SimplyBiz - Articles

Your target market’s pain

Before you sink your life savings or borrowings into a business venture, it’s important to check if there is, in fact, a market for your products/services and how big that market is.

27 Aug 3 min

8 simple ways to keep your energy levels on the high!

Have you ever pursued a goal, only to fall short of achieving it? You may go “full steam ahead” at the beginning of your journey, only to lose your enthusiasm during the first month. This can be demotivating and confusing because you’re trying to reach a goal that you’ve been…

27 Aug 5 min

Big mistakes small-business owners should avoid part one

I often say that I got my MBA the hard way, by starting and losing a few businesses. Believe me, it was also more expensive than any Ivy League MBA! When speaking to other entrepreneurs, I discovered that the mistakes I made were far from unique, but I wish I’d…

27 Aug 2 min

Sales Calls 101

Selling is not easy and it is hard work but is actually quite simple. It’s a numbers game, the more calls you make, the higher your chances of making a sale. South Africans are traditionally quite backward in coming forwards when it comes to contacting people and striking up conversations…

27 Aug 4 min

Getting organised

I am quite possibly the world’s best procrastinator when it comes to filing. My in-tray quickly becomes an in-desk and that’s in a world where so much is electronic.  As for my digital filing, well let’s just say that I have learned the hard way that if I don’t practice…

27 Aug 3 min

Get better at saying no

New year, new resolutions to achieve more, do more, be better than, and yet… you worked so hard last year. Can you really do more? Are you feeling daunted by your to-do list?

27 Aug 2 min

7 Simple Ways to Green Your Business part one

Greening your business may take a little effort initially. It will almost definitely require an ongoing education process with your team to get their buy-in and commitment, but it only takes a few weeks to acquire a new habit…and this habit makes cents!

27 Aug 3 min

7 Simple Ways to Green Your Business part two

Greening your business may take a little effort initially. It will almost definitely require an ongoing education process with your team to get their buy-in and commitment, but it only takes a few weeks to acquire a new habit…and this habit makes cents!

27 Aug 1 min

Carrot and Stick

Putting a disciplinary code in place may feel a bit like writing an ante-nuptial contract – pre-empting a divorce before the marriage has begun. Reality is that the workplace is made up of people and people are not always rational or well-behaved.

27 Aug 3 min

Making sense of POPI in your business

Businesses acquire, store, use, process, distribute and destroy personal information on a daily basis, often in a rather cavalier manner. Since POPI was enacted in 2013, however, how a business collects information and what it does with it thereafter, is now highly regulated. In a world where a lot of…

27 Aug 5 min

Getting Money

You have the idea and passion, but what about the money to start or expand your business? While obtaining finance is never an easy task, it is possible and there are more options than one would think.

27 Aug 5 min

Interviewing Techniques

I am a big fan of the maxim, “hire for attitude and train for skill”. Naturally, there are specific job competencies that require formal qualifications or proven skill, but these are almost the minimum requirements of the job. A valid piece of paper or a track record gets the candidate…

27 Aug 5 min

Cash Flow Things I Learned the Hard Way

The cash flow equation is really simple: Money in, minus money out, equals X. The ‘X’ factor is perhaps the single most important factor in determining whether or not a business will survive the first quarter, let alone the first few years. If ‘X’ is positive then the likelihood is…

27 Aug 4 min

Creativity - A Habit worth Nurturing

A five-minute-a-day habit may save your business. “I just traded out of it”. This was the response to a question I asked an office furniture manufacturer when he shared his story about when his largest customer canceled their account. Overnight he lost 60% of his business; I was intrigued as…

27 Aug 3 min

The Race for Survival

A cautionary tale for small businesses… Did you know that 50% of cheetah hunts fail? Those are not good odds for an animal that is facing extinction. One would assume that the fastest land animal in the world would not only fare better in hunting but also in survival, especially…

27 Aug 3 min

If it Can go Wrong, it Will

I have recently had a birthday which ends in ‘0’. It’s quite a big deal when you hit a particular decade (I’m taking the 5th on which one) so I naturally decided to go out with a bang and have a big bash. A few trusty friends helped in the…

27 Aug 4 min

Kiss it Better

Simplicity and convenience are becoming the new black. Traffic considerations mean that we prefer to shop locally, or even better, at the petrol station. (Woolies and Engen! What an inspired combination.) The expensive neighborhood pharmacy is preferable to standing in long queues at the large discount store. We do not…

27 Aug 4 min

Basic Business Budgeting

There is a plethora of budgeting software available, however, even a simple Excel spreadsheet is sufficient. The advantage of having a budget is that control is placed in the hands of the business owner, rather than being a victim of fate. It provides solid information on performance (month on month,…

27 Aug 3 min

The Loneliness of the Small Business Owner

Long hours - stress, too little sleep - stress, no money in the bank - stress, no boss but 100 bosses called customers - stress… There are times as a small business owner when I wonder why on earth anyone wants to start their own business. It’s hard and frustrating…

27 Aug 4 min

Sales for Non-Sales people

Without sales - many, profitable sales - your business is a hobby, not a business. Whether or not your business is a mom & pop stationery shop or a high-tech IT support business, good selling skills are fundamental to your success.

27 Aug 5 min