOL 10, # 1

Green-Diesel – a top op! Green-Diesel is an eco-innovative company specialising in the sale of high quality biodiesel and bio-diesel processors. GreenDiesel was the first company in South Africa to open a bio-diesel filling station which is situated in Bellville in the Cape. They sell biodiesel and biodiesel blends (biodiesel premixed with regular diesel). Green-Diesel also manufactures biodiesel processors. They range in size from 80 litre units (ideal for making biodiesel at home) to 1000 litre units (ideal for businesses with a fleet of diesel vehicles). Biodiesel is easy to make, handle and store. It is non-flammable, nontoxic, and non-hazardous and is bio-degradeable. The idea for the company began in January 2008 after the founders watched a feature on biodiesel on the Discovery Channel “Dirty Jobs” with Mike Rowe. “I researched biodiesel on the internet for about eight months,” says Craig Waterman, General Manager of Green-Diesel. “Initially the idea was only to make biodiesel for our trucks and vehicles. It took a further four months before we started selling biodiesel to the public and a further 12 months before we stated designing and building biodiesel processors.” He says their biggest challenge was to filter through all the information on the internet in order to find credible sources of information on biodiesel equipment and biodiesel production. In terms of marketing they use e-mail marketing and advertise on free websites. They have appeared live on SABC 3 and had a TV crew film their biodiesel factory and filling station for the Green-Line on SABC 3 hosted by Michele Garforth-Venter. They were also interviewed on 567 Cape Talk radio. “The growth prospects for the next two years look exceptionally good as the worsening fuel price generates more interest in renewable energy especially biodiesel,” says Craig. “We believe that we have to make difference on earth by making a contribution, albeit small, to reduce, re-use and recycle.” In terms of the cost of the business opport unity, they have a range of biodiesel processing machines, from the DIY kits to commercial ready plants which vary in size from 80 litres up to 1000 litres. The entry-level machine costs R17 595-00 excl VAT. With the cost of production at R450/L, you can pay your processor off in six months. “This is an exceptional return on investment. We have sold eight biodiesel processors of varying sizes. Our processors are made to order. A fully functional demo unit is on permanent display at our factory. Biodiesel can be made for R4-50/L every 24 hours. If you want to make biodiesel for your own use, then you can save R6-00/L. If you want to make and sell bio-diesel as a business, then the recommended retail price for bio-diesel is R10-00 per litre making more than 100% profit,” says Craig. He says special skills are required. They provide a 3-day training course and if you can read, you can make bio-diesel! Only 30% of domestic vehicles on the road have diesel engines while 99% of commercial vehicles have diesel engines. The objective is to get owners of private diesel vehicles and companies with diesel vehicles to switch to bio-diesel. If you make your own biodiesel, you can save at least R6-00/L. If you just want to use biodiesel, you can save at least R1-00/L. “The renewable fuel industry is set to grow due to the fact that peak oil has been reached and due to the fact that bio-fuels can be grown,” he concludes. Contact: Craig Waterman, General Manager, Green-Diesel SALES of Bio diesel, Processors & Accessories Tel: 00 27 21 919 2166 l Fax: 00 27 21 919 6628 Cell: 00 27 82 901 2047 l Skype: Mother.City SA GUIDE TO BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES VOL 10, # 1

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SA GUIDE TO BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES VOL 10, # 1

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COVER STORY

Your corner DVD store By Toby Bennett There’s nothing new about a corner video store, right? Unless of course you’re talking about a video store that actually fits in the corner.

he writing has been on the wall for your local video store for some time, bulky VHS tapes have given way to slim DVD cases and in the time it took for one boredlooking adolescent to be replaced by another, technological developments have made it possible to dispense not only with the need to hire uninterested youths but also the need to have a ‘store’ in the first place. The public’s hunger for the latest releases certainly hasn’t abated, if anything each day more and more people are drawn into the multi media culture. Every one loves games and movies but in an age of streaming video and touch of a button convenience, people aren’t likely to keep wasting their time driving to the video shop after work, it might be a different story if people could pick up a DVD on the way out of the office or while they stopped at the local store to get some milk. That’s where the DVD kiosk comes in. Imagine a machine filled with hundreds of the latest DVDs and games that could be housed just about anywhere and serve just about anyone at any time - outlay on business space and surly shop assistant not required. The South African rental industry nets over a billion rand a year, but it’s also true that there has been a worldwide trend away from the old paradigm of the local video store. The American DVD rental industry generated $6.6 billion in 2011 and we all know that movies and games are some of the biggest earners on the planet. However lets not be wowed by that number because 6.6 billion actually represents a drop off of 12.4% from the industries’ profits in 2010. There are all sorts of reasons for this of course: recession, free unlimited internet and, oh yeah, they have better satellite and cable but there may be one more basic problem - the business model may be outdated. If the American rental industry is declining overall then there is one business that is bucking the trend. In 2011, Redbox (a DVD kiosk that charges out DVD’s at $1 per night) announced a 34% increase in revenue from last year. We are, of course, not living in America but it is also true that we are likely to follow many trends that can already be seen in the American market and what the combination of these two statistics tells us is that modern consumers are responding to the convenience and simplicity offered by the DVD kiosk. To put it simply, while the traditional video store is losing overall, kiosks are picking up the slack in what remains a highly lucrative business. Indeed the research firm NDP projected that kiosks will have taken over as much as 30% of the rental industry by the beginning of 2012, all as a result of the roll-out of kiosks in grocery stores, convenience stores, restaurants and other locations that allow convenient interaction with the public. It’s a model that we all know works. After all, how many times have you walked past the office Coke vending machine to get a Coke from the local café? My bet is that handy old clunker in the corner wins nine times out of ten unless you quite fancy the cashier at the café. Of course the elephant in the room is the question of whether we will be abandoning DVD as a format. With digital media developing all the time surely the DVD’s time will come all too SA GUIDE TO BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES VOL 10, # 1

soon? Well I would guess not - for a few reasons. First off, the format is relatively stable so why would anyone reinvent the wheel (or should I say disk). We may have blue-ray now but your kiosk can serve that just as easily as DVDs. Then the question of online media arises - why won’t people just download what they want? The answer quite simply is that with bandwidth costs being what they are, the expense for anything approximating DVD quality is prohibitive to say the least. Besides, who wants to wait hours for a film of dubious quality and legality? DVD remains the simplest and fastest way to get your entertainment and that is likely to be the case for some time. It all sounds great: a video store in a can but lets look at what you are likely to get if you decide to invest in your own DVD kiosk. In broad strokes, you will get a unit that houses several hundred titles, with the latest releases supplied as part of your franchise agreement. Your machine should feature a broadband connection, which allows for the processing of payments and for real-time reporting on stock in the machine (this can be useful for your customer as well as you since they can check the titles that are available to them before even setting out). A touch screen will allow the customers to browse and a screen to preview their selections. Here are some of the models currently available in the South African market and their specifications: DVD Now (www.dvdnowsa.co.za) Capacity: 250 DVD’s/Blue-ray Discs/Games Size: 145 x 60 x 207 Centimetres Weight: 418lbs (190Kg) User Interface: 15-inch Touch Screen Power: 220V, 50-60Hz, 3 Amps Video Output: HDMI Digital Signage Interface Connectivity: Ethernet or Wireless Bridge Operating System: Linux Inventory Control: 13.56mhz RFID Tags Options: Merchandise Dispensing Bay Extras for this machine include side panels and a high definition top display that offer the chance to earn extra income by selling advertising space. The kiosk owner is also provided with a website that allows customers to check kiosk inventory, create memberships, view current promotions and reserve movies. All this for a minimum investment of R195 000. www.saguides.co.za

STAX Black Box (www.blackbox.co.za) The Black Box offers options to take cash or credit cards. A ten year franchise agreement will set you back R180 000. During this time Stax will stock and promote the machine. You need only spend approximately 20 minutes a week monitoring and maintaining your black box.

How to start your own business So you want to start your own business? What are you waiting for?

Here’s what the experts say about how to face your fears of leaving the corporate world, and when you’re really ready to launch your own business. STEP 1 REFINE YOUR IDEA Here’s how to take the idea of owning your own business and turn it into a reality.

The kiosks hold over 600 DVDs, and accept cash and credit cards. Memberships are offered and online reservations are possible. Minimal labour input is required from the franchisee. Stax Black Box offers the entrepreneur existing agreements with major retailers, a comprehensive support network and training. Numerous locations are already available. Stax Black Box requires motivated individuals who want to own their own business: R180 000.00 capital investment. No prior technical expertise is required. Please also see below for the technical detail of our kiosks: Capacity: 620 DVDs/Blu-ray Discs/Games Size: 180 x 83 x 74 Centimetres Weight: 120 Kg User Interface: 15-inch Touch Screen Power: 220V, 50-60Hz, 3 Amps Connectivity: ADSL Operating System: Windows Inventory Control: Phoenix Mr. Video will also be throwing its hat into the ring this year with an offering that they say will be an improvement on the existing kiosk opportunities. A changing market is always filled with opportunities and this might well be a good time to examine the possibility of setting up a 24 hour a day business that can go where your customers are.

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The question that halts most budding entrepreneurs in their tracks is, “when do I begin?”. The fact that you’re even thinking about starting a business means you’ve already begun. You’ve taken the first step by asking for help and searching for answers. There will always be challenges, no matter when you decide to start your business. To succeed, your goal is simple: Define your business concept to the best of your ability, test it out and adjust it as you discover what will work. The greatest aspect of being an entrepreneur is that there are no rules to follow. You don’t need more experience or money to start; you can go for your dream right now. To help you get going, here are four tips: 1. Define your passion in writing If you keep an idea in your mind, that’s as far as it can develop. Writing down your concept helps you focus on how to make it a business. By clearly defining your idea, your imagination, heart and intellect can begin to work together to make it a reality. 2. Keep an open mind and trust your instincts This is not the time to judge your abilities or your experience. Tell yourself that you can and will discover how to make your dream business a reality. Find people who can help. SME owners usually enjoy sharing their experiences. Listen to them and get real-life direction, knowledge and tools that will move you forward faster. 3. Buy yourself time Pick a specific time each week when the only thing you do is work on developing your business. Don’t let anything distract you; this is your special time to go for your dream. 4. Test out your idea and be willing to adjust it You will be successful if you take action and make adjustments to your idea by analysing the information you receive. Allow your Continued on page 28

SA GUIDE TO BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES VOL 10, # 1

Renting a DVD is now quicker and easier, thanks to clever thinking

hey say success is where preparation meets opportunity, and in the case of CousinsDVD, this couldn’t be truer.

Brainchild of SA’s favourite comedian, Barry Hilton, this innovative national franchise has turned the DVD industry on its head. With a comprehensive online database, clients can select their DVDs online either at home or at a computer terminal in-store. They can book them 30 days in advance and can either pop into the store to collect their DVD selection or make use of a personal collection and delivery service. Some franchises offer a drive-thru option. Being able to purchase contracts online as well as having access to their rental history is also a plus for clients. “The system allows customers to pay securely online without even having to come into the store. Ordering from a CousinsDVD outlet takes less than five minutes instead of 40 minutes at an old-style store,” said Hilton - an active CousinsDVD ambassador. “In the beginning, many of our customers were not comfortable with the technology and wanted to hold a DVD cover to read the synopsis of the movie on the back. They had to undergo a mindshift to get used to reading and selecting their DVDs from a computer terminal. (Pretty much like when people started using ATM machines, internet banking and cellphones.) Our clients are now comfortable and happy to use the computer terminals in-store or from their homes or offices.” The CousinsDVD franchise has been going for four years, and has branches in Port Elizabeth, Cape Town and Durban with select outlets at Spar and 24-hour FreshStop franchises. The business concept originated out of the need to reduce rental costs for DVD stores with large floor spaces, and to alleviate the inconvenience of large crowds in stores with small spaces.

SA GUIDE TO BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES VOL 10, # 1

The result is a chain of compact retail spaces which can house a library of 5000 DVDs. Some retail units, running within existing businesses, are as small as 3m2 With a year on year growth rate of 12%, CousinsDVD is testimony to Barry Hilton’s innovativeness and resourcefulness. If you, too, would like to run a CousinsDVD outlet, you could from as little as R25 000. The rate of your success depends on your hard work and the location of your store. “This is limited only by your imagination since there are in excess of 2000 location opportunities available in pizza stores, garages, coffee shops and grocery stores,” said Hilton. Capacity: 1500 discs Size: 3m2 Weight: 5 minutes User Interface: Computer Screens Power: Existing store power supply Connectivity: ADSL Software: Vision Adventures The innovative COUSINSDVD system allows clients to browse, securely rent and buy DVDs online, access rental history and purchase contracts; delivery and collection an option. Outlets can operate from 3m2. Remote back-end access for store owners. Existing outlets in Spar and 24 hour FreshStop stores. Set up cost from R25 000. Visit www.cousinsdvd.com or email franchise@cousinsdvd.com. For more details on purchasing a franchise, contact Tracy Lawrence on 041 3682364 or 072 4197840.

www.saguides.co.za

Forex Trading

- burning the candle at both ends By Toby Bennett The world of financial speculation is a world of dreams with all the allure and bright lights of any casino you could name.

ome people see it as a source of extra income and others imagine giving up the day job entirely and finding their fortune in the rollercoaster fluctuations of the markets. Who doesn’t want to sit on a sun kissed beach, tropical cocktail in hand making obscene amounts of money from the candle graphs scrolling across their tablet’s screen? It’s a very pretty picture but let’s take a step back from the glossy celluloid image we may have conjured in our minds and look at some of the realities of being a Forex trader. You may find that, like the beach, they are grittier than you imagined. That’s not to say that you can’t make money or you shouldn’t try if you think you have the aptitude. Far from it, Forex trading has made a lot of people a good living but if you are going to have any chance of succeeding you are going to need to let go of the dream and focus on the reality. As Dirk du Toit, otherwise known as Dr. Forex, puts it “90% of traders still lose a significant amount of money rather quickly even after training in the most popular trading approach”. Forex trading represents an amazing opportunity to take small investments and turn them into large profits but the risk can be equal to the reward and a smart investor checks his fantasies at the door. These days more and more novice traders are getting into the market. The ease with which you can sign up and start trading has meant that private individuals can really take advantage of the opportunities presented by currency fluctuations. Simply put, the Forex market allows you to make basic bets on the performance of international currencies. You can bet that a currency will go up or that it will go down relative to another currency, the amount you win or lose will be in proportion to the degree that a currency gained or lost value.You don’t even need to have all that much to invest since ratios of many hundreds to one are common in the market thus an investment of $100 (most brokers will consider this a minimum investment) can effectively allow you to control $10000 on the market (bear in mind that a higher leverage rate means more risk). That’s a very basic overview of the concept and about as far as we can go in a simple overview article without getting into Fibonacci numbers and heavy statistics. The good news is that most online Forex brokers give you the chance to practice trading on demo accounts and also offer training courses. If you mean to be at all successful you need to take this seriously. At the start at least you are going to have to leave the get rich quick concept at the door and do some heavy training in order to get the skills that will give you a chance to be part of the lucky ten percent. The skill of being able to decide when to get into the market and when to get out is acquired, no one has a magic bullet and even if you develop your skills you have only improved your odds and learned how to limit your risk. There are no guarantees. Here are some points to bear in mind from the start: • Bots and software are no replacement for considered human judgment. It might serve the marketers to tell you otherwise but you’ll do yourself a favour if you don’t make the mistake of buying robots or “bots” (the term for automatic trading software) and instead put in the time to understand the

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•

Forex theory. After all, if the bots really worked, why would anyone be selling them to you instead of making money for themselves? Don’t fall for the idea that the harder you work the more money you’ll make. It’s about working smart, not just throwing all the energy you have into your trading. Taking things seriously and being disciplined with your trades when you do decide to go into the market will serve you far better than giving yourself eye strain by watching the screen eighteen hours a day. You need to find the right software and trading style to suit you. Some people are comfortable with only checking in every few hours other people can afford to watch the market moment by moment. Don’t start genuinely trading until you have had practice and feel comfortable with your software and methods. Meta Trader 4 (http://www.metatrader4. com/) is the industry standard package so it’s a good program to master.

Let’s assume that you have finished your training, taken the time to get comfortable with the demo and then let’s imagine that you manage to make some extra cash. What would the legal implications be? The sad fact is that SARS regards this as income like any other, you’d have to declare it and there’d be no claiming for gambling losses. It’s also true that whenever you make a trade your broker will be making a small percentage from you. It is technically possible to trade without a broker but you’d likely have no idea of the spread and for most of us that would require some serious money not to mention the implications of getting your own traders licence. When looking for a broker, you should make sure that there are no hidden costs or fees. The account process should be transparent and their commissions and deposit amounts should be as low as possible. It’s also worth taking your prospective broker up on their demo accounts to be sure that their software platforms are intuitive and easy to use. Here then are a few of your options for brokers available in South Africa: • ACM Gold (http://www.acmgold.com) – Offers a leverage rate of 1:500 with a minimum investment of $500 • eTorro (http://www.etoro.com) – Minimum deposit of $50 leverage rates up to 1:400 • XForex (https://www.xforex.com) – Minimum investment $100 leverage up to 1:400. (Xforex has been trading since 2003 and offers a 25% first deposit reward) • AVA FX (http://www.avafx.com) – Trades metals as well as currency pairs. Minimum investment $100, leverage 1:200 • Easy Forex (http://www.easy-forex.com) – minimum investment $25. Leverage up to 1:200 As the old adage goes you’ve got to know when to hold em’ and when to fold em’ and no one gets that right all the time, but there are great rewards to be reaped if you have the right mix of analytical thinking and strategic fortitude. It’s not as simple as ‘get rich quick’ and it’s not for everyone but if you are prepared to do the work and face the risks (with all the adrenaline and stomach ulcers that might entail) then it might just be your ticket to making the beach your office one day… SA GUIDE TO BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES VOL 10, # 1

Continued from page 24

industry associations) and read Census data to learn more. However, the most important way to get this information is to ask your target market/customers directly and then listen.

business concept to be shaped and moulded by your research, friendly suggestions and other information you gather along the way. By simply having a dream, you have already taken the first step to achieving your goals; now, get ready for the ride of your life. Drop all of the excuses, jump in with both feet and trust your instincts. You will uncover the resources, people and strategies you need to succeed. STEP 2 GET GOING If you want to start a business but don’t know where to begin, don’t worry — you are not alone. Here are eight ways to take control. 1. Take a stand for yourself If you are dissatisfied with your current circumstances, admit that no one but you can fix them. It doesn’t do any good to blame the economy, your boss, your spouse or your family. Change can only occur when you make a conscious decision to make it happen. 2. Identify the right business for you Give yourself permission to explore. Be willing to look at different facets of yourself (your personality, social styles, age) and listen to your intuition. We tend to ignore intuition even though deep down we often know the truth. Ask yourself, “What gives me energy even when I’m tired?” How do you know what business is “right” for you? There are three common approaches to entrepreneurship: • Do what you know. Look at work you have done for others in the past and think about how you could package those skills and offer them as your own services or products. • Do what others do. Learn about other businesses that interest you. Once you have identified a business you like, emulate it. • Solve a common problem. Is there a gap in the market? Is there a service or product you would like to bring to market? If you choose to do this, make sure that you become a student and gain knowledge first before you spend any money. 3. Business planning improves your chances of success Most people don’t plan, but it will help you get to market faster. A business plan will help you gain clarity, focus and confidence. A plan does not need to be more than one page. As you write down your goals, strategies and action steps, your business becomes real. Ask yourself the following questions: • What am I building? • Who will I serve? • What is the promise I am making to my customers/clients and to myself? • What are my objectives, strategies and action plans (steps) to achieve my goals? 4. Know your target audience Before you spend money, find out if people will actually buy your products or services. This may be the most important thing you do. You can do this by validating your market. In other words, who, exactly, will buy your products or services other than your family or friends? What is the size of your target market? Who are your customers? Is your product or service relevant to their everyday life? Why do they need it? There is industry research available that you can uncover for free. Read industry articles with data (Google the relevant

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5. Understand your personal finances and choose the right money you need for your business. As an entrepreneur, your personal life and business life are interconnected. You are likely to be your first — and possibly only — investor. Therefore, having a detailed understanding of your personal finances, and the ability to track them, is an essential first step before seeking outside funding for your business. As you are creating your business plan, you will need to consider what type of business you are building – a lifestyle business (smaller amount of start-up funds), a franchise (moderate investment depending on the franchise), or a hightech business (will require significant capital investment). Depending on where you fall in the continuum, you will need a different amount of money to launch and grow your business, and it does matter what kind of money you accept. 6. Build a support network You’ve made the internal commitment to your business. Now you need to cultivate a network of supporters, advisors, partners, allies and vendors. If you believe in your business, others will, too. Network locally, nationally and via social networks. Here are some networking basics: • When attending networking events, ask others what they do and think about how you can help them. The key is to listen more than tout yourself. • No matter what group you join, be generous, help others and make introductions without charging them. • By becoming a generous leader, you will be the first person who comes to mind when someone you’ve helped needs your service or hears of someone else who needs your service. 7. Sell by creating value Even though we purchase products and services every day, people don’t want to be ‘sold’. Focus on serving others. The more people you serve, the more money you will make. When considering your customers or clients, ask yourself: • What can I give them? • How can I make them successful in their own pursuits? • This approach can help lead you to new ways to hone your product or service and deliver more value, which your customers will appreciate. 8. Get the word out Be willing to say who you are and what you do with conviction and without apology. Embrace and use the most effective online tools (Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, LinkedIn) available to broadcast your news. Even though social networks are essential today, don’t underestimate the power of other methods to get the word out: eg, word-of-mouth marketing, website and Internet marketing tools, public relations, blog posts, columns and articles, speeches, email, newsletters, and the old-fashioned but still essential telephone. STEP 3 OVERCOMING YOUR FEARS Call it what you like. Procrastination. Fear. Necessary preparation. The fact is that many new business owners fall into the trap of staying ‘busy’ without actually doing business. Designing business cards and setting up spreadsheets are just some of the tasks that, though necessary, make it tempting to Continued on page 46

SA GUIDE TO BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES VOL 10, # 1

Annual Franchise and Business Opportunity Listings - 2012

- - TEAR OUT AND KEEP- -

NAME

TEL

ABOUT

WEBSITE

COST

Amusement Warehouse Health Wake Up eSpring Zoe Cakes 4 Fun Bear and Bug inVENT DE Graaf Under-car MiniMelts The Mad Hatter Kids Clay Help U Sell Only Rentals GKA Bayete Wizard Financial Services Foam Party Fun Harvey World Travel Whizzygig Jukebox Co. Fashion Fantasy Soccermom Master Maths Airborne Adventure RealNet Holdings Aldes Business Brokers Wickedfood Cooking School Show me Active English Applebox Accounting Beaux-arts Kidz Fastway Hot Dog Cafe Cell C Connect Multi Clean Services Solartech EuroJet Lappies Spit Braai King Walco Power Solutions Kineto Mobile OBC Group Pty Ltd SuperChar Deal Chasers Workwise Training Network Zibby Cleaners Enviro Fencing Go Life Health Bar Little Champs Sports Academy Rent A Maid Poolcop Marketing Pty Ltd Marvellous Maids Creative Minds FiltaFry Plus H2O International ON TAP Franchise Holding Graffiti Removal Services Rubble Removal Company B-Bushh Baby Buzniz Silverton Radiator Services Stimulus Maksima Barksole Speed Heat Sport For All Laundry Dynamics Overland Liquors Designer Blinds and Floors The Drain Surgeon Safe Working Practice Spur Steak Ranches Multiserv Sandwich Baron Inkcor Pick and Build Treoc.com Letting Planet Nails Private Property

031 304 7137 011 791 4008 083 298 5669 082 460 792 021 788 2325 084 454 7357 012 379 4841 011 444 0009 083 554 3650 083 703 4694 086 143 5787 011 794 8375 021 462 1048 012 674 9500 072 739 7978 021 421 9065 021 531 1810 021 671 1526 082 303 1158 021 851 5660 031 205 2074 086 046 0460 031 209 3121 011 705 2616 044 533 6289 082 714 1155 011 231 1545 021 913 7444 011 974 2845 012 664 7213 011 706 5911 021 785 2938 086 161 8618 021 424 4131 021 852 1612 012 365 2955 086 516 2403 011 314 8700 082 422 4211 011 431 3580 011 476 7550 083 454 4700 012 346 6147 044 302 7500 011 722 7374 082 928 2987 012 643 7660 021 949 1760 021 939 6344 011 626 2556 021 702 3262 021 556 7911 011 793 5311 082 775 4343 011 830 2700 012 667 1134 011 538 7500 018 632 2756 021 551 7733 011 841 8000 087 820 4030 072 281 9035 018 469 1716 031 717 0436 012 342 1860 021 712 1643 021 555 5100 087 820 4100 011 907 6237 012 346 6147 086 145 6762 021 555 0124 083 783 8708 011 998 8300

Coin-operated gaming machines Complementary health products Water treatment Character birthday cakes and party planning Picture framing equipment and hardware Recruitment Exhausts, shocks, tow bars, batteries Ice cream Kids parties Education and training Real estate franchise Property letting agency Executive coaching franchise opportunity Financial and legal services Mobile foam parties/foam slides/foam castles Travel retail agency Jukeboxes and party accessories for function hire Products for every adult fun occasions Soccermom is a unique driver placement agency. Individual mathematics tuition to students Children's entertainment rides Real estate and property Buying and selling business Cooking school Online franchising information Improving, teaching English Accounting and tax services Pottery and crafts for children Providing courier services to customers. Fast foods Cell phones network store Property cleaning and maintenance business. Solar energy Online selling of scooters Sauce distribution and merchandising. Energy saving solutions Prepaid products and other Poultry, meat, processed meat Office and domestic cleaning business Business broking, franchise sales and concepts Soft skills training programmes Wheelie dustbin disinfecting Patented security fences Natural health products Getting children physically active Domestic maids placements Pool maintenance Domestic worker placement agency Computer literacy, IT and small business training. Filtration of cooking oil Water purifiers and water coolers Plumbing materials, sanitary ware, geysers, gutters,etc Professional graffiti removal and high pressure cleaning Rubble removal Fashion retailer focusing on infants and young teens Nursery decor and themed furniture Radiators, oil coolers, heat exchangers Computer and IT education Shoe and bag repairs, key bar outlets Floor heating Sports development Dry cleaning, dyeing, shoe repairs, tailoring Liquor store franchise Blinds Plumbing repairs and drain cleaning company Safety advice and health and safety training Family steak restaurant Shoe repair and allied service Produces freshly made platters and sandwiches Ink-jet printer and laser toner cartridge Supplies building materials and finishing products Rental and property agency Nail and beauty products and training courses for salons Real estate and property

www.amusement.co.za www.healthwakeup.co.za www.espring.com www.zoecakesforfun.co.za www.bearandbug.co.za www.in-vent.co.za www.undercar.za.net www.minimelts.co.za www.madhatter.co.za www.kidsclay.co.za www.helpusell.co.za www.onlyrentals.co.za www.gka-bayete.com www.wizard.za.com www.foampartyfun.co.za www.harveyworld.co.za www.whizzygig.co.za www.fashionfantasy.co.za www.soccermom.co.za www.m2maths.com www.tonymiller.co.za www.realnet.co.za www.aldes.co.za www.wickedfood.co.za www.showme.co.za www.activeenglish.co.za www.applebox.biz www.bacreate.com www.fastway.co.za www.hotdogcafe.co.za www.cellc.co.za/content/home/ownboss.asp www.multi-clean.co.za www.solarbusiness.co.za www.eurojet.co.za www.lappiesbraaisauce.co.za www.walcopower.co.za www.kineto.co.za www.obcchicken.co.za www.superchar.co.za www.dealchasers.co.za www.workwise.co.za www.zibbycleaners.co.za www.practice.co.za www.golife.co.za www.littlechamps.co.za www.findadomestic.co.za www.poolcopmarketing.co.za www.marvellousmaids.co.za www.minds.co.za/ www.filtafry.co.za www.h2o.co.za www.ontap.co.za www.graffitiremovalservices.co.za www.rubbleremovalcompany.co.za www.fashionstudio.co.za www.babybuzniz.co.za www.silvertonrads.co.za www.stimulus.co.za www.barksole.co.za www.speedheat.co.za www.sportforall.co.za www.laundrydynamics.co.za www.overland.za.com www.designerblindsanddecor.co.za www.drainsurgeon.co.za www.safepractice.co.za www.spur.co.za www.multiserv.co.za www.sandwichbaron.co.za www.inkcor.co.za www.picknbuild.co.za www.treoc.com www.planetnails.co.za www.privateproperty.co.za

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Annual Franchise and Business Opportunity Listings - 2012 NAME

TEL

ABOUT

WEBSITE

COST

The Courier Guy Dimela Car Rental Wilcote Franchising King Pie Holdings Video Town Shapes for Women Tina Cowley Reading Centres Oasis Water Fish and Chips Radio Autosonic Security World Vodashop

010 222 2305 012 661 4628 032 942 2022 011 564 9701 011 486 1605 011 791 1838 013 656 5748 012 807 1460 087 940 1105 021 424 6100 011 781 9110 011 546 1748 021 788 3458 021 797 6003 011 879 6000 086 010 6207 011 741 3600 031 304 9340 086 111 0775 021 761 1110 011 699 8000 011 455 1951 011 207 2900 011 825 2754 011 883 0231 011 879 1974 031 583 3600 011 794 5554 021 531 6602 011 462 4405 011 462 4405 021 707 5156 011 678 4406 021 439 6080 011 880 1933 031 570 5000 012 346 6147 012 660 0450 011 202 7940 041 506 5800 031 566 5668 021 551 3433 012 664 7213 011 792 9047 011 608 1999 011 615 5921 011 791 3087 011 974 9590 021 510 3009 011 566 0500 012 362 2807 011 207 8989 011 444 7884 011 450 2145 011 781 9110 021 447 4387 011 314 2300 011 462 2919 041 366 1399 011 444 8910 044 695 1410 087 820 4060 011 655 1300 011 651 5920 012 666 7509 086 187 4345 012 365 3450 041 396 1200 012 653 8243 011 510 9050 011 793 1115 021 552 0222 041 371 2366 012 653 7995 011 462 4828

Courier company Car rental, shuttle service and fleet management Waterproofing, painting, roof repairs and maintenance Freshly baked pies and complementary products DVDs, games, blu-ray rentals Women's health and weight loss gyms Reading skills development Bottling, sparkling water, fruit juices and refilling Old fashioned fish and chips franchise Sales and installation of car radios, alarms Security-related products retail shop Cellular and airtime products and services Postal, business and communication services Weight loss wellness clinics Automotive parts and accessories Spread availability of biofuels Batteries, solar products and allied products Computer-based skills training Communication skills training Real estate sales, marketing, valuation and rentals Unique products retailing Fast Food Business and communications service centre Food related Call centre solutions franchise Offer customers a healthy alternative to fast food South African based fresh food and juice store Car servicing, brakes, clutches and batteries Professional chef cooking school Pizza, chicken and now burger stores Wood fired pizza take away and delivery Sign and branding company Profitable gym with health products Leasing, renting, buying or selling property. Speaker systems Retail jewellery, watches and allied products Camping and outdoor product retailer opportunity Typical Portuguese style flamed grilled chicken Beauty salons and nails Optometrists and eye care Complete bowling centres Board, Timber and Hardware merchants Coffee shop DIY and fully installed storage solutions Fast foods and pizza restaurants Specialists in seafood take-out. Building materials, hardware and paint products Food store Woodfired pizza and pasta take-away Quick print and digital, as well as graphics Printing and copying Business communications and cell phone retail outlet Full service printing, copying and graphics centres Mexican-flavoured foods and flamed chicken The marketing and sale of security-related products Thai food and noodle bar franchise Aluminium products such as doors and windows Retailer of outdoor clothing, footwear and accessories Grillhouse specializing in meat, fish and chicken grills Brand travel Small plant, tool and scaffold rental business Buying and selling of pre-owned goods Seafood restaurants Pizza and subs. Houseware, crockery, pots and enamelware Unique family entertainment Bread, confectionary and meals. Continental Cafe or Espresso Bars Pizza outlet Ceramic tiles and bath ware. Traditional mediterranean restaurant Smoothies, sandwiches, wraps, salads and juices Touring and travelling Gardening and DIY equipment Italian style pizzeria serving pizza, pasta and salads

www.thecourierguy.co.za www.dimela.co.za www.wilcote.co.za www.kingpie.co.za www.videotown.co.za www.shapesforwomen.co.za www.tinacowley.co.za www.oasiswater.co.za www.fishandchips.co.za www.radioautosonic.co.za www.securityworld.co.za www.vodacom.co.za www.3at1.co.za www.sure-slim.co.za www.midas.co.za www.bp.co.za www.batterycentre.co.za www.pctrainingonline.co.za www.thecommunicationacademy.co.za www.remax.co.za www.verimark.co.za www.sausagesaloon.co.za www.postnet.co.za www.hotbrandsinternational.com www.nvscsa.co.za www.boostjuice.co.za www.juicylucy.co.za www.a-mate.co.za/ www.capsicumcooking.co.za www.pizzaperfect.co.za www.pizzaperfect.co.za www.sign-a-rama.co.za www.justfitness.co.za www.jawitz.co.za www.bose.com www.nwjcorp.com www.outthere24.co.za www.barcelos.co.za www.sorbet.co.za www.specsavers.co.za www.discbowldurban.co.za www.lumbercity.co.za www.thecoffeestop.co.za www.easylifekitchens.co.za www.scooterspizza.co.za www.fishaways.co.za www.diydepot.co.za www.goodthings.co.za www.stelmos.co.za www.jetline.co.za www.minitprint.co.za www.nashuamobile.com www.minutemanpress.com www.mochachos.com www.yalesecuritypoint.com www.simplyasia.co.za www.inso.co.za www.trapperstrading.co.za www.lets-eat.co.za www.uniglobetravel.co.za www.masshire.co.za www.cashconverters.co.za www.oceanbasket.com www.debonairs.co.za www.nizams.co.za www.t-rifik.co.za www.butterfield.co.za www.dulce.co.za www.romanspizza.co.za www.italtile.co.za www.piatto.co.za www.kauai.co.za www.euphoriatours.co.za www.talisman.co.za www.pizzadelforno.co.za

R 350 000 R 364 000 R 380 000

3@1 Postal Business Communication Centre

Sure Slim Midas BP Express Battery Centre PC Training and Business College The Communication Academy RE/MAX Verimark Holdings Sausage Saloon PostNet Southern Africa Hotbrands International NVSC Call Centre Solutions Boost Juice Bar Juicy Lucy Auto-Mate Service Centres Capsicum Culinary Studio Pizza Chicken Perfect Pizza Perfect Sign-A-Rama Just Fitness Jawitz Properties Bose NWJ Quality Jewellery OutThere 24 Barcelos Flamed Chicken Sorbet Spec Savers Super Bowling Lumber City The Coffee Stop Easylife Kitchens Scooters Pizza Fish Aways DIY Depot Something Fishy (Good Things) St Elmos Pizzaway Jetline Minit Print Nashua Mobile Minuteman Press Mochachos Chicken Villages Yale Security Point Simply Asia Kitchen Inso Aluminium Trappers Trading Squires Legendary Grill Uniglobe Travel Masshire Holdings Cash Converters Southern Africa Ocean Basket Debonairs Pizza Nizams Trifik Butterfield Bakery Dulce Cafe Roman's Pizza Italtile Ceramics Piatto Restaurant. Grill Kauai Euphoria Tours Talisman Franchise Operations Pizza Del Forno

www.saguides.co.za

From: R 400 000 - R 550 000 From: R 400 000 - R 550 000

R 400 000 R 400 000 R 445 000 From: R 450 000 R 450 000 R 450 000 R 450 000 From: R 465 000 R 490 000 From: R 500 000 From: R 500 000 - R 2 000 000

R 500 000 R 500 000 R 500 000 R 500 000 R 500 000 From: R 510 000 R 575 000 R 600 000 R 604 700 R 630 000 From: R 650 000 - R 1 200 000 From: R 650 000 - R 1 250 000

R 650 000 R 650 000 From: R 668 000 R 680 000 From: R 700 000 R 700 000 R 700 000 From: R 725 000 From: R 750 000 From: R 750 000 - R 950 000

R 750 000 From: R 800 000 From: R 800 000 From: R 800 000 - R 1 000 000 From: R 800 000 - R 1 200 000

R 810 000 From: R 850 000 From: R 850 000 - R 950 000

R 850 000 R 850 000 R 850 000 R 875 902 R 900 000 R 900 000 From: R 950 000 - R 1 300 000

R 976 000 R 980 000 R 1 000 000 R 1 000 000 R 1 000 000 R 1 000 000 R 1 000 000 R 1 000 000 From:R 1 100 000 - R 2 250 000

From: R 1 200 000 From: R 1 200 000 - R 1 400 000

R 1 200 000 R 1 250 000 From: R 1 300 000 From: R 1 300 000 - R 2 500 000

R 1 300 000 From: R 1 400 000 From: R 1 400 000 R 1 430 000 R 1 450 000 From: R 1 500 000 - R 2 000 000

R 1 500 000

SA GUIDE TO BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES VOL 10, # 1

Annual Franchise and Business Opportunity Listings - 2012 NAME

TEL

ABOUT

WEBSITE

COST

Roosters BJ Franchising Fournews Developments - Cafe Fino Pirtek Fluid Transfer Solutions Maxis Restaurant PNA Stationers Famous Brands Wimpy

082 491 4841 011 789 3538 011 452 8770 011 608 2299 011 608 1999 011 672 4391 011 847 6301 011 998 8196 011 287 5300 011 510 9050 011 886 3228 011 616 8709 031 267 2174 011 463 9269 012 940 9999 011 493 3703 011 285 0001 011 706 7550 012 809 0906 011 803 2598 021 532 5400 012 346 7794 016 981 3881 041 397 8200 086 008 0808 011 651 5920 0860 203 040 011 880 3572 031 766 1911 011 203 5900 086 110 0700 031 573 1600 083 601 3719 011 318 4838 011 856 7000 012 346 6147 012 653 0154 011 661 1167 011 551 2000 011 704 5682 022 742 1268 011 680 9608 011 469 1594 071 288 8919 011 913 2356 012 804 4477 011 236 2300 021 657 1005 011 473 0178 0861 326 6478 012 670 9786 011 452 3047 011 886 3228 031 561 5838 012 621 3300 012 621 3300 086 122 6224 031 508 0800 012 621 3380 021 674 6897 012 346 1667 043 748 5778 011 216 3333 010 001 7100 031 701 4046 082 331 6692 011 651 5920 021 910 3481 010 215 2700 021 505 4400 011 463 9960 086 022 1100 083 481 0995 086 111 4169 011 613 1012

Rotisserie and fried chicken National fast food restaurant chain Restaurant coffee shop Hydraulic and industrial hoses and assemblies Sit-down family restaurant Stationery, arts and crafts, books, gifts and magazines Casual dining restaurant Irish pub and restaurant Pizza and pasta Tiles, sanitary ware and accessories. Restaurants and pub Paint and hardware retail Seafood, grills and Sushi sit-down restaurant. Steak, ribs, carvery and salads Coffee and beer concept Quick-service restaurant and take-away Authentic Irish restaurants and pubs Italian pizza, pasta and salad Buffet restaurant and conference facilities Office alterations, renovations, maintenance and repairs Retail and distribution of fresh produce Printer consumables Bond Origination Specialists Bath and sanitary ware resurfacing Pest control and cleaning services Juicy lucy, Chicken King and Ola Milky Lane Investments and savings Funeral Parlour Flooring products Home entertainment Bond origination company Ant-slip surface treatment National signage corporation specialists Range of food, toiletry and other non-food products Convenience supermarket Business and strategy consultancy Hiring business for functions Merchandise, gifts and novelties Career Qualifications

www.roosters.co.za www.bjs.co.za www.cafe-fino.co.za www.pirtek.co.za www.maxis.co.za www.pna.co.za www.wimpy.co.za www.mcgintys.co.za www.panarottis.co.za www.ctm.co.za www.kingco.co.za www.jackspaint.co.za www.johndorys.co.za www.mikeskitchen.co.za www.hnb.co.za www.chickenlicken.co.za www.brazenhead.co.za www.colcacchio.co.za www.tuscanbbq.co.za www.handymangroup.net/franchises.aspx www.fruitandvegcity.co.za www.inkinc.co.za www.pacificbonds.co.za www.mendabath.com www.thespecialists.co.za www.milkylane.co.za www.oldmutual.co.za www.covision.co.za www.kwadecor.co.za www.blockbusters.co.za www.cornerstonesa.co.za www.intellatread.co.za www.nimtec.co.za www.iccgroup.co.za www.picknpay.co.za www.practice.co.za www.vergeetmynie.co.za www.cardies.co.za www.boston.co.za www.cashcrusaders.co.za www.infoprop.co.za www.espoirsa.com www.kidisportz.co.za www.penguintutoring.co.za www.homenet.co.za www.prenox.co.za www.mcdonalds.co.za www.wininganddining.co.za www.alshardware.co.za www.ecomist.co.za www.johnbroome.co.za www.naturhouse.com www.bimbos.co.za www.lighthouse.co.za www.dreamnails.co.za www.placecol.com www.actioncoach.com www.trellidor.co.za www.skinphd.co.za www.capecareagency.co.za www.pamgolding.co.za www.msccollege.co.za www.nandos.co.za www.kfc.co.za www.eastcoast.co.za/le.oma/ www.mexicankitchen.co.za www.themugg.com www.butchersgrill.com www.pgglass.co.za www.okfd.com www.safedrive.co.za www.natureshealth.co.za www.debthound.biz www.homecomfort.co.za www.foodforlife.co.za

R 1 500 000 R 1 600 000 From: R 1 700 000 From: R 1 800 000

King Consolidated Food Services McGintys

Panarottis Pizza Pasta CTM King Consolidated Food Services Keg Jacks Paint and Hardware John Dorys Fish and Grill Mikes Kitchen Hops and Beans Chicken Licken The Brazen Head ColCacchio Pizzeria Tuscan BBQ Holdings Handyman Group Fruit and Veg City The Ink Place Pacific Bonds Mend-A-Bath International Pest Control Milky Lane Old Mutual SA Funeral Home Kwa Decor Blockbusters Entertainment Cornerstone Intella Tread Nimtec National Signage Independent Cash n Carry Group Pick n Pay Family Supermarkets The Practice Business Consultancy Vergeet My Nie Cardies Boston City Campus and Business College

Cash Crusaders Infoprop Real Estate Espoir Kidi Sportz Penguin Tutoring Co Homenet Real Estate Prenox McDonalds South Africa Theos Grill and Butcher Als Hardware Ecomist Mind Power Natur House King Consolidated Food Services Bimbos

LightHouse Property Group Dream Nails Body Placecol ActionCoach Trellidor Group SkinPHD Cape Care Pam Golding Properties MSC Business College Nandos Chickenland KFC Le Oma Spit Braai Mexican Kitchen Mugg and Bean Franchising The Famous Butchers Grill PG Glass OK Franchise Division Safe Drive Holdings Nature's Health Products DebtHound Home Comfort Food for Life

Buying & selling of new & second-hand goods & buy backs/pawning

Real estate agency Education and training centre in modelling, beauty Development for children Individual academic tutoring specializing in matrics Real estate and property Thai fast food outlet Fast food restaurants Grill and butcher house Building materials and DIY Eco-friendly insect control products Training human development and coaching Nutrition and health Fast-food operations Selling, letting and marketing of real estate Nail and beauty salon retail concept Beauty and wellness salons Business coaching Physical barrier security and access control solutions Aesthetic health clinic Provides a friendly and personal care service Selling, letting and management of properties Accredited education and training in various fields Portuguese style flame grilled chicken The original chicken Barbeque and caterers, spitbraai's and caterers of ox, lamb Mexican food franchise Coffee house franchise Meat and grill restaurant Shatterproof automotive replacement glass market Retail stores Roadworthy and vehicle inspections Health products Providing affordable services for all businesses Underfloor heating, solar energy franchise opportunity Food related

SA GUIDE TO BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES VOL 10, # 1

From: R 1 800 000 - R 2 200 000

R 1 800 000 From: R 1 900 000 - R 2 500 000

R 1 900 000 From: R 2 000 000 - R 2 500 000

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R 2 500 000 R 2 800 000 R 2 800 000 R 3 100 000 R 3 500 000 R 600 000 R 8 000 000 - R 20 000 000 Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire

www.saguides.co.za

Annual Franchise and Business Opportunity Listings - 2012 NAME

TEL

ABOUT

WEBSITE

COST

Panache Franchise Painters Sure Swipe Laservideo SA KEG Pub and Restaurant Nexcen Ibotix Franchise Specialist Debt Restructuring Services computet troubleshooter Adams and Adams The Only Social Club RedFern Art of Skin Care Moving On Durashine Technologies Homeworkers Outsourcing Kazang Chem Dry Buddy Bear SA Memory Institute Kumon Education Run Walk for Life Mattress Medic Chip n Dip Vidaul Paralegal Services SA Debtsavers YoungBiz Toptots Cousinsdvd Sats R Us Palette and Paintbrush Sebo Cardshark International Aida National Franchise Chameleon Champions Realty 1 International Property Group Little Cooks Club The Tax Shop My Tracer Mothers and Miracles Clamber Club Lawn Pro Pure Glaze Onyx Leather Care Caffe Pronto Inspect A Home Color Glo StratBack Stone Fruit Floors Elite Mobile Car wash Ink Mate Franchise Star Party Battery Specialist Mollywood Maids Gener8 Semas Drumkidz Lets talk about Sox Fresh Laundry Equal Zeal Skitterblink Cleaning Services GeoWalt Brokers Wedding and Function Spit-Braai King Maths Ace The Boxman Mr. Video Coating Worx Monkey Magic UCMAS Binding Memories Gilbert Estates Franchising Hungre Mon Cheri Parfum Solid Ground Trading

011 622 4852 086 020 0111 012 809 4139 011 651 5920 770 514 4500 011 446 4300 072 449 9206 086 100 0748 072 853 8107 012 432 6000 072 413 2879 021 552 9680 011 804 7550 021 788 9008 011 024 4210 076 046 3720 021 912 2100 080 022 2292 031 702 1372 021 979 2225 080 000 2775 011 367 9400 011 675 1884 011 454 4019 011 683 6312 012 991 6496 041 369 0474 011 868 2489 041 368 2364 021 554 4641 011 465 9296 086 111 4250 011 314 5744 012 682 9600 083 454 4317 012 682 9599 083 556 3434 015 307 7008 086 148 7223 011 646 5156 011 325 2031 012 804 7065 011 768 1100 086 776 699 021 783 5984 031 266 7271 086 010 5687 044 382 4950 021 979 0000 072 804 4314 016 931 2125 083 316 1564 021 905 7747 011 467 5310 082 456 9089 086 117 3627 021 434 7610 083 416 9770 086 113 7374 011 022 5997 012 667 4337 031 903 6123 082 556 4043 021 852 1612 011 710 7300 011 477 6666 021 948 5396 086 111 2910 083 658 0218 011 447 6714 011 432 8269 011 683 8240 0861 486 473 018 468 8174 083 300 0498

Painting contractor Debit and credit card swipe machines Booking movies online Restaurant and pub Strategic brand management Electronic security sector Battery, tyre as well as sport water franchises Debt counselling Computer services Patent, trade mark and copyright attorneys Dating agency Elevating your office requirements Cosmetics Contents of home sales Eco-friendly Car wash More than 30 work-from-home franchise opportunities Selling charge pins for prepaid airtime and electricity Carpet and upholstery cleaners Bear building, is fun, easy and profitable Learning, life and entrepreneurial skills Maths and English for children of all ages and abilities Fitness and weight loss programme Mattress cleaning services Unique fast food concept Paralegal solutions Debt Management Entrepreneurship, business and financial education Mother and child workshop Rent and retail latest DVD's and games Installation of satellite and DSTV Art and craft classes for children and babies Dry carpet cleaning business Leading suppliers of business cards and print Real estate and property management Improves the study, reading and life skills Business systems/training/marketing solutions Introduction to cooking for children Taxation and related services Vehicle tracking Babies and toddlers learning programme Jog's baby and toddler classes Plant and lawn care Domestic and window cleaning services Repair and re-dye of leather and plastic Mobile cappuccino bar Home inspection services Color restoration and repair Home and business data backup solutions Heritage style flooring, made from peach pips Mobile carwash with added extras Cartridge refills STAR PARTY is Pop Star Karaoke party Auto accesories Office and domestic cleaning services Energy management solutions Brain and skill development courses Music development programme for children Range of socks Laundry and dry cleaning Training that inspires growth and motivates living Domestic and commercial cleaning services Insurance brokers Wedding publication Spit-Braai catering Programmes for mathematics Supply the public with moving boxes and packaging Video and home entertainment stores Painting and damp proofing company Creating themed children's parties Brain development programme Photo books, calendars and postcards Property sales, rentals and business broking Fast food and take-away delivery service Passion for perfume IQuote Trading’s training products.

www.panache.co.za www.sureswipe.co.za www.laservideo.co.za www.keg.co.za www.nexcenfranchises.com www.cctvinstallers.co.za www.franchisespecialist.co.za www.drssa.co.za www.computertroubleshooters.co.za www.adamsadams.com www.theonlysocialclub.co.za www.redfern.co.za www.artofskincare.co.za www.movingon.co.za www.durashine.co.za www.homeworkersinc.webs.com www.kazang.co.za www.chemdry.co.za www.buddybear.co.za www.memoryinstitute.co.za www.kumon.co.za www.runwalkforlife.co.za www.themattressmedic.co.za www.chipndip.co.za www.vidaulparalegalservices.co.za www.sadebtsavers.com www.youngbizsa.com www.toptots.co.za www.cousinsdvd.com www.sats-r-us.co.za www.childart.co.za www.sebo.co.za www.cardshark.co.za www.aida.co.za www.chameleon.org.za www.realty-1.co.za www.littlecooksclub.co.za www.taxshop.co.za www.mytracer.net/ www.mothersandmiracles.co.za www.clamberclub.com www.lawnpro.co.za www.pureglaze.co.za www.leathercare.co.za www.caffepronto.co.za www.inspectahome.co.za www.colorglo.co.za www.stratback.co.za www.stonefruitfloors.com www.elitecarwash.co.za www.inkmate.co.za www.starparty.co.za www.batteryspecialist.co.za www.mollywoodmaids.co.za www.gener-8.co.za/ www.semas.co.za/ www.drumkidz.co.za www.letstalkaboutsox.com www.freshlaundry.co.za www.equalzeal.com www.skitterblink.co.za www.geowalt.co.za www.weddingandfunction.co.za www.spitbraaiking.co.za www.mathsace.co.za www.boxman.co.za www.mrvideo.co.za www.coatingworx.co.za www.monkeymagic.co.za www.ucmassa.co.za www.bindingmemories.co.za www.gilbertestates.co.za www.hungre.co.za www.moncheriparfum.co.za www.solidg.co.za

Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire R 43 000 000 From: R 500 R 5000 From: R 10 000 R 10 000 R 10 000 R 145 000 R 15 000 R 19 000 R 20 000 R 25 000 From: R 26 000 From: R 28 000 - R 180 000 From: R 30 000 From: R 30 000 - R 89 000 R 30 000 R 35 000 From R 40 000 From: R 40 000 - R 340 000 R 40 000 R 40 000 From: R 49 000 - R 12 0000 From: R 50 000 - R 100 000 From: R 50 000 - R 150 000 R 50 000 R 52 000 R 52 500 From: R 57 000 From: R 60 000 - R 100 000 From: R 60 000 - R 100 000 From: R 61 000 - R 148 500 From: R 65 000 - R 150 000 From: R 65 000 - R 185 000 From: R 75 000 - R 125 000 From: R 75 000 -R 350 000 R 75 000 R 75 000 R 75 000 R 78 500 R 79 000 R 80 000 R 85 000 R 85 000 R 85 000 From: R 87 200 R 87 500 From: R 90 000 - R 160 000 R 90 000 R 90 000 R 95 000 R 100 000 R 100 000 R 100 000 R 100 000

www.saguides.co.za

From: R 120 000 - R 250 000 From: R 120 000 - R 400 000 From: R 125 000 - R 250 000

R 125 000 R 129 000 R 130 000 R 130 000 R 145 000 R 149 000 From: R 150 000

SA GUIDE TO BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES VOL 10, # 1

Annual Franchise and Business Opportunity Listings - 2012 NAME

TEL

ABOUT

WEBSITE

COST

Debt Collect SA Leapfrog Skid Monster Genrand Bridging Finance Starbreak Windscreen Repair ITS Heat Pumps Tour Minders Greggs Mobile Car Wash DampForce Spotless Window Stax Black Box Mend A Wall Travelling Trainers J and Y Mobile Car Wash Choice Franchise Crazy Chameleon

072 254 8148 021 702 3120 0861 100 618 021 528 8167 011 391 2800 021 511 8296 011 475 6594 012 687 5022 011 791 1063 021 851 9927 086 025 5269 011 968 1142 084 872 4637 078 227 9274 021 674 6363 086 154 3343 012 641 0100 076 750 9002 014 592 2979 011 781 6595 021 702 4911 011 472 1016 031 337 7781 044 870 0750 021 438 0319 011 455 0066 011 883 7160 011 431 0283 086 124 7843 011 768 5359 011 791 1838 011 468 2759 011 463 7324 013 249 7897 031 201 7712 016 931 1939 086 010 9110 011 447 6300 011 314 3955 041 581 0578 011 251 6303 021 551 3433 021 462 6223 014 592 8003 031 764 5450 011 507 2800 011 022 2880 021 872 5021 011 478 3320 011 708 9500 031 568 2395 021 553 3478 021 461 0849 012 347 4155 012 661 7765 012 346 6147 012 806 4560 011 826 4786 011 789 4448 041 364 1822 082 899 0503 011 450 2145 021 674 7430 011 675 2825 012 546 9937 021 531 3880 011 740 0701 011 465 1199 082 338 7147 011 314 5115 012 682 9610 051 432 0638 082 454 0885 011 440 2717 011 704 6559

Fully integrated online debt recovery online Residential real estate group Driver enhancement Bridging finance opportunity Strictly windscreen repair Heat pumps Tours and airport transfers Mobile car wash and valet Waterproofing solutions Water-fed pole window cleaning State-of-the-art DVD vending machines Specialist installer of pre-cast concrete walling Private personal training programme Mobile car wash franchise concept Roofing and waterproofing systems Children's themed parties Human resource services. Decking systems Paving,tiles,cladding,walling and decor Bringing people happiness in a hot box Cosmetic teeth whitening Tyre services Automotive spare parts Children's english courses Exclusive vehicle hire A powerful brand name in global real estate Health and slimming specialist Provide care for the elderly Supplier of corporate gifts and corporate clothing Biltong manufacturers Women's gyms and fitness Technology support Revolutionary way to refresh wooden floors Establishing a chain of biltong deli outlets Real estate and property Medical devices Audio and visual equipment installations and repairs Investment coaching Specializing in air conditions Financial services Specializing in curtains Aluminium and glass products Juice, fruit and veg Biltong Live blood analysis, detox supplements Restaurant food delivery service Blinds and flooring for domestic and commercial use Home Entertainment German brezel and coffee shop Leading chain of discount pharmacies Offer two different services to our clients Homemade fudge and other delightful treats Ice cream Offers a complete range of beauty treatments Video and DVD store Scrapbooking Weight loss clinic Car rental Real estate business and developments as resales Professional floor sanding Printer consumables and computer accessories Fried, roasted and grilled chicken and burgers IT retails store Reconditioning of car and truck batteries Imaging management Video rentals and home entertainment Solar solutions High fashion ladies clothing Transport services Career training Global real estate company Driver training Mid-market computer retail service franchise group Retail tabocconist and gift shop Video stores and home entertainment

www.debtcollectsa.co.za www.leapfrog.co.za www.skidmonster.co.za www.genrand.co.za www.starbreak.co.za www.itsheatpumps.co.za www.tourminders.co.za www.gmcw.co.za www.dampforce.com www.windowcleaner.co.za www.blackbox.co.za www.mendawall.co.za www.travellingtrainers.co.za www.mobilecarwash.co.za www.choice.co.za www.crazychameleon.co.za www.expresspros.co.za www.voidcon.co.za www.caststoneind.co.za www.delx.co.za www.whiterimage.co.za www.fixaflat.co.za www.gaydonmotorspares.com www.pingusenglish.co.za www.viplimo.co.za www.century21.co.za www.electroslim.com www.comfortcaregivers.co.za www.birthdaysuit.co.za www.biltongwizz.co.za www.contoursexpress.co.za www.computertroubleshooters.co.za

From: R 150 000

Express Employment Professionals S.A. (Pty) Ltd

Voidcon Cast Stone Delivery Xtreme Whiter Image Fix A Flat Inkosi Auto Parts Pingus English VIP Limo Services Century 21 Madame et Monsieur Comfort Caregivers Birthday Suit Biltong Wizz Contours Express Computer Troubleshooters Mr Sandless Kanhym Fresh Meat Deli Acutts Estate Agents SOQI Wellness Centre PropDoctor London School Investment Chigo Airconditioning DHA Financial Services Curtain and Blind Studio Alunite Juice Zone Biltong Paradise Sevenpointfive Mr Delivery Mr Blind and Flooring Vees Video My Brezel Dis-Chem Pharmacies 88 Agents American Fudge Factory Sinnfull Ice Cream BSXI Hydro Spa Video Den 4 Keep Sake Slim Active Slimming and Wellness Clinic

Wozani Car Rental Huizemark Real Estate Dustless Floor Sanding Inky Shop Max Frangos Chicken - Mochachos Group

FreeCom Affordable Computers Bergens Appliance Repairs and Services

Sable Document Imaging Architechs Stax Videos Solar Gateway Sxy Clothing School Link Academy of learning Era Real Estate Afsim Inter Computers Wesleys Tobacconist Hollywood Bollywood Video

SA GUIDE TO BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES VOL 10, # 1

www.richardbentleyconsulting.co.za/Mr_Sandless.html

www.kanhym.co.za www.acutts.co.za www.htegroupsa.co.za www.dstvinstallations.com www.lsitrader.com www.chigo.co.za www.dhaonline.co.za www.curtainandblindstudio.co.za www.alunite.co.za www.juicezone.com www.biltongparadise.co.za www.sevenpointfive.co.za www.mrdelivery.co.za www.mrblind.co.za www.veesvideo.co.za www.wob.co.za www.dischem.co.za www.88agents.co.za www.amfudge.co.za www.sinnfull.co.za www.bsxi.co.za www.videoden.co.za www.4keepsake.co.za www.slimactivesa.co.za www.wozanicarrental.co.za www.huizemark.com www.dustless-floor-sanding.co.za www.inkyshop.co.za www.mochachos.com www.freecomgroup.com www.bergens.co.za www.sableimaging.co.za www.staxhomeentertainment.co.za www.solargateway.co.za www.sxy.co.za www.school-link.co.za www.academyoflearning.co.za www.era.co.za www.afsim.com www.intercomputers.co.za www.wesleys.co.za www.hollywoodbollywood.co.za

From: R 150 000 - R 500 000

R 150 000 R 150 000 R 150 000 R 150 000 R 170 000 R 171 000 R 175 000 R 175 000 R 180 000 R 186 390 R 190 000 From: R 195 000 From: R 195 000 - R 350 000

R 195 000 R 195 000 R 195 000 R 199 000 From: R 200 000 From: R 200 000 From: R 200 000 - R 300 000

R 200 000 R 200 000 R 200 000 R 200 000 R 220 000 R 220 000 R 228 000 R 235 000 From: R 243 000 R 245 000 From: R 250 000 From: R 250 000 - R400 000 From: R 250 000 - R 300 000

R 250 000 R 250 000 R 250 000 R 250 000 R 250 000 R 260 000 R 275 000 From: R 280 000 - R 700 000

R 280 000 R 285 000 R 285 000 R 290 000 From:R 295 000 From: R 300 000 From: R 300 000 - R 1 500 000 From: R 300 000 - R 800 000

R 300 000 R 300 000 R 300 000 R 300 000 R 300 000 R 325 000 R 333 100 From: R 335 000 - R 415 000

R 335 000 From: R 350 000 - R 550 000

R 350 000 R 350 000 R 350 000 R 350 000 R 350 000 R 350 000 R 350 000 R 350 000 R 350 000 From: R 360 000 - R 660 000

From: R 392 000 From: R 395 000 From: R 400 000 R 400 000

www.saguides.co.za

Annual Franchise and Business Opportunity Listings - 2012 NAME

TEL

ABOUT

WEBSITE

COST

The Fish and Chip Co Blue Chip Lubricants Kitchen Wise Designs Altech Autopage Cellular Ralo Cosmetics Goldwagen Coustic Glo SafeGuard Wedding Time Boutique Executives Online Babies Online Skippers Fish and Chips Glasfit Wiesenhof Coffee Shops Liquidchefs Mobile Subway Picture Perfect Floors Direct Auto Speed Shop Apex Asphalt Cartridge World iTile Clean Force First National Battery Chicken City Yale Express The Chocolate Cafe Car Service City Wonderful Parties Autoway Service Centre Weizter Kitchens 082CARWASH Xcelsior Vetkoek Maleis Travel Experience Blacksteer Holdings Big Als Texies Seafoods Watertight Leak Detection Planet Auto Glass Video Spot GutterMan SA Snoekies Ayobayo Food Coffee at Burgundys Mozart Ice Cream Lotters Pine Furniture Core Catering Matrix Warehouse Warrior Paints Pizza Parlour Baglios FreshStop The Extra Mile Torga Optical Engel and Volkers Harcourts Kwikfit Mivami Goodthings Something Fishy Premier Permanent Make Up Health Mode Global Wrapps Driveshafts Centre Noise Boys DoRegos Manuka Cafe and Fine Wines Friendly Stores Baggotts Rib and Curry House Dent Doctor Deli Biscotti Computer Corporation Gloria Jeans Coffees Supa Quick

012 940 8755 011 462 1829 011 493 9806 011 650 5111 021 949 5530 012 661 2850 086 010 5687 072 039 8396 021 461 9221 011 243 2801 079 695 0558 011 450 2145 011 607 3000 011 397 7055 011 887 4535 011 447 7704 012 342 6556 011 475 8000 086 132 2000 011 462 6111 021 705 1946 012 661 6109 012 661 1848 011 741 3600 021 535 5201 011 781 9110 087 808 2782 011 883 3687 011 675 7193 011 426 3012 011 974 9944 011 974 3640 012 997 1062 012 804 5533 011 616 7965 011 651 5920 082 573 9305 021 422 2463 011 969 1728 011 432 5438 011 789 3388 044 533 4567 021 790 1867 041 396 1200 012 809 0081 086 110 5724 012 329 1450 021 465 8800 011 869 2613 012 541 3596 012 346 6147 086 011 0795 021 532 5400 011 480 6111 011 678 6556 012 346 7777 031 201 1060 011 565 8200 011 026 2020 011 974 9590 011 974 9590 011 903 8628 011 781 4228 083 397 2777 011 622 8289 012 346 6147 011 454 4018 021 788 3458 011 405 7200 012 991 7779 011 789 3925 041 396 1200 012 548 2025 031 566 4200 011 966 5900

England's batter-fried fish escorted by huge fries Manufacturer and distributor of oils and greases. Kitchens, wardrobes, bathroom vanities Communications service provider Cosmetics chain store Volkswagen motor spares Cleaning, sanitizing, deodorizing, re-surfacing Fitment centre for motor vehicle safety products Bridal gowns, bridal accessories and gift items Provide project or interim executives Online baby store Traditional english fish and chips Glass fitment centre Coffees, machines, consumables and disposables Mobile bar services Subway sandwich take aways Professional photographic studio Flooring solutions Cosmetic auto body services Asphalting service Refilling printer cartridges Specializing in tiles Cleaning and restoration of interior and exterior surfaces Automotive and industrial batteries Deep fried and grilled chicken take away Security related products Coffee shop/bistro, specializing in chocolate Car service and repair Children's party planning service Servicing and repairing of all types of motor vehicles Cabinet and kitchen cabinet manufacturers Setting the standards in the car wash industry Loans Traditional good food One - stop travel store Fast food services Hamburgers, fish and chicken Fresh seafood meals Leak detection in domestic and industrial industry Automotive glass products DVD rental Aluminium guttering specialist Fresh seafood and fish and chips store Take away and sit down restaurant Restaurant Ice cream, yoghurt, sorbet from branded stores Pine furniture retailers Servicing the hotel, restaurant and corporate sectors Computer retail Decorative and protective paints Pizzas, burgers, sandwiches and other dishes Ice cream Convenience store Vehicle maintenance Eye care International real estate agency Real estate opportunity Exhaust, tow bar, battery and shock absorber Fast food outlet specializing in shuvarmas and grills Multi brand store Fish restaurant Permanent or professional makeup Health retailer that caters to the mass health care Healthy fast food Auto repairs and servicing Auto repairs and servicing A unique fast food experience Espresso bar and wine boutique Supermark and convenience Restaurant specializing in meat and currys Auto body repair and painting Take away, espresso bar and deli Supplies computers Retail coffee shop Tyre sales and fitment service centres

www.fishandchipco.co.za www.bcl.co.za www.kitchenwisedesigns.co.za www.autopage.co.za www.ralocosmetics.co.za www.goldwagen.com www.cousticglo.co.za www.guardyourcar.webs.com www.weddingtime.co.za www.executivesonline.co.za www.babiesonline.co.za www.mochachos.com www.glasfit.co.za www.wiesenhofcoffees.co.za www.liquidchefs.co.za www.subway.com www.pictureperfectstudios.co.za www.floorsdirect.co.za www.speedshop.co.za www.apexasphalt.co.za www.cartridgeworldsa.com

R 400 000 R 428 000

www.saguides.co.za

www.ceramicworld.co.za/franchise/index.php

www.cleanforce.co.za www.battery.co.za www.chickencity.net www.yalelock.co.za www.amfudge.co.za www.carservicecity.co.za www.wonderparties.co.za www.autoway.co.za www.weizter.co.za www.082carwash.co.za www.xcelsiorloans.co.za www.vetkoekmaleis.co.za www.travelexperience.co.za www.blacksteer.co.za www.bigals.co.za www.texies.co.za www.watertight.co.za www.planetautoglass.co.za www.videospot.co.za www.gutterman.co.za www.snoekies.co.za www.ayobayo.co.za www.burgundysgroup.co.za www.mozart.co.za www.lotterspine.com www.corefranchising.co.za www.matrixwarehouse.co.za www.warriorpaints.co.za www.pizzaparlour.co.za www.baglios.co.za www.fruitandvegcity.co.za www.extramile.co.za www.torgaoptical.co.za www.engelvoelkers.co.za www.harcourts.co.za www.kwikfit.co.za www.mivami.co.za www.goodthings.co.za www.somethingfishyint.com www.cosmetic.co.za/pebble.asp?relid=436andt=136

www.healthmode.co.za www.globalwrapps.co.za www.driveshaftscentre.co.za www.noiseboys.co.za www.doregos.co.za www.manuka.co.za www.fdconline.co.za www.focusbi.com/ribncurry www.dentdoctor.co.za www.delibiscotti.com www.computercorp.co.za www.gloriajeanscoffee.com www.supaquick.co.za

From: R 450 000 - R 750 000

R 450 000 R 450 000 R 450 000 R 450 000 R 450 000 R 450 000 R 470 000 R 495 000 From: R 499 000 From: R 500 000 - R 1 000 000 From: R 500 000 - R 2 000 000

From: R 500 000 - R 800 000 From: R 500 000 - R 900 000

R 500 000 R 500 000 R 500 000 R 500 000 R 500 000 R 500 000 R 500 000 R 500 000 R 526 500 R 540 000 From: R 550 000 - R 750 000 From: R 550 000 to R 1 200 000

R 550 00 R 550 000 From: R 595 000 - R 750 000

From: R 600 000 From: R 600 000 - R 1 600 000

R 600 000 R 641 000 From: R 650 000 - R 1 600 000

R 650 000 R 650 000 R 650 000 R 650 000 R 650 000 R 670 000 R 680 000 From: R 700 000 - R 1 200 000 From: R 700 000 - R 1 500 000

R 700 000 R 750 000 R 750 000 R 750 000 R 750 000 R 750 000 R 789 000 From: R 800 000 - R 1 100 000

R 800 000 R 800 000 R 800 000 R 800 000 R 800 000 From: R 850 000 - R 950 000

R 850 000 R 850 000 R 850 000 From: R 900 000 R 900 000 R 930 000 R 948 000 R 950 000 R 1 000 000 R 1 000 000 R 1 000 000 R 1 000 000 From: R 1 100 000 - R 1 200 000 From: R 1 100 000 - R 1 400 000

R 1 100 000 R 1 100 000

SA GUIDE TO BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES VOL 10, # 1

Annual Franchise and Business Opportunity Listings - 2012 NAME

TEL

ABOUT

WEBSITE

COST

EmbroidMe Fastrak Hire It Stones Virgin Spa Koenic and Wheel Warehouse Cinnabon Reliable Music Warehouse Pantsula Bites Fego Cafe Coastal Hire House of Coffees Cafe Fino Coffeeberry Cafe Caffe Rossini Liquor City Galitos Europa Food Emporium Lattelicious Caffe Sociale Sparkling Auto Priceclub Discount Supermarket Soda King Pizza Guys Jimmys Killer Prawns Primi Caffe Sophiatown Bar Lounge Bacinis Pizza Franki Bananaz RJ's Mimmos Franchising Butcher Boys Braza Buena Vista Cuban Bar OHagans The Bread Basket Cappello Adega Restaurants Butcher Block Fisherman's Deli Bugatti Cafe Skaapland Timbercity Doppio Zero Karoo Cattle and Land Q.ba Caffe Die Werf Cattle Baron Franchise Company The Baron Group Dros The Pro Shop

021 707 5156 012 346 6147 031 702 0684 021 439 9725 011 465 1176 011 917 1517 011 728 1063 011 611 7035 011 793 2415 011 880 0432 011 314 4844 011 651 5787 011 452 8770 033 347 0708 083 654 1338 011 917 3220 013 758 1862 011 880 0432 011 784 2700 083 632 3771 018 293 3970 011 405 7200 021 510 4416 041 363 3749 011 455 2023 021 433 1380 011 836 5999 011 450 2145 031 266 5612 031 702 2691 011 392 4522 031 266 5612 011 655 1300 021 855 4454 086 164 2426 011 608 4048 011 608 3040 011 463 4456 031 584 6622 011 251 8300 012 346 5353 021 914 9740 011 445 3000 011 486 4119 011 786 9043 083 632 3771 012 991 1809 021 914 1183 011 706 0632 012 803 5969 011 602 8888 021 556 7070 011 786 9043 012 346 0749 011 327 1808 011 889 9931 021 910 0221 011 948 8928 011 791 1838 011 394 3150 011 305 1600 011 616 7956 031 309 1071 044 873 4739 087 808 2223 086 143 5737 011 412 4180 041 373 9690 013 656 3666 011 483 8056 011 469 5415 012 644 0649 021 945 3740 041 484 2940 011 704 0987

Full service embroidery and promotional gifts Branded electronic products Plant and tool hire opportunity Entertainment, bar, lounge and dance floor Slimming and wellness spas Wheel alignment, wheel balancing,etc Cinnamon rolls Music warehouse Authentic, South African take-away Coffee house with traditional Italian bistro Hiring-out of small builders equipment Up market coffee themed restaurant Coffee shop Coffee shop and pancake bar Cappuccino bar, specializing in gourmet coffee Independent liquor retail shop Flame grilled chicken Mediterranean specialties and traditional italian fare Coffee bar and restaurant Coffee shop Car washing and automotive appearance repairs Supermarkets and convenience stores Carbonated soft drinks bottling plants Pizza stores Prawns, steaks, ribs and chicken restaurant Italian restaurant South African styled restaurant Italian pastas and traditional pizzas Cosmopolitan food and cocktail bar Steaks, ribs and burgers Italian restaurant Steak restaurant Portuguese colonial food Cuban restaurant Irish themed pub and grill Bakery,patisserie, delicatessen, coffee shop Approach to light modern meals and coffee Traditional Portuguese restaurants Steakhouse restaurant Fish and seafood Restaurant Meat emporium retail franchise store Timber and building materials Bakery, continental cafe and Mediterranean restaurant Family steak-based restaurant Caffe and cocktail lounge bars Restaurant, guestrooms, ladies bar and conferences Steakhouse restaurant Fast food restaurant Restaurant Golf sport retailing South African and Japanese seafood Traditional Italian kitchen restaurant A trendy place to eat, drink and socialize Health and fitness centers Fuel and motorist convenience garage Blinds and curtains wet and dry cleaning Business and service search Dry mattress cleaning service Tyres, shock absorbers, batteries, exhausts, brakes Health and beauty Retail travel consortium Bakery Learning systems Manufacturer and distributor of bottle cutting kits Multi-purpose lifestyle agency Complete range of funeral services Debt counselling Solving the problems of sme's Designer brand sunglasses Eat dinner, have meeting and marriage in the sky Women's-only fitness and weight loss centre Affordable perimeter security Tattoo removal Entertainment and food restaurant

www.embroidme.co.za www.fastrak.co.za www.hireit.co.za www.stones.co.za www.virginspa.co.za www.koenic.co.za www.cinnabon.co.za www.reliablemusic.co.za www.pantsulabites.co.za www.europa.co.za www.coastalhire.co.za www.famousbrands.co.za www.cafe-fino.co.za www.coffeeberry.co.za www.cafferossini.co.za www.liquorcity.co.za www.galitos.co.za www.europa.co.za www.lattelicious.co.za www.caffesociale.com www.sparklingauto.co.za www.fdconline.co.za www.sodaking.co.za www.pizzaguys.co.za www.jimmyskillerprawns.com www.primi-world.com www.sophiatownbarlounge.co.za www.mochachos.com www.frankibananaz.co.za www.rjskzn.co.za www.mimmos.co.za www.fransmart.co.za www.braza.co.za www.buenavista.co.za www.ohagans.co.za www.breadbasket.co.za www.cappello.co.za www.adegas.co.za www.butcherblock.co.za www.fishermansdeli.co.za www.cafebugatti.co.za www.skaapland.co.za www.timbercity.co.za www.doppiozero.co.za www.threstaurants.com www.qbacaffe.co.za www.diewerf.co.za www.cattlebaron.co.za www.thebaron.co.za www.dros.co.za www.theproshop.co.za www.ctfm.co.za www.ciaobabycucina.co.za www.cofi.co.za www.planetfitness.co.za www.sasol.com/franchise www.onsitecleaning.co.za www.yolo.co.za www.themattressmedic.co.za www.hiq.co.za www.twincare.co.za www.satc.co.za www.breadahead.co.za www.brainclinic.co.za www.bottlecraft.co.za www.handyhelpers.co.za www.martinsfunerals.co.za www.drssa.co.za www.thebusinesscoach.co.za www.sdw.co.za www.dinnerinthesky.com www.curves.co.za www.mrspike.com www.oxfordskinclinics.co.uk www.coolrunnings.co.za

R 1 100 000 R 1 100 000

Cape Town Fish Market Restaurant and Sushi

Ciao Baby Cucina Cofi Eatchillate Planet Fitness Sasol Oil On-Site Cleaning Yolo The Mattress Medic Hi-Q Countrywide Matis SA Travel Centre Bread Ahead Brain Clinic Bottle Craft SA Handy Helpers Martins Funerals DRS The Business Coach Sunglass Warehouse Dinner in the Sky Curves Mr Spike Oxford Skin Clinics Cool Runnings

SA GUIDE TO BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES VOL 10, # 1

From: R 1 200 000 - R 2 000 000

R 1 200 000 R 1 200 000 R 1 200 000 R 1 250 000 R 1 300 000 R 1 300 000 From: R 1 400 000 - R 1 700 000

R 1 400 000 R 1 400 000 From: R 1 500 000 - R 1 700 000 From: R 1 500 000 - R 1 800 000 From: R 1 500 000 - R 2 500 000 From: R 1 500 000 - R 2 500 000

R 1 500 000 From: R 1 700 000 - R 1 900 000 From: R 1 700 000 - R 2 500 000

R 1 700 000 R 1 750 000 From R 1 800 000 - R 3 500 000

From R1 800 000 From: R 1 800 000 - R 2 000 000 From: R 1 800 000 - R 2 200 000

From: R 2 000 000 From: R 2 000 000 - R 3 000 000

R 2 000 000 R 2 105 000 From: R 2 200 000 - R 3 200 000

R 2 200 .000 R 2 404 000 From: R 2 500 000 From: R 2 500 000 - R 3 000 000

R 2 500 000 From: R 2 800 000 - R 3 000 000 From: R 2 800 000 - R 3 000 000 From: R 2 800 000 - R 3 300 000

R 2 800 000 From: R 3 000 000 From: R 3 000 000 From: R 3 000 000 - R 3 500 000

R 3 000 000 From: R 3 500 000 - R 4 000 000 From: R 3 500 000 - R 4 000 000

R 3 500 000 R 3 500 000 R 3 700 000 R 4 000 000 R 4 000 000 R 4 000 000 From: R 4 200 000 - R 5 500 000 From: R 4 500 000 - R 5 000 000

R 5 000 000 R 5 000 000 From: R 6 000 000 Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire

www.saguides.co.za

Annual Franchise and Business Opportunity Listings - 2012 NAME

TEL

ABOUT

WEBSITE

COST

Pie City Holdings Manners4Minors Space Chips Away Rawson Properties Bottle Brix Delexco Camelot Spa Caramello''s Build-A-Bear Glass Doctor Videorama BloodScan CBS Timeless Wedding Memories Coimbra Bakery The Best In Mica Fine and Country Action Sports Auto Armor Cadence Innovation Quick Fit Cupboards Body Mind Studios Cape to Cuba Stanley Hutcheson and Associates Piza e Vino Opti Baby Simulation Centre FasTracKids ACD Cartridge Hyper MotoWash Carl's Jr Officeworld Mortgage Works Swemgat Caltex Powerflow Exhausts Cosmetiq E Days Inn Re Vitalize Day Spa Advanced Hair Studio Bandag Tiger Wheel and Tyre Zen-ergy Damelin Studio 88 Aviation Geowash Motolek Consumer Assist Ceroc Dance Speedy Exhaust ADCO Apex Air Lighter Leash SA Wrapz.co.za Miki Maths Magic The Crown Academy Figure Fanatix The Braai Shack Greenfields Cafe Holdings JG Electronics Home Choice Coffee-on-the-move Rent-a-fridge Business Warehouse Zhauns Cazabella Concrete Wise Home 911 Paper World 4Phat

011 452 4885 083 379 7516 041 373 3855 082 737 2477 021 658 7100 082 456 9089 021 914 4281 011 880 3850 051 448 9507 086 112 3277 086 722 7677 012 997 0654 083 246 2842 011 879 6000 021 855 1665 021 683 3083 021 510 1240 011 479 3316 011 234 6545 086 122 8466 021 511 2256 041 373 7989 012 546 1990 011 476 2192 021 788 4571 082 964 1005 011 486 4119 012 342 9594 011 467 0230 011 879 6000 012 346 6147 011 803 0876 866 253 7655 018 293 3469 012 807 2401 086 101 2012 021 403 7911 031 461 2171 011 768 0705 011 805 8980 011 706 7685 011 369 5601 011 439 6000 011 256 4040 011 881 5833 011 796 2000 011 659 2802 011 475 1294 011 879 6000 086 121 2223 012 460 8250 011 966 5800 011 879 6000 086 161 8618 011 888 3293 011 972 7800 082 710 2423 082 947 1889 021 552 1057 011 884 1260 079 694 4130 011 789 6033 0861 466 324 082 897 7367 082 560 0595 087 809 3820 021 447 3665 031 709 1873 083 611 1694 086 107 2642 012 250 1477 082 708 7983

Fresh pies Extra mural activity aimed at children 3-6 years old Exercise, anti-cellulite and anti-aging treatments Automotive restoration Real estate and property Bottle design makes plastic bottles re-usable Delivery services for pharmacies, fast food outlet Marine technology and the latest spa therapies Coffee shop and bakery Our mission is to bring the teddy bear to life Supply and installation of all types of auto glass Video and DVD rentals Provides insight into your current health status Automotive parts and accessories Wedding dress import Coffee shop and bakery Giving people a choice and the voice Hardware store Provide an unrivalled service for the discerning buyer Games for social and team building purposes Car care and protection service Computer equipment and software Manufacture and supply of fitted cupboards Pole dancing Successfully themed Cuban restaurant Management consultancy Fresh food Internet monitored day care centres Help your child discover a life-long love of learning! Auto repairs and servicing Printer cartridge retail Fully equipped carwash and valet centre Restaurant (Looking to acquire South African franchisee) Stationery, office furniture and accessories Bond origination service Swimming is the best home entertainment ever Fuel stations with convenience stores Exhaust sales, fitment and repair centre Skin care products Hotel Spa and wellness facilities Hair restoration Leaders worldwide in the retread industry Tyre and wheel specialists Renewable energy solutions Private educator Private jet or turbines Mobile car wash Auto repair and serving Debt counselling Modern dance company Automotive exhaust Sale and service of diesel fuel injection parts Water heating systems Patented product House financing for vehicle Mathematics tutoring franchise Hotel / Game farm /Spa staff Figure collecting, collectibles and comics Restaurant Exclusive cafe and light meal restaurant Printing systems Homeware Coffee Fridges Turnkey operations Machinery Designer jewellery Decorative concrete Emergency link with the push of 1 button Handmade paper Weightloss products

www.piecity.co.za www.manners4minors.co.za www.spacecentre.co.za www.chipsaway.co.za www.rawson.co.za www.bottlebrix.com www.delexco.com www.camelotspagroup.com www.caramellos.co.za www.buildabear.co.za www.glassdoctor.co.za www.videorama.co.za www.bloodscan.co.za www.midas.co.za www.timelessweddingmemories.co.za www.coimbrabakery.co.za www.thebestin.co.za www.mica.co.za www.fineandcountry.co.za www.actionsports.co.za www.autoarmour.co.za www.cadence.co.za www.quickfitcupboards.co.za www.bodymind.co.za www.capetocuba.com www.sh-a.co.za www.pizaevino.co.za www.opti-baby.co.za www.fastrackids.co.za www.midas.co.za www.cartridgehyper.co.za www.motolube.co.za www.carlsjr.com www.officeworld.co.za www.mortgageworks.co.za www.swemgat.co.za www.caltex.com www.powerflowexhausts.com www.cosmetiqe.co.za www.daysinn.com www.revitalize.co.za www.advancedhairstudio.com www.bandag.co.za www.twt.co.za www.zen-ergy.co.za www.damelin.co.za www.studio88aviation.co.za www.geowash.co.za www.motolek.co.za www.consumerassist.co.za www.ceroc.co.za www.speedy.co.za www.midas.co.za www.apexair.net www.lighterleash.co.za www.wrapz.co.za www.mikimaths.com www.thecrownacademy.com www.figurefanatix.co.za www.thebraaishack.com www.greenfields.co.za www.jgelectronics.com www.homechoice.co.za www.coffeeonthemove.co.za www.rentafridge.co.za www.businesswarehouse.co.za www.zhauns.com www.cazabella.co.za www.concretewise.co.za www.home911.co.za www.paperworld.co.za www.4phat.co.za

Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire Enquire R 14 000 000 R 15 000 000 R 16,995.00 None R 1,400,000.00 From: R500 000 R 49,000.00 Enquire R 40,000.00 Enquire Enquire R 3,500.00 From: R35000 - R169 000

www.saguides.co.za

SA GUIDE TO BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES VOL 10, # 1

TECHNICAL ADVICE

Top Apps for your business By Toby Bennett The world we live in is always changing. Some people will tell you that it’s getting smaller and if they mean that more and more people are just a touch of a button away then I guess they’re right.

n the other hand you might say that while physical barriers are constantly being overcome, the virtual world that boarders our own, is only getting bigger. Apple now boasts over 500 000 apps with the Android market rapidly gaining ground on it with over 300 000, significantly more than half of these favouring the “freemium” business model which is good news for you the consumer. So much development in just a few years is enough to make your head spin. Let’s face it: nearly a million apps sounds impressive but that’s really just a big number to us mere mortals, conceptually you’d probably have a similar image in your mind if I said a kazillion, so let’s break it down into a few simple apps that can help you make the most of new technology and maximise the efficiency of your business. Some great business apps: • Quickoffice Pro – A full suite of office applications that let you take your work with you, just about anywhere. Work with your Excel, PowerPoint and Word documents, view PDFs and access your files remotely through Dropbox, Google Docs, Box.net, Huddle, SugarSync and Mobile me. The software also allows you to remotely connect with your SD card via the enhanced Connected File Manager. ($14.99)

the address book and card holder. CamCard also boasts little extras like email signature recognition. ($11.99)

•

Invoice2go – Invoice or send estimates on the move.The App offers 20 professional invoice templates and if you install the desktop version you can customise your own templates and create your own business forms. ($9.99)

•

Keynote – Make a presentation anywhere by simply connecting your mobile device to a projector. Keynote has much in common with PowerPoint offering you professional presentation tools along with an iCloud functionality that updates your presentations across all your iOS devices. ($9.99)

•

Evernote – Let your mobile device do some of the heavy lifting when it comes to keeping track of your dayto-day life. This app allows you to store photos, memos and even audio files and it can all be synchronised with your desktop so you can centralise information and be sure that nothing slips through the cracks. It’s also free which is always a plus.

•

Square – Want the ability to process credit card payments from anywhere? Look no further, the app itself is free and there are no monthly charges or contracts but there is a 2.75% fee on each transaction. Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover are all accepted.

SharePlus – Take your SharePoint lists and libraries with you on your tablet or Smartphone. SharePlus will facilitate easier collaboration with you team by allowing you to share documents, calendars and tasks litsts wherever you find yourself. ($14.99)

SignMyPad – Save the environment and keep the personal touch with this PDF reader and annotation tool. This app allows you to load PDFs, add text and your signature before emailing your finished document. ($3.99)

CamCard – A new twist on the old style business card theme, this app allows you to capture business card images with your Smartphone’s camera. It will then automatically save the details it has gleaned into

SA GUIDE TO BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES VOL 10, # 1

www.saguides.co.za

•

Scanner Pro – Turn your mobile device into a document scanner that captures electronic copies of physical documents. ($6.99 www.readdle.com)

•

GoodReader – A robust document reader that lets you open virtually any file from books to movies.

Gist – Another freebie this app helps you to organise and up date your contacts using your mobile device. It can import all basic contact information from your inbox, social network and smart phone and even offers the option to view your contacts real time Facebook and twitter feeds from within the program.

•

Dropbox (www.dropbox.com) – A personal favourite, this online application allows you to back up and share files online. The first two gigs are free and if you can refer a few people you get extra space.

OmniFocus – This task management app turns your mobile device into a personal assistant. It can organise tasks along a number of criteria like groups, locations, contexts and resources. If you need a little help assigning priorities and making sure that you stick to your to-do-list then this one is for you. ($19.99-$39.99, www.omnigroup.com) www.saguides.co.za

FNB Banking App – Finally for a bit of local flavour why not get your hands on SA’s first Smartphone and tablet banking app? View balances, make payments, transfer funds. It’s all free provided you are an FNB online banking customer.

•

Skype – Save on your phone bill and keep in touch online with free chat and instant messaging. In mobile terms your iPhone has a slight advantage when it comes to using Skype because it supports video chat unlike android.

•

Gekoboard (http://www.geckoboard. com/) – Status board for your business’s vital signs. Lets you monitor web analytics, CRM, support, infrastructure, project management and sales.

•

SurveyMonkey (www.surveymonkey. com) – Free online survey tool

It goes without saying that these apps are just a smattering of what’s available, but they should be all you would need for your basic business functions. While we are talking apps though lets not forget the web-based applications (no mobile device required but it might help if you are out and about): •

•

Google Maps – Good for your PC or mobile device this is the app that will get you to that meeting, though currently only android systems offer real time voice guided navigation.

Bloomberg – keep your finger on the pulse with this app that allows you to check out the latest business news on the go. (free)

•

JumpDesktop – Use your mobile device to remotely control your desktop. At less than twenty dollars it’s cheaper than having to buy a laptop bag! ($19.99, www.jumpdesktop.com)

•

Google Docs – Let’s you create and share business documents

Google Analytics – Allows you to properly monitor your web traffic

I could of course go on about staples like Gmail and social applications such as Facebook, YouTube and Twitter but the trend should be clear enough, these days your business needs to be flexible and up to the minute the good news is that with these apps at your disposal it can be.

SA GUIDE TO BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES VOL 10, # 1

SOCIAL MEDIA

Does Social Media Work for Small Business? By Nicholas Cronwright Having a social media presence takes time! Just creating a Facebook page for your business or Twitter account just isn’t enough, making social media work for your small business will take considerable input in terms of time.

o, you have a small business and a website, what does social media mean for your business and should you use it? Social media marketing in small business can be an excellent way to generate new clients as well as build your business brand online. There are however many hurdles to overcome if you want social media to work for your business. Historically a business would have a website, with basic information and contact details and would be static, with no real level of interactivity between potential clients and the business. Social media has changed the way businesses work online, allowing clients and businesses to interact through the internet in real-time.With more people spending more time online both on desktop computers as well as with mobile devices having a social media presence for your small business is becoming increasingly important. The most well known social media platforms at present are Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn with Google+ steadily on the rise. Setting up an account on any of these websites is free and can benefit your small business if done properly. Before jumping straight into any or all of these there are a few points to consider.

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Remember that bigger businesses with more money to spend may be employing someone specifically to work social media. If they are in the same target market as you, that means you are going to have to dedicate a set time each day to ‘work’ social media, find interesting content, respond to comments, grow your network and acquire new clients. Maintain a positive online identity! Be sure to monitor all mentions about your business (defined as Online Reputation Management, ORM) in online media. Respond to both positive and negative mentions in online media to best portray your business identity to potential clients online. Monitor your Facebook Wall feed daily, do Twitter searches as well as Google searches for your company name and related terms to make sure nothing bad is being said, and if something good is being said, link to it, or add a news page to your website. Don’t abandon ship! While social media is popular, there are a lot of fish in the sea. You are most likely not going to get the followers and response you hoped for immediately. Be sure to keep working on it, once you have created a decent following the ‘snowball effect’ is more likely to occur and gaining more followers and hence more potential clients should require less work. Social media can work for your small business if you dedicate a portion of your time online actively working your businesses social media presence, which doesn’t mean chatting to an old friend from high school.

Groupon expands with new features and acquisitions

roupon, the popular group buying website, is expanding in the face of competition from Google Offers and Living Social in an effort to stay ‘ahead of the curve’. If you’ve never used it the premise of Groupon is simple, offers for goods or services are advertised on the website and to Groupon subscribers via email at a reduced rate for a certain volume of customers. When that number is reached then the ‘deal is on’ and businesses are guaranteed clients and customers pay less.

Collective buying has become popular and in the US Groupon’s main competition comes from Living Social and possibly more in future from Google Offers. Rapid expansion into international markets has been expensive for Groupon and whilst they achieved $22 million profit in North America in their earning report, international operations cost the business $137 million. Revenue was up over 400% with $1.6 billion in revenue generated, meaning Groupon has money to spend. With the popularity of on device mobile browsing Groupon seems to be putting more focus into this market segment and acquired both Kima Labs and Hyperpublic. Kima Labs makes mobile payment software including Barcode Hero, a barcode scanner, and TapBuy, a mobile payment application. Hyperpublic develops software related to geo-location and integrating that into promotional advertising. It doesn’t take too much thought to imagine how these could be used in the existing Groupon model. Along with these new acquisitions Groupon is in a testing phase for a new feature for Groupon users called Groupon VIP. The subscription service will provide early-bird access to upcoming deals, options to buy deals that have expired or sold-out to regular users as well as the ability to refund coupons. as Groupon credit. If you are a Groupon fan, then Continued on page 42

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Groupon VIP sounds like it will be for you, so watch this space. At the time of writing Alexa rates Groupon as the 22nd most popular site in South Africa and if you haven’t tried it you can signup for free www.groupon. co.za. Group buying is popular in South Africa and there are a number of other options available to South Africans including: • • • • • •

Ubuntu Deal - www.ubuntudeal.co.za City Slicker - www.cityslicker.co.za Collective Cow - www.collectivecow.com CityMob - citymob.co.za VuvuPlaza - www.vuvuplaza.com Skoop - www.skoop.co.za

Whether you are a fan or not group buying is here to stay and Groupon and its shareholders will be hoping that its expansion and growth will only mean good things in the future for the company.

African economy is such that users are not able to afford phones with embedded applications for services like Facebook. Should future sales and promotion of cheap smartphones increase in the African market then ZiNG and MXit will face an uphill battle trying to compete. The concern here is not cheaper phones with Android exactly, more that the Android environment will be used to create locked phone systems, tied into the more popular existing social networks. This will make users less likely to seek out alternatives like ZiNG or MXit. Whether or not ZiNG succeeds or fails it will serve to help build competition for MXit, which can only be a good thing. MXit will need to keep pace to ensure they hold onto their title as the largest mobile social network in Africa, with more powerful phones at lower prices becoming more readily available.

What is Online MXit, ZiNG, Facebook Reputation Management or ORM? and the R799 nce your business is online and smartphone

iNG is a new Instant Messaging (IM) service launched in South Africa as of 12 February 2012 and offers competition to the already established MXit messaging platform. MXit and Zing offer alternatives for users that own phones without ‘smartphone’ capabilities and as long as your phone is able to run Java, then you should be able to access the chat network. Along with the Java version, at the time of launch, ZiNG offers versions for Blackberry, Android and iOS devices.

Zing offers group chat and photo sharing as well as ‘Zones’ which are information channels you subscribe to and receive updates from, similar to a Facebook news feed. All Zones you choose to subscribe to, you will get information updates from, enhancing the social aspect of the ZiNG application. For publishers, advertisers and businesses Zones represent an opportunity to build their brand in the mobile market and it will be interesting to see how this may develop in future. The concern for startups like ZiNG and the already established MXit is the R799 ($100) smartphone scenario which we have already seen in South Africa with the Vodafone 858. Companies like ZiNG and MXit rely on the fact that the

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especially if you have a social media presence (Twitter, Facebook, Google+) then it is likely people will be talking about your business. Online reputation management (also called online reputation monitoring) or ORM, is the process of making sure your business reflects positively online. It is great if everything being said is positive though inevitably there will be negative comments related to your business brand. As a small business owner you probably won’t have the resources to employ someone to do online reputation management and it probably isn’t necessary. Though devoting some time each day, or once a week, to doing your own online reputation management can be beneficial to your business and something to consider. Positive mentions should be publicised, re-tweeted, linked to or displayed on a news page as this will help build online brand identity. Negative mentions, especially on popular websites or blogs, can have a bad impact on your business brand online, so be sure to deal with these effectively. Approach the commentator and rectify the situation as best possible, or use SEO techniques to downplay and counteract any negative effect it could have on your business. Here are some tools to help you do your own online reputation management for your small business.

Free tools to do your own ORM

Google Alerts - Google Alerts is a free service from Google related to search

queries you specify. Whenever new content is indexed that matches your search query you will be notified by Google via email. Setting up alerts for your business name (ie. “BizAssist”) as well as key figures within your business would be a good idea. Search queries related to competitors would also be good to help get some insight into popularity of other businesses in your market segment. Find out more at www.google.com/alerts Social Mention - Social Mention is a search engine that will find mentions across various platforms for a term you specify. Test it using your business brand name or website address and you may be surprised how often your business appears. It is a useful tool for aggregating mentions from various sources quickly. Find out more at www.socialmention. com Twitter Search - Though a part of Twitter and often overlooked, using Twitter Search to find mentions about your business is important to have in place for ORM. Software such as TweetDeck allows you to save searches which makes it easier for you to quickly scan for any new mentions and reduces repetitive searches. Monitter.com provides a free online tool with similar functionality. Yahoo! Pipes - For more advanced users Yahoo! offers a service called Pipes which allows you to aggregate content from all over the internet. This will require a bit more time than the above mentioned tools though if you are a power-user it may save you time in the long run. There are plenty of other tools out there and finding ones that you are comfortable using may take a while. Dedicating a portion of your working week to online reputation management is important in online marketing for your business. Once you are successfully monitoring and managing your businesses brand online it will positively effect your business and improve search results rankings. ORM is also a good way to identify how internet users view your business and allows you to influence this for the best of your business.

“Search Plus your World” and your Business

oogle recently introduced a set of new features into their Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) and as predicted by many the integration of their Google+ platform is already highly prioritised. Continued on page 44

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Google+ was launched as a reaction by Google to social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook whose established user base and integrated search functionality remains a threat to the search giant. Whilst Google is the leader in search, in terms of user retention and interaction level it is way behind the likes of Facebook and Twitter. Google+ and its relation to the new search features mean a lot for how your business may appear in Google search results in future. The idea behind this is a simple one, by increasing the importance of Google+ in search results, more and more people (who work in the online industry) are more likely to prioritise having an actively maintained Google+ page. The more +1s, links and mentions of your Google+ identity in the ‘Circles’ will mean a higher chance of your business appearing on Page 1 of related search results. Anyone running a business that markets itself online should take this quite seriously. Though these features have only recently been rolled out, as time progresses, their importance will become evident. Whilst Facebook is very much the ‘social media platform’ and a Facebook page is important for business, Google remains the leader in search. If a potential customer is looking to buy a product or hire a service, Facebook is not the first option, Google is. For this single reason making sure your business is not compromised by these new features is essential, especially if your business receives a lot of clients from searches Google. Remember that whilst you may not think it is necessary, other business owners will be working these new search features as a method of marketing themselves, increasing their online brand presence and hence decreasing yours (if they are in the same target market). Creating a Google+ profile is free and takes only a few minutes and if you are clever, using it to market your business may in times to come be one of your most important marketing tools to remain relevant on 1st page results. The one overriding negative in all of this remains the issue of displaying the most relevant results for the user. The potential always exists, especially in these kinds of features, for exploitation by SEO marketers to enhance their businesses in search engine results. Whilst this is great for their wallets, in terms of the average internet user, they are less likely to be getting the most relevant results for their search queries.

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Coming Soon! Advertise on Twitter

witter is great, lots of people use it, in fact as many as 100 million users active users are on Twitter and it is one the leading platforms for the distribution of social media for both personal and business use. Twitter sets itself apart for a number of reasons and the unique 140 character micro-blogging service is a favourite for many to interact as well as source and disseminate content. Sitting at No. 9 in Alexa’s Top 500 Sites Worldwide, at the time of writing, there is something else that sets Twitter apart from the other top websites in the world, its revenue model. Whilst Facebook, Google and the various other websites ranking amongst the most popular in the world generally have some form of advertising in place, due to the uniqueness of the Twitter platform this has been more complex. Twitter already have created ‘Promoted Tweets’, Promoted Trends’ and ‘Promoted Accounts’ which allows businesses to make themselves more visible and easily accessible on the Twitter network. Whilst this has helped to increase revenue generation the rollout of the next phase in the monetization process is much more likely to generate a much larger increase in potential revenue from ad sales. The ‘self-service’ advertising platform which is currently in a 3-month testing phase will allow businesses and users to pay to place ads on the Twitter network, much like Google has in place with AdWords, and your account will be charged only when an advertisement is clicked on. With a huge following the incredibly popular social network is highly likely to begin to generate much more revenue using this ‘self-service’ approach to advertising. This will benefit not only Twitter but will also make advertising on Twitter much more easily accessible to the ‘man on the street’ or small business owner wanting to promote their business brand through the social network.

Dock your Android phone for a Desktop PC Experience

buntu, the free operating system brought to us by Canonical and South African entrepreneur Mark Shuttleworth, is about to change the way

you think about and use your Android phone. Most people will be aware of a number of Android tablet devices made available on the South African market recently, part-desktop (when docked with a keyboard) and part-mobile phone. This ‘blurring’ of the lines between your everyday computing needs and mobile computing is about to be further extended with the announcement of Ubuntu for Android. Consider the Samsung Galaxy SII, an Android smartphone, which features a Dual-core 1.2 GHz Processor and 16GB onboard storage, whilst not comparable to desktop PC specifications, theoretically already has the power to run two lean derivatives of Ubuntu, Lubuntu or Xubuntu. The developers at Ubuntu have not let this point slip by unnoticed and Ubuntu for Android will offer a mobile, Android powered phone on the move, and a full-featured Ubuntu based desktop environment when docked. Users will have an Android phone in their pockets and when docked, with the addition of just a screen and keyboard, a desktop environment capable of performing your work-related tasks. Your web browsing history, bookmarks and SMS’s as well as other applications will all be available to you when you dock and use your phone as you would a desktop PC. There are obvious benefits for businessmen on the move as well as reducing the need for data synchronization between multiple devices. Added to this will be increased accessibility to full desktop environments for users without actual personal computers who make use of Android based mobile devices.

Ubunutu for Android does not appear at this stage to be available for download from the Ubuntu website though the required minimum specifications are below: • Dual-core 1GHz CPU • Video acceleration: shared kernel driver with associated X driver; Open GL, ES/EGL • Storage: 2GB for OS disk image • HDMI: video out with secondary frame buffer device • USB host mode • 512 MB RAM For all minimalists and mobile-device lovers it may soon finally be time to scrap your desktop PC for good (well, perhaps not).

SA GUIDE TO BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES VOL 10, # 1

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put off doing business. After all, it’s more fun to choose fonts than to make cold calls. It’s true that starting a business requires a certain amount of preparation, or as Robert Spiegel, author of The Shoestring Entrepreneur’s Guide to the Best Home-Based Businesses, calls it, ‘pencil sharpening’. Here are ten ways to move past pencil sharpening and put those pencils to work. 1. Make a list Making lists is a common denominator in businesses that have moved forward during the start-up phase. “People take time-management classes and use various electronic tools, daily planners and software, but all these tools essentially help make lists,” says Spiegel. “Having a list is the most important way to keep procrastination away.” Keep the list in front of you so it’s always visible. 2. Take baby steps It can be overwhelming when your to-do list is changing and priorities seem to be wrestling each other, but starting with small, manageable jobs can help thwart fears and minimise anxiety. Focusing on what really matters often comes down to having discipline and a clear vision. 3. Find a customer If you don’t have customers or clients, you don’t have a business. Yet finding and committing to that first customer can be a difficult hurdle for many entrepreneurs. 4. Forget perfection It might seem ideal to have everything in place exactly as you envisioned, but perfection doesn’t pay the bills. The ideal situation would be to have hightech office equipment, but rather than waiting, start working from a small office with little more than basic equipment — a desk and a telephone. 5. Talk business Believing in yourself and your business might sound like hokey advice, but if you don’t believe you’re truly in business, as opposed to ‘starting a business’, how can you expect anyone else to believe it? Change your choice of words when you’re out in the world. Talk about your company like it is a business, not like it’s about Continued on page 54

Redfern PrintStation Business Opportunity services, tap into Redfern’s extensive client network and be able to print and supply a vast range of printed material that includes but which is not limited to: black & white and colour version of documents, proposals, business cards, reports, advertising material and marketing flyers, binding, labels, logo design, as well as allied products and services such as packing materials and dispensing products. Additionally non-related printing products such as courier services, airtime, internet-connectivity and usage and most business related products can be sold.

he revolution in print technology and solutions is continuing at a rapid pace. It wasn’t too long ago that only large companies were able to afford full colour printing – mainly because they were fortunate to be able to justify large print runs. Not so today. Digital printing has been taking over all but the larger business printing jobs. Additionally there has been a massive worldwide rise in the number of SMEs (Small to Medium Enterprises) whose needs are the same as larger companies – but they need fewer copies and they want it today. The rise of internet use in South African businesses has fueled the demand for end-to-end business printing services which will only become more prevalent once on-demand internet printing becomes commonplace. With all these market forces influencing the way SMEs manage their printing requirements it was only natural that Redfern, with its long history of being South Africa’s favourite printer label supplier, developed the Redfern PrintStation concept. Redfern has a long and distinguished history in South Africa. Since 2001 Redfern has been the dominant supplier of print labels to South African business

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and has serviced many hundreds of thousands of clients throughout South Africa. With state-of-the-art facilities and expertise at their office in Milnerton, Cape Town, the entry of Redfern into the print servicer arena represents a lucrative and thriving business opportunity for entrepreneurs. By owning a Redfern PrintStation you will be able to share in this exciting growth and offer clients - from corporate companies and SMEs to ordinary citizens - invitations etc. The Redfern PrintStation franchise is suitable for any South African, regardless of computer technology. Because of the skills associated with Redfern’s long history of printing, the training and orientation offered at their head office is superb. Best of all, you will receive training in their own ‘Head Office’ Redfern PrintStation unit ensuring that training, familiarity with equipment marketing processes and overall access to all Redfern’s in-house expertise are transferred to you.

Perhaps the best part of the entire PrintStation franchise is that the cost of set up is only R450, 000 which is fantastic value. There are very few franchise systems that can operate at retail level that cost below R500, 000. Redfern has applied to have its franchise system registered with the Franchise Association of South Africa. In a nutshell, the Redfern PrintStation is an ideal franchise opportunity for entrepreneurs wishing to get involved in the growing business printing and services industry. For more information please contact Monique Wagener Email: monique@redfern.co.za Tel: 021 552-9680 www.redfern.co.za

At the end of the training course you will be able to manage your Redfern PrintStation shop, source and deal with clients, offer graphic design SA GUIDE TO BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES VOL 10, # 1

Take responsibility for your financial future South African women are ready for change and want to take responsibility for their financial wellbeing. Many are already supplementing their family incomes by establishing full-time careers as Pure Romance consultants.

The American company, founded by Patty Brisben in 1993, is active in more than 260 markets around the world including Canada, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. It markets a premier line of products ranging from beauty and bath products through to lingerie and intimacy aides through an active network of more than 75 000 certified sales consultants at women-only home parties. Through this unique format, Pure Romance offers women a comfortable environment in which to purchase products as well as to receive information and education related to their sexual health. Last year, Pure Romance was introduced to South Africa. Having seen a massive annual growth of 40% over the past five years, with a turnover in excess of $120 million per year, this is an investment South African women won’t want to miss out on. “This year, Pure Romance will be investing R11.2 million into its South African expansion up from R5.6 million last year. We expect the business to grow in excess of 2000 nationwide consultants by the end of 2012,” said Brisben. For as little as R799, you too can start your own Pure Romance business. You get a starter kit which contains everything you need to start making money immediately and you receive on-going training on the products through webinars, the Pure Romance website and in-person. “We like to say our consultants are in business for themselves but not by themselves,” added Brisben. On average, you can earn up to R2000 a party, and up to R312 000 a year. Because of the flexibility of the business, as well as the potential for earning an income immediately, the Pure Romance business is suited to women who wear many hats in their lives, and who have a dynamic entrepreneurial spirit. For further information contact Mark Keating on 011 234 7590 or visit www.pureromance.co.za www.saguides.co.za

WOMEN IN BUSINESS PROFILES

Going Solo – is about Beautiful paper products at your fingertips when, not if!

he very idea of leaving the office cubicle behind to become full-time entrepreneur can be exciting. But the grass is always greener on the other side, and while entrepreneurship has its benefits, there many things fledgling entrepreneurs should consider before deciding to go it alone. If the lure of “firing your boss” is calling you, here are 10 things to ponder before you make the leap to full-time entrepreneurship. 1. You’re the man, or not. If you want to become an entrepreneur because you don’t want to work for“the man”anymore, consider that working for yourself might mean working for a meaner boss. Also, when you take on clients and customers you end up working for more than one person instead of just for yourself. 2. Understand your options. If you’re going to become a solopreneur and go it alone, there are essentially three different types of businesses you need to be aware of, and any business can be a combination of these. You can either provide a donefor-you service, a consulting service, or a product. 3. Start with a service business. Until you build up enough of a customer base, you will likely be providing high end services. This is a good place to be because you are fine tuning your knowledge and skills to be able to package them up into more scalable product offerings down the line.You’ll want to jump into fulltime entrepreneurship before you get to the product phase. 4. Plan to save money. As you look at the best time to leave your job, put together an estimate of how much money you need to bring in on a monthly basis to sustain your lifestyle. If it doesn’t seem feasible, look for ways to scale back on your spending. Start saving now so that you have a nest egg when you do leave your job, because it always takes longer to become profitable than you might think. 5. Surround yourself with other like-minded business owners. It’s easy to stay in a job that isn’t serving you if all of your friends are doing the same thing. Instead, find yourself a group of accountability buddies who are in a similar situation to you, or a few steps ahead so they can give you guidance as you navigate this new path in your career. 6. Be willing to pivot. As human beings we think we’ve got all the answers figured out. When it comes to business though, you need to be flexible and listen to the market and response. If you’re working your tail off trying to sell a product or service and it’s not giving you the returns you’re looking for, consider what your audience and market is spending money on. It’s possible that what you’re offering just isn’t a good fit. 7. The state of the economy is not a justification for or against entrepreneurship. If you want to start a business, there will never be a more perfect time than when you’re ready. Starting a business is the most powerful force for personal development I’ve ever experienced, so get ready for the ride of a lifetime and don’t make excuses if you put it off. 8. Be a sponge. Learn as much as you can before, during, and after you start your business. It’s not necessary to go back to school or to spend years researching your idea and market. However, it is necessary to read books about business, your business industry, and marketing. It’s your job as the business owner to stay informed and to keep an open mind to new ideas and tools, because the business landscape is constantly changing. Continued on page 54

SA GUIDE TO BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES VOL 10, # 1

Compiled by Katja Hamilton As the biggest handmade paper dealer in Southern Africa, Paper World is looking for vibrant women to carry on the high reputation associated with its brand. If occasion planning and function co-ordination are your forte, then owning a Paper World Business Opportunity may be just for you. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime business opportunity for creative people to start their own business, part- or full time,” said Thaiborn Warin Nezar. She runs the business with her husband, Robert and is responsible for keeping up with new global trends and ideas. “Taking our success rate over the past year into consideration we should be able to sell approximately 200 packages in 2012,” said Warin. Founded in 2000, Paper World is South Africa’s leading importer, manufacturer and distributor of hand-made, machine-made and recycled art papers. Its papers are imported from around the world, with recycled mulberry paper products being manufactured at its headquarters in the foothills of the Magaliesberg in Hartbeespoort. Paper World’s dedicated team also produces handcrafted wedding stationery, photo albums, gift boxes, journals, scrapbooks and notebooks, gift bags, bespoke menus, recipe books and an ever-changing range of new and exciting items, which it supplies to the craft trade and the general public. With more than a thousand papers, embellishments and craft tools in stock, the inventory changes all the time and exciting new lines are added every week. For an initial investment of R3500, you will receive a total of 1200 samples of embosses, handmade and machine-made paper, arch lever files featuring the latest trends in packaging, boxes and products, and half a day’s free training on paper and manufacturing methods at the factory premises in Hartbeespoort. (A minimum of 50% deposit is required.) “People are using our unique products on a daily basis so with a regular injection of new ideas and products, you have a lot of room for growth,” said Warin. “Hard work, staying positive, and belief in your product will guarantee you success.” For further information contact Liza Hiten on (012) 250 1477/8 or 082 470 5874, or email marketing@paperworldsa.com. Visit www.paperworldsa.com www.saguides.co.za

WOMEN IN BUSINESS PROFILES

Hats off to you Taking the market by storm is The Little Hattery in the Gardens, which offers pure class and delectable attention to detail.

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9. Start on the side. The best way to know if you can make it as a business owner and if your ideas are viable is to start your business on the side. Check with your boss and company policies before going ahead with the side business, and then hang your shingle up. Watch what happens, how you feel, and who responds to your offers.

For a fun, sassy hat customized for the social event of the year and the chance to showcase your impeccable style, this is where you’ll want to place your order. Whether for a wedding, a high tea or a midnight rendezvous on the town – The Little Hattery is your first port of call. One-of-a-kind costume accessories and Venetian masks are also up for grabs.

10. Get ready for growth. Once things start to take off for you, you’ll need to make a choice as to whether you want to keep your business on the side or make the leap to full time. Sometimes you need to leap before the income is there, simply because you can’t take on more work than you can manage. Other times you’ll know you need to quit your job when your business becomes more profitable and motivating. If you feel you cant work 50hrs plus per week- do not go solo.

“Attitude is everything, and our hats make life fun everyday” says costume designer and owner of the studio, Kerry Hillier.

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Kerry’s creations catapulted to fame when they made centrestage at the Vaudeville Supper Club performances. Consequently, the mini showgirl’s hat was brought to life. Demand for the customized hats from private clients and corporates began rolling in and grew to such an extent that Kelly proceeded to open a studio in town. With only R100 as initial start-up capital, a year and a half later the business employs 11 staff and makes up to R100 000 turnover in any given month.

to be a business — “I’m trying to start a business” sounds noncommittal. Even if all you’ve done is print your own business cards, saying things like, “I own my own business,” or, “I have to get back to work,” will get the word out that you are serious. 6. Reward yourself On a weekly basis, ask yourself if you’ve really done anything worthy of a reward — something that will have a tangible impact on your business. Then choose your reward carefully and make it only as grand as the task completed. 7. Be accountable Find a partner, organisation or another business owner to hold you accountable. Whether you choose to buddy up with another business owner or be regularly accountable to a friend or family member, pick someone who won’t let you off the hook too easily.

Kerry and her business partner, Dom manage the business together. The secret to their success, they say, is dedication and hard work; it’s not uncommon for them to work up to 16 hours a day, seven days a week. But they’re set to reap the rewards. “Online sales are on the increase and the venture is set to grow hundred fold in the next three years. At this point, we’ll expand abroad,” says Kerry. To this end, she recommends other aspiring entrepreneurs also look at starting their own business. “It’s the only way to go, especially if you have an idea and the will to keep on getting up after you’ve been knocked down,” she says. Prices for hats start from R50 for very small children’s hats. Commissions start from R300 with a 50% deposit payable with every order. Turnaround time can be as little as a day. Visit www.thelittlehattery.com or 41 Glynn St. Gardens in Cape Town.

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8. Predict the future A sure way to determine if you are furthering your business is to look ahead. If you stay in the pencil-sharpening stage, where will your business be next week or next month? Chances are, you’ll be in debt. Guy Kawasaki, author of eight books, including The Art of the Start, Rules for Revolutionaries and How to Drive Your Competition Crazy, suggests that entrepreneurs use the following test to determine if what they are doing can be considered progress: “Would you call your spouse to tell him or her it’s done? For example, you wouldn’t call your spouse to [say] that you ordered stationery.” Do something today that makes you want to call home, and your odds of future business success increase dramatically. Or if negative motivation is more your style, picture your future if you don’t take some steps forward now. 9. Remember your dream When the going gets tough and it’s time to tackle those things outside your comfort zone, keeping your initial dream in mind might be the motivation you need. Changing goals and creating new dreams can keep your excitement as fresh as it was in the beginning. 10. Do the hard stuff first Emotion can kill a business before it even gets off the ground. Human nature dictates that we are first drawn to the things that bring us pleasure, and business tasks are no different. By getting distasteful responsibilities out of the way rather than avoiding them, we can more fully enjoy the other parts of business ownership.

SA GUIDE TO BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES VOL 10, # 1

WOMEN IN BUSINESS PROFILES

Shed the pounds safely

The reality is fad diets can be dangerous to your health and do not offer long-term results. MyWeightGuru is a leading edge provider of health and weight management programs. Our mission is to assist you to look and feel your absolute best through a holistic approach to lifestyle management. To help you achieve your goals we provide programs that are individualized and prepared by fully qualified and accredited health care practitioners. Backed by scientific research and proven results at MyWeightGuru we believe that a healthy life style requires a sensible and managed approach

which takes into account your personal wellness and weight goals. Sustained weight loss is not just about calorie counting, it requires a sensible and managed approach which takes into account your personal weight loss goals combined with healthy lifestyle habits which include: • WHAT WE EAT • EXERCISE • STRESS MANAGEMENT • SUPPLEMENTATION There is no such thing as one-diet-fitsall. We are all unique individuals and we need a personalized program that suits our basic needs.

Our bodies need: • PROTEIN • VEGETABLES • GRAINS & STARCHES • FATS • VITAMINS & MINERALS • WATER

MyWeightGuru Delivers • • • • •

Individual personalized programs We incorporate REAL FOODS, not meal replacement products We address the four key elements to attaining health and sustainable weight loss A Scientific approach to health and weight management Proven and published results

Bloodscan combined with MyWeightGuru is a great franchise opportunity for anyone. With the business model being so successful (and BloodScan having opened 16 business units in 2011 alone, with an anticipated 48 further business units planned for launch in 2012) customer satisfaction is testimony to the viability of the business. Bloodscan is a nutritional profiling system that was developed to give practitioners the most updated results of their clients’ well being.

In October 2011 MyWeightGuru was added to our Bloodscan units, to add more value to help our clients. Ownership of a bloodscan unit combined with our new MyWeightGuru programme provides you with a fully equipped operational bloodscan system, comprehensive training, and access to national sales and marketing support from Bloodscan Africa. If you are a healthcare professional or involved in any wellness orientated experience, and are looking to invest in a sustainable and profitable business in your region, visit www.bloodscan.co.za for additional information or emailinfo@bloodscan.co.za. SA GUIDE TO BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES VOL 10, # 1

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From passion to profits

here are so many ways to make money doing what you love. You just have to pick one and go for it. You can immediately start making money from what excites you—I’m talking by tomorrow. Whether it’s a single dollar or a thousand, you are capable of helping people through your passions, and they’re willing to pay you for it. Here are a few ways to make some form of money from your talents and interests: 1. Charge for an hour of work as a consultant. Find the people or businesses who desperately need advice the subject of your passion. People actually often start businesses about things they don’t actually know about! 2. Charge for an hour as a coach. If your passion has to do with personal or life topics, go help someone declutter their home, maximize their schedule, get on a few more dates, lose ten pounds—anything is fair game. Send an email to a group of friends to ask if they know someone who needs your help. Ask them to post it on their Facebook. You don’t need a massive amount of marketing- you only need one client to get started. 3. Host a seminar or workshop. Pick a topic that excites you, outline the key points and make a simple PowerPoint out of it. I once did this for one of my favorite strategy books, How to Win Friends and Influence People. Worried about not getting enough participants? If you only get a few, then make it intimate. If you only get one? Looks like you’ve got your first coaching client. Nice work. 4. Create a video interview series. Start interviewing inspiring people. Not only is it something others want to watch but you getting to interview and connect with rockstars is the best part. 5. Create an online course. There is plenty of east to follow course design software- Develop it once and with regular updates, they make money for a long time to come. 6. Teach someone one-on-one. Tutor someone on the topic you know inside

and out. Parents are always looking for the person who can provide a breakthrough for their child. 7. Write a guide. Maybe it’s a PDF report or eBook. It doesn’t have to be that long, as long as it’s helpful. You might already have the content from what you’ve written on your blog, journal or elsewhere. Package it up and sell it 8. Create a podcast. Put together a talk or interview and put it up with a price on it. Then promote it a bit. Either do this with new content or take your existing work and turn it into audio and upload it to iTunes. (South Africans cant register with Itunes – so ask one of your friends oversee to do it for you. 9. Outsource yourself. Showcase your talents. Get published in magazines, websites , your own blog and it won’t be long before you paid to talk about your passion. 10. Film a you tube-video. These are best for visual tutorials like fitness or computer instruction. South-Africans are now cashing in on their videos going viral.

SA GUIDE TO BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES VOL 10, # 1

Shape up for the big time Safety in numbers 4Phat is a revolutionary new range of weight-management products exclusive to South Africa.

Welcome to what is probably amongst South Africa’s most innovative and most affordable product & entrepreneurial initiatives ever. Home911 literally INSTANTLY enhances your personal, family, business & community safety, while it simultaneously also sets the platform for a dynamic ‘Business-in-YOUR-Pocket’ INCOME OPTION. Home911 has developed a world-class, high-speed distress /crime alert system that functions through any cell phone and which instantly forms an emergency distress link to family, friends, neighbours, Neighbourhood Watch, sector police, etc. all at the touch of just ONE button on your cell phone.

Available online and via sales agents, the products are highly effective in assisting men and women shed kilos. Certified and tested by independent laboratories and universities the 4Phat range includes a meal-replacement shake and two supplements – the Nano 350 and Nano 350 Advanced. The shake is available in three delicious flavours - sassy strawberry, crazy condensed milk and cheeky chocolate and is jam-packed with probiotics, Omega 3 and 6s, digestive enzymes and high flax fibre. The next-generation weight-loss aide, the Nano 350 label showcases a catalytic formula of Hoodia Gordonii and Capsicum while the advanced label includes a high dose of Green Tea extract - an excellent antioxidant. Hoodia Gordonii - a Kalahari succulent is a highly potent appetite suppressant and Capsicum is highly regarded for boosting the metabolism. Both formulas contain the highly regarded mood enhancer, Sceletium Tortuosum and Piper Nigrum renowned for its anti-inflammatory properties. What makes the 4Phat range so popular is that the ingredients are all natural - no chemicals added. This is thanks to a unique patented cold-extraction method known as DCD™ (Dynamic Cellular Disruption™) where organic material is reduced to a molecular level. As a result, each Nano 360 supplement can be anything from 2000 to 8100 times stronger than any other market-related products. By incorporating nano technology and the best of South African plant heritage, 4 Phat is at the forefront of creating a truly healthy global culture. It’s no wonder therefore that the weight-loss management products are selling fast positioning 4Phat as a leading ethical health and wellness direct-selling company. If you want to be an exclusive agent in your area, now is the time to come on board. The starting cost for area managers is R35 000 and R169 000 for master agency owners. This investment includes your stock, a full-day’s training with the manufacturer, 25 hours of training videos and marketing material. This is a great opportunity with an excellent return on investment. Contact Frans Prins on 082 7087983. SA GUIDE TO BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES VOL 10, # 1

Your market? All of South Africa In the past 24 months South Africa averaged 4.1 million serious crimes registered, of which 1.4 million were serious ‘contact’ crimes. In our world today where so many lives are hurt and lost unnecessarily, Home911 offers an EVERYMAN’S product: affordable, effective and finally a tool for individuals and communities to take action. The product is not necessarily gender related, but as women and mothers there is a hugely instinctive drive to protect our loved ones. Home911 allows every woman effective and affordable control over their personal safety and family protection. And for the serious entrepreneur, or novice, it adds a dynamic ‘Business-in-your-Pocket’ at NO extra cost. With most women also having huge time constraints, Home911’s innovative business platform provides a welcoming business answer to this challenge. Since HOME911’s modest launch in March 2011 it has quietly grown to well over a thousand product users, all WITHOUT any advertising. It’s time for social entrepreneurs like you to take this dynamite package to all the corners of South Africa… and hopefully beyond as Home911 explores international expansion. QUICK-FACTS: Home911 WHAT? • Home911. Proudly South African. Launched March 2011. • Mass Alert. Mass Assistance • A World-Class high speed Distress Alert System for the WHOLE family… at the price of a pizza & coke • Has the potential to impact hugely on crime across South Africa • ENTIRELY cell phone based. Works on all phones. NO downloads/extras required • Designed for the IMMEDIATE (as in INSTANTLY) enhancement of personal, family and community safety • Product trial-tested for over 2 years. (Includes 911Track as value-add)

A BUSINESS AS WELL! • Home911 includes a dynamic ‘Business-in-YOUR-Pocket’ INCOME OPTION at NO extra cost • Includes a Unique ‘Word-of-Mobile’ platform to assist in your business expansion. • Includes Thawte-protected Personalised Home911 Corporate Web Sites for Members • Includes comprehensive online Personal Business Back-office and Self-help Support Centre INTEGRITY & SECURITY • Completely debt-free, since inception • Secure and proven system platforms with ONLY wellestablished specialist companies: BlueBox UK/SA, Hetzner SA, Netcash/Softline as well as the globally-used off-site Storegrid Data Protection System

• Part of the marketing arm of the Clark Group of Companies – Refer to ‘Corporate Profile’ on www.home911.co.za For immediate and personalized assistance, contact Mariana Louw (Home911 Executive Team Member SA) directly on 082 561 8514 / 071 161 0060 / Email: mariana@home911. co.za or info@home911.co.za, or go to www.home911.co.za www.saguides.co.za

COVER STORY

Starting a Pet Business in SA By Craig Millar – SA Pet Pages

tarting a pet business holds great appeal for many animal lovers and can be very rewarding as it provides a way to earn an income while doing something you are passionate about. There is a great deal of opportunity in the pet industry, however, as with many entrepreneurial ventures, it is essential that you obtain the relevant knowledge and expertise before starting out. Dealing with pets brings with it much joy but of paramount importance for any pet related business is the ethos of responsible pet ownership and care. It is important that you consult with a veterinarian on any important issues to ensure the pets’ wellbeing is always a priority. Whilst the economic downturn has affected many industries, the pet industry has proven to be remarkably resilient to the global recession. According to the American Pet Products Association (APPA) the pet industry has seen unprecedented growth in the last ten years in the USA, with spending up by an estimated $2.49 billion in 2011, despite the recession. In South Africa there is a growing middle class who can afford to own pets and offer them the best care. In July 2011, a staggering 18,384 people attended the World of Dogs and Cats Pet Expo (WODAC) in Johannesburg during the two day show. The Expo had a record 123 exhibitor stalls and exceeded all expectations. Within the pet industry, pet services would appear to be the fastest growing area both locally and internationally. While pet training, boarding and grooming remain popular and necessary, services such as pet photography,

portrait artists, hydrotherapy and even pet spa treatments are offered as more and more owners are splashing out on their beloved pets. Innovative new products are constantly being developed for pets, from bacon scented bubbles to DNA tests that determine the heritage of your “pavement special”. There are a wide range of pet services and products you could offer the petloving public and we will highlight just a few:

Boarding Kennels and/or Cattery

Due to the growing demand for accommodation for pets whilst their owners are away on business or holiday, there has been a steady increase in the number of kennels and catteries available and there are even places that will look after more exotic pets. Taking care of a loved companion animal is a serious business and a huge responsibility, and a number of factors should be considered. Most animals create noise so you would need to ascertain whether your neighbours would object, whether you comply with your local bylaws and what permissions need to be sought. Your facilities would also need to be secure enough to prevent the escape of an animal and large enough for dogs to have space to run and be exercised. Animals are also more likely to pick up diseases when in high density, stressful conditions and a lenient intake protocol could result in disaster. It is therefore imperative that you receive proof that all animals admitted for boarding have had the relevant vaccinations, a schedule of which can be provided by your veterinarian or by consulting the South African Veterinary Association (SAVA). You should also have a signed release form that allows you to take any pets to the vet should the need arise. Simple things, like a sudden change in diet for example, can result in diarrhoea and illness so care must be exercised when considering the dietary requirements of your lodgers. Cats in particular are prone to stress and need to be kept in a quiet area far away from any barking dogs. There are some establishments that have gone the extra mile and

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included televisions and music to both soothe and entertain the pets in their temporary care. Ensuring that your customers receive individual attention, exercise and mental stimulation in addition to a comfortable environment during their stay will result in happy pets, happy owners and return visits.

Pet Sitting

Professional pet sitting has become very popular and whilst there are a number of companies and individuals who offer these services, many are localised so it might be useful to check if there are any operating in your area.

Many owners prefer to have their pets stay at home whilst they are away and would rather have somebody come to their house. Your duties would include feeding the pets and giving them water and may also include walking, grooming, administering medications and even playing with the animals. You could be asked to stay at the property or to visit daily.

Dog Training

In recent times much progress has been made on the psychology of pet behaviour and a number of organisations in South Africa offer accredited behaviourist and training courses. These days it’s not only horses that are “whispered to” and many a nervous kitty and misbehaving pooch have benefitted from seeing a professional who can provide guidance to both them and their owners! It would be imperative to research which method of training appeals to you and to enrol in the recommended course before you attempt to offer classes or assistance. Websites to look at include: www.thinkingpets.co.za, www.ttouch.co.za and www.clickersa.co.za.

Pet Foods

Pet foods makes up the bulk of spending within the pet industry but it requires a

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great deal of research and expertise and as a result would require a fair amount of capital expenditure and product development before the actual marketing of the product. Anyone interested in food production would certainly benefit from consulting the Pet Food Industry (PFI) Association which is a non-profit body formed by manufacturers, dedicated to upholding quality standards that ensure the nutritional well-being of household pets. For more information about the PFI visit www.petwise.co.za.

Bedding and Housing

channelling your energy into helping an existing shelter. Running a shelter is both physically and emotionally draining. In most cases it will deplete your financial resources rather than add to them. Every animal that is admitted needs to be vaccinated, sterilised, treated for parasites and, ideally, micro-chipped. Even at reduced veterinary rates these essentials cost more than the adoption fee the public is willing to pay for a rescue animal and most shelters make a loss on each and every animal they home. Organisations that focus on fundraising for animal charities provide a tremendous boost to existing charities.

One only needs to visit your local veterinary store or pet shop to see the great number of different products available for your pets to sleep on or in. From adapted tractor tyres to custom made homes complete with lighting and under-floor heating, sponge cushions to memory foam mattresses and everything in-between, there are always unique new products entering the market and with some innovation and the right market research there are certainly opportunities in this area.

Emerging Trends

Animal Shelters

There are many pet owners out there just waiting to hear from you and there are number of platforms available to promote your pet related business. SA Pet Pages

Starting a shelter requires much in the way of initial set up and administration, and possibly more good could be done

New moves within the pet industry according to the American Pet Products Association include: Eco-friendly Pet Products High-tech Pet Products Monogrammed Pet Products

Pet-Friendly Hotels

Human Product Manufacturers now offering Pet Products (e.g. Paul Mitchell, Harley Davidson etc.)

Advertising your pet business

Magazine is a pet products and services directory that provides an extremely effective way of reaching your target market as it is distributed FREE into the hands of pet owners. Each quarter 55,000 copies are distributed through veterinary clinics throughout Gauteng, KZN and the Eastern & Western Cape. The old adage goes: “Doing business without advertising is like winking at someone in a dark room.You know you’re doing it but nobody else does.” It is important for any business and especially for any new enterprise to advertise. Ensure that you make the most of your advertising investment by asking consumers how they found your product. This will enable you to calculate the return on investment (ROI) that you are getting from the various advertising media you employ. Additional advertising platforms to consider include the annual WODAC Pet Expo, dog and cat shows, dog parks and the internet. Social media is of course another important tool that must not be overlooked. References: www.americanpetproducts.org (American Pet Products Association), www. zoomroomonline.com, www.petwise.co.za (PFI and SACAC), www.dogscats.co.za (WODAC), www.sapetpages.co.za (SA Pet Pages)

Get crafty! Submitted by the CCDI Getting your craft into the SA and international markets may be easier than you think, especially when you have the CCDI (Cape Craft and Design Institute) on your side.

o you know which specific segment of the market you are making your product for – homeware, décor, fashion accessories, jewellery, gifts and novelties, craft-art, corporate gifts, outdoor, the Christmas market, etc? The CCDI can assist you in targeting the right markets. It is better to aim for one market segment than to make many different products and not be sure whom you are making them for. Keeping your eye on only one market segment helps you research that market – looking at the right magazines, such as home and décor or fashion; walking through those specific kinds of shops and seeing what is on offer; and generally keeping an eye on what the tastes, colours, and trends are in the market segment that you are producing for. On their 4th floor a resource library is available, where you can browse through books, magazines and the Internet to get ideas and inspiration. One way of testing your product and improving your running of an effective business, is to participate in shows and events. As part of the Market Access programme, the CCDI sets up collective shops at events such as the CT International Jazz Festival, Decorex or the national SA Handmade Collection. To be part of the Market Access programme, you need to be prepared to work hard, be very flexible, and be committed. You will need to be registered on the database of the CCDI.

Events consist of festivals, consumer shows and trade shows. Participation is done through an application and selection process. Other services the CCDI offer include information on the many craft markets in the Western Cape and introductions to local and national retailers as well as agents/representatives. Craft retail outlets can be sourced on the CCDI website and a different retailer is featured every month in the CCDI newsletter. The CCDI’s Export and Retail Market Access service will assist you to get in touch with retail stores around the country, as well as to participate in the challenging export market. This would be through national and international retail buyer linkages and/or through national and international trade shows. The CCDI engages in these opportunities through collaborative programmes, which craft producers need to apply for. Contact information: Cape Craft & Design Institute Die Kaapse Instituut vir Handwerk & Ontwerp Iziko laseKapa lobuChule nobuGcisa 2nd Floor, 75 Harrington Street, East City, Cape Town, 8001. c/o CPUT, P O Box 652, Cape Town, 8000 Tel: 27 (0)21 460-3982 Fax: 27 (0)21 461-5101 ccdi@cput.ac.za info@ccdi.org.za

Scaling your business - explained Your start-up may have crossed the threshold to viability. Now, the tough part begins.

lthough there is a plethora of advice now being given about how to find productmarket fit for your fledging startup, there’s a dirty little secret out there: Once you’ve achieved product-market fit, the hard work really begins. Scaling your business is every entrepreneurs dream-so do it right - first time. After three or four years of jamming on your start-up, you’ve finally crossed a few million in revenue, gotten north of 10-20 employees, and it’s all starting to click. Now the pressure really begins. Your employees start doing what I call “phantom equity math” (if this company were worth a millions of Rands, I’d become a rich!), your partners, investors, shareholders and funders shift you in their mental models from “too early to tell” to “high return potential” and your spouse starts asking about when all that hard work is going to really pay off. Yet, the hard scaling challenges and decisions that will enable true value creation, not just interim progress, are all ahead of you. Here are four of the top ones that I see start-ups wrestle with once they start seeing their initial revenue projections finally come to fruition: 1. Product strategy: Stay focused vs broaden the footprint The initial product is working well and now the question is how broad a product strategy should you pursue? If you think the total available market (TAM) for the existing product is large enough to satisfy yours and your investor’s ambitions, stay focused. But, typically, the allure of pursuing the bigger win draws founders into ambitious efforts to broaden their product footprint through organic development efforts or even participating in mergers and acquisitions. It’s like jumping on to a lily pad next to you rather than across the entire pond. By pursuing natural adjacencies, a company can increase its TAM—ideally by leveraging existing customers (meet their needs more broadly), channels (given them more things to sell), or products (extend the current product footprint with natural adjacent add-ons). CEOs should think carefully about the new lily pad’s competitive intensity, entrance threats, threats of substitute products, as well as the power of suppliers and customers when evaluating the adjacent opportunities. 2. Financial strategy: Exit vs raise additional capital Once things are working well, there is a magnetic power that demands pouring more fuel onto the fire. If the customer acquisition costs (CAC) are proving out to be R10 and the customer’s lifetime value (LTV) are R100, why not raise millions of rands to acquire more customers? Obviously, it’s not that easy a decision. Raising capital can be a hugely distracting, draining process, and the dilution implications, as well as the choice of investors, has deep repercussions on your future options.

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On the other hand, pursuing an early exit can be appealing, particularly if the entrepreneur has never had a win before. 3. Human capital strategy: Hire grownups vs stay young There is a certain charm and many benefits to the founding team sticking together and scaling with the start-up. The culture remains true to the founding core, the young talented employees get growth opportunities, and there’s an appeal to minimizing the disruption that outsiders bring. Yet, frequently, the talented founding team that gets you to the point of scaling is not the right team to lead the scaling process. I refer to the three stages of a start-up’s life as “the jungle,” “the dirt road,” and “the highway”. The team that is skilled at hacking its way through the jungle is often not as well-suited to accelerate rapidly once a dirt road has been discovered. Yet when more senior, experienced executives arrive, preserving the founding culture, and maintaining alignment is critical. The best companies build teams for scale early on (e.g., hiring great staff who can be both effective players and coaches as their department grows) and work hard to select for cultural fit. 4. Founder’s dilemma: Bring in a professional CEO? Ultimately, one of the biggest decisions a scaling young company makes is: Who should be the CEO? The founder may be one of the uniquely talented individuals who can scale from the jungle all the way through the highway, but more often than not, a senior, professional CEO is hired to help take the company to the next level. This decision is truly make or break. It rests on the founder’s desires as well as the board’s confidence in his or her ability to transition from a product-centric, pre-productmarket fit world to a sales-and-marketing execution-centric, post product-market-fit world. Investors would always prefer to see the founder make that transition, but if the skillset isn’t there, having an orderly transition with open communication is key. It’s never an easy one to embark on. Each of these decisions can be gut-wrenching, bet the company moves. There’s a nasty image I hear used in the boardroom about snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. If things are going well, you want to let them evolve naturally and achieve some measure of victory, albeit a small one. This may mean sticking with a founding leadership team, a niche product strategy, and selling early. Why should each of these decisions sound limiting? Because great entrepreneurs are competitive, ambitious types who attract ambitious management teams, advisors, and investors. There’s a natural allure to moving aggressively to scale once the initial product-market fit assumptions become validated. Just scale wisely. Going from R1 million to R10 million in revenue is no easier than achieving that initial R1 million. And getting to R100 million and beyond, well now you’re really in the rarified air that gets the people around you—and sets expectations soaring higher. This article was taken from Jeff Bussgang: Jeff is a general partner at Flybridge Capital Partners, which focuses on consumer, Internet commerce, marketing services, software, and mobile start-ups. SA GUIDE TO BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES VOL 10, # 1

MARKETING IDEAS

Fin Neoprene

Fin Neoprene is a privately owned manufacturing business, specialising in the manufacture of neoprene items (wetsuit material). Our range includes laptop bags, wine bags, cell phone pouches etc, but our strength is in custom-made and custombranded products in both small and large quantities. Our team is skilled in designing, prototyping and manufacturing fit-forpurpose solutions in the promotional, sport, beverage and IT Industries. All products are made up to order, and as all aspects of the process are done in-house, we are able to meet demands in terms of pricing and branding. Contact Details: Julia Hedgcock www.finneoprene.co.za Tel: 021 552 2622 Cell: 082 552 4483 Email: julia@finneoprene.co.za

Douse the competition with Tynamix custom branded fire extinguishers Douse the competition with Tynamix custom branded fire extinguishers. The AKTIKEM aerosol fire extinguisher is designed for car and domestic use, is small, effective on all types of fire and easy to use. Display your brand on a useful item sure to be kept around by your potential customers – at home, in the office or even in the car. Safety and technical data is available, the aerosols have international certification, and are non-harmful as well as biodegradable. Logos and artwork can be provided in a variety of formats, and minimum order is only 50 units. Tynamix sources promotional and corporate gifts locally and internationally and also has exclusive rights in South Africa to supply the Clap-Banner (banner and noise maker in one) guaranteed to get your brand noticed. Contact Tyra at Tynamix: Tel: 011 454 4880 Cell: 082 855 6268 Email: Tynamix@telkomsa.net Web: www.tynamix.co.za

Scan’s mo5 makes events easier Scan Display recently acquired the sole rights to manufacture the mo5 in South Africa. Designed by German company, mosysteme, the mo5 is a mobile kiosk that is ideal for activations with a limited time available for set-up and break-down – which effectively amounts to all activations. One person can set up the mo5 by simply unfolding the roof flap and floor. Gas springs make these movements smooth and effortless, while wheels mean you can change your mind about the positioning as many times as you want. Scan was launched in 1996, selling a single product, the Pop-up. Over the years it has grown to emerge as a leader in the Southern African exhibition, events, display and retail markets, with branches in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, Port Elizabeth and Gaborone. Part of the company’s success can be attributed to its ability to quickly recognise and embrace new products and trends that will enhance clients’ experiences, and keep Scan ahead of its competitors. Scan’s MD, Justin Hawes, says: “There is always a risk when investing in a new product, so do your research. Examine the product to make sure that it offers clear benefits to your target market. The mo5 has clear advantages for our time-conscious industry.” By manufacturing the mo5 locally, Scan has also reduced the cost of the product to the end user and can customise the fittings and finishes according to the client’s needs. The mo5 can therefore be used in a variety of ways, such as: promo bars, information points, retail kiosks or sampling stands. Local production also supports Scan’s Proudly South African ethos. The mo5 was showcased at both Markex Jhb and Markex Cape this year, and attracted interest from the visitors who could experience first-hand how it operates. Rental cost: R750 per day - Purchase cost from R50 000 For more information about Scan Display or the mo5, please visit www.scandisplay.co.za. Contact Justin Hawes – justin@scandisplay.co.za or Pippa Walker – Marketing Manager – pippa@scandisplay.co.za Tel: 011 447 4777 l Fax: 011 327 3395

Kleen-Tex Kreativ provides a show-stopping range of promotional products focussed on floor and counter-space point of sale advertising The wide range of products are all top of the range and designed to be portable, durable, and impress for years to come: • Kleen-Scrape floorshow mats – sublimation printed and available up to size 1300mm x 1500mm • Wetstop bar runners – suitable for use on tables or bar counters and available in custom sizes • Moulded floorshow mats vulcanized in a customdesigned mould to produce a 3D effect • Jet Print logo mats – your logo or design in a range of stunning colours which will enhance any entrance. The mats also collect dirt and moisture and are fully washable, available up to size 1500mm x 4200mm • Floorshow tiles suitable for exhibition flooring – 500mm x 500mm each • The Showstopper – spectacular exhibition flooring – unlimited max length, printed on 1m wide strips for easy transportation • Counter mats – photo-quality full colour digital PVC printed • Wetstop coasters – 90mm x 90mm square with rounded corners – other sizes and shapes available • Drip and bowl mats as well as many other options Contact Michelle Macfarlane – National Sales and Marketing Manager Tel: 011 706 0917 Email: michelle@kleen-tex.co.za Web: www.kleen-tex.co.za

International Franchises & Business Opportunities Show (IFBOS) NAIROBI – KENYA, MARCH 23RD - 25TH IFBOS 2012 is East Africa’s premier regional Franchising and Business Opportunities Event where we have duly focused on how brands can judiciously mobilize their resources to prepare for market penetration for reaching unto the lucrative East African Community Market with it’s 133.5 Million (2010 est) population.

IFBOS BREAKING BOUNDARIES IN 2012 As we look ahead in 2012, we aim to continue and build on the African business renaissance as an emerging market, small business haven and as prospect growth market through IFBOS which will enable franchisors and businesses to take a step further, beyond the ordinary to explore new frontiers for Africa penetration. Since time and capital are at a premium, IFBOS is the vital resource for S.A Businesses interested in expanding regionally. It is the best platform for creating deep inroads in marketing Franchises & Business Opportunities, Direct selling products & services to the eager entrepreneurs & businesses. WHY KENYA & E.A? Kenya is the only comfortable launch pad & conduit/distributor of goods to other East African countries. The role of IFBOS is to engage among others the South African Franchises & Business Opportunities fraternity’s attention on East Africa’s potential and the limitless possibilities the region offers! S. A franchises dominate the region with Mr. Price, Mr. Price Home, Woolworths, Ivory, Steers, Nandos, Galitos, Identity, CTM, Spurs steak ranches, Truworths, Debonairs, iDentity, Wimpy and recently KFC all have successful operations in the region!

SA GUIDE TO BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES VOL 9, 10,##31

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FINAL THOUGHTS

Business success is largely about avoiding failure Every entrepreneur has made a series of mistakes or been subject to failures along his or her entrepreneurial journey. These setbacks, though painful, will teach you more about business than any textbook, lecture, or mentor ever could. Plus, they are great fodder for conversations at cocktail receptions and on panel discussions.

am proud to have learned such a great deal from my failures, and the fact that I get to share them — and, more important, the hard-knocks lessons learned — with a worldwide audience is a real thrill. After all, what’s the point of ending up in frivolous litigation, nearly losing your shirt, pitching VCs for tens of millions of dollars with no revenue model, or being forced to move back in with your parents if you can’t have a few laughs as a result, right? And with that, here are 10 lessons I learned from past failures that were well worth the price of admission (well, after I survived them, that is). 1. No revenue, no business. Period. Build a sustainable business for yourself, and not one based on hypothetical acquisitions or imaginary investment capital. If your business can cut it, you may be able to buy other companies down the road or raise VC. But treating either path as a guaranteed strategy is simply stupid. Bottom line: Stop thinking about many tomorrows from now, and focus on today. Cash flow, or die. 2. You are not special, a winner, or guaranteed squat (and neither is your business). If you are human, guess what? You are still bound by the rules of Darwin’s theory of evolution or, at the very least, Murphy’s Law. The worst thing you can do is fall for your own b.s., so stay focused, stop thinking you are a winner because you’re excited and think your idea is brilliant, and go kick some real ass. 3. How many things can you do perfectly? If your answer is anything other than one, and you are a small startup on a shoe-string, guess what? You are an idiot. Rome wasn’t built in a day, neither was Google. Both were built brick by brick, scaled and then, and only then, did they diversify. Keep your business plan simple, because if it’s not simple, you’re dead. 4. Traditional business plans will bankrupt you. Don’t get stuck in analysis paralysis! Business planning is not a revenue generating exercise.

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Execution is where the money is at. Write something short, sweet and to the point and get on with it. 5. The worst case scenario is the only scenario. If you project 100 customers, you might get 10. If you predict a deal to close within 2 months, it might close in 12. The point is, you always need to be thinking about back up plans — and sometimes — back-up plans to your back-up plans. Don’t rely on one way to do something, think about multiple paths. Cover yourself by thinking about alternatives at every turn and you’ll become a much stronger decision maker. 6. Divide your “lowest” financial assumptions or expectations by 4. Anything you think you will earn before you execute, well, probably won’t happen. Financial forecasts are like little gremlins that sit on your shoulders whispering sweet nothings in your ear about upward climbing bell curves. Don’t get stuck on a grandiose financial milestone. Focus on growing organically and covering your basic life expenses before you worry about a six-figure salary or 10-digit company revenues. 7. Strategic partners are not always good ideas. Before you bring on anyone as a business partner, determine if truly “partnering” is the best option. Decide if alternatives such as sharing revenue or doing a joint venture are a better fit. Make sure you know everything about the person you wish to partner with, from their political backgrounds to their business ethics. And if you decide to go ahead and bring on a partner, be sure to create an operating agreement that clearly states what happens in every possible outcome — from a partner leaving to a partner dying. 8. Proof of concept isn’t optional. No one is going to hand you a wad of cash and say,“Here, go follow your dreams and build the next big company.” Banks rarely — if ever anymore — lend to start ups. Angels and VCs won’t give you a second look. Bottom line: money people don’t care if you are alive or dead until you are in the marketplace — and thriving. Do not waste a second on an idea that you truly cannot get off the ground in some

way without someone else’s resources. Think smaller before you try to go bigger. Get rid of the “phase 3” aspects of your idea before you can get “phase one” out the door. If you find yourself saying I can’t launch my business without the whole ball of wax day one, hit yourself over the head with a blunt object until you gain some clarity. 9. Business growth happens in real time. You may want to get past all of the start-up crap, but you can’t get to B until you get past A — and A takes time. There are no six-minute start-up tricks or ways to get to your first million any faster. It takes time to build traction, brand awareness and a consumer base. Trying to get to B faster will only lead you to a weak A, and a weak A can take down the whole business. 10. No matter how successful you are, accept that you will fail again. Failure is good. It will be your guide to smarter, better decisions. The faster you realize that your business will never be perfect and there is no such thing as smooth sailing, you’ll grow as a leader as a result. Scott Gerber is the founder of Sizzle It! (www.sizzleit.com) a New York based sizzle reel production company specializing in promotional videos for PR and marketing professionals, and the Young Entrepreneur Council. He is a serial entrepreneur, internationally syndicated columnist, angel investor, public speaker and author of the book Never Get a “Real” Job: How To Dump Your Boss, Build a Business and Not Go Broke. (www.nevergetarealjob.com)

SA GUIDE TO BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES VOL 10, # 1