Gerrie van Biljon – Executive Director Business Partners Limited

Technology changes at a rapid rate, but is this the same for the business world? You bet! If you think that you can apply the same thinking and the same approach towards business as you did 15 or 20 years ago, you are in for a surprise.

Consider what it was like 15 years ago: no Social Media, no iPads, the World Wide Web…

Gerrie van Biljon – Executive Director Business Partners Limited

The way in which you run your business is often based on what you believe made it a success in the first place. Your plan of action is based on the credence that what worked in the past will work in the future. A long as this philosophy works its fine, but to what extent does is actually work?

When I visit entrepreneurs and start asking questions about their business model, how long they have been in…

Gerrie van Biljon – Executive Director Business Partners Limited

So many potential entrepreneurs dream to be in a business of their own. That is great since this will not only offer an opportunity to the business owner but will create jobs (hopefully), offer a product or service, create wealth and then also to contribute to economic growth.

Before you go into business you need to understand what this entails and also whether this is for you. (Complete our…

Gerrie van Biljon – Executive Director Business Partners Limited

Ever wondered why SMEs cannot access finance for their businesses? And whether is it justified?

Research indicates that access to finance is the main hindrance for entrepreneurs in starting or expanding a business. This not just a local phenomenon, but is experienced by entrepreneurs worldwide and sometimes is justified.

There is a simple reason for the lack of available finance for SMEs, and that is…

Gerrie van Biljon – Executive Director Business Partners Limited

Many analysts regard the current budget speech as one without much of a shake-up. Nothing was really announced that shocked the country with probably the announcement on Dividend Tax and the change in the Capital Gains Tax as the exception. But, how does the overall tax and economic condition effects small and medium sized businesses?

One needs to take a broader view than just the budget…

Gerrie van Biljon – Executive Director Business Partners Limited

Making more money is on every wish list of an entrepreneur, but it’s not so easy. However, sometimes it is just about applying pure common sense. The answers are often right under your nose and you just do not see or realise it. There are two sides to making more money: the one is to introduce new initiatives and actions to improve the profitable, the other side is a matter of losing less money. What I mean is you…

Gerrie van Biljon – Executive Director Business Partners Limited

It takes a brave and very optimistic person to believe that the economic position will change for the better in 2012. There are just too many negative sentiments in the market to bet on a major economic turnaround in the New Year.

The global economic condition is by no means encouraging and country rescues are a common phenomenon. Consider the position in Greece and many other European…

Gerrie van Biljon – Executive Director Business Partners Limited

“I do not know, but I am still here”. The top priority of entrepreneurs is to make money. And as long as there is money in the bank, they are happy. The challenge is to know how well or bad the business is performing.

Many entrepreneurs do not originate from a financial background. In fact, many come from a technical background which is vital to ensure the “doing skills” are in place. The…

Gerrie van Biljon – Executive Director Business Partners Limited

The world has changed, nothing is a given any more, not even an effective marketing strategy of the past. Habits and trends are different and the way consumers think and buy is different. Technology has progressed in leaps and bounds. To market your business effectively, you need to be on top of all of this.

In the past you told the customer, now they tell you. They want choices and they…

Gerrie van Biljon – Executive Director Business Partners Limited

2011 was not without shakeups and shocks on all fronts. One would like to ignore the political area which took over the headlines, but one cannot. The unrest in Northern Africa and the Middle East will have economical influence in time to come, but what is more concerning is the state of the world economy and the long term effects of the Eurozone crisis. It seems the countries in Europe face a very…

Gerrie van Biljon – Executive Director Business Partners Limited

It is an awkward time of the year. Many refer to it as silly season for good reason. Less gets done, it is difficult to operate with so many people not available and many places are actually closed. Then there are those that are in holiday mode and work at half pace.

For retailers and service providers this time of year is their peak season. For them it means they have the opportunity to…

Gerrie van Biljon – Executive Director Business Partners Limited

Owning and running a small business is challenging, even at the best of times. But with the largest corporations right down to the smallest ventures knocking on bankruptcy's door, the small business owner's skills as a leader are being tested like never before.

With effective leadership, the entrepreneur can steer his company through rough seas without too much collateral damage,…

Gerrie van Biljon – Executive Director Business Partners Limited

Clear, passionate vision combined with abundant energy is the first feature Business Partners looks for. But if that was all it took, we could all be entrepreneurs. To be a truly successful entrepreneur, one has to have what we call 'doing' skills and 'business' skills.

'Doing' skills are what one learns at a tertiary institution or from sheer experience while working for someone…

Gerrie van Biljon – Executive Director Business Partners Limited

This generation of school-leavers is probably facing the greatest obstacles to entering the working world. High unemployment levels, their lack of work experience and the high price of tertiary education means that more and more young people are opting to start their own businesses in a bid to earn an income.

The fact that the SME sector is such a tough industry to break into…

Gerrie van Biljon – Executive Director Business Partners Limited

In the current economic climate, where job losses are increasing at a rapid rate, more and more South Africans are considering going into business for themselves. Before the would-be entrepreneur takes his first step into the SME sector, he must decide whether it is best to buy an existing business or start from scratch.

Buying a business is an alternative way to get…

Gerrie van Biljon – Executive Director Business Partners Limited

When people ask us what type of business to start, the point of departure is: what do you know? If you have experience and expertise in the construction industry, why open a hotel? If you do not have the relevant experience then it is probably wise to buy the experience. And that is what you get when you become involved in a franchise.

The idea of franchising is that you buy a…

Gerrie van Biljon – Executive Director Business Partners Limited

No clue, thank you very much!

Often many small, and even medium sized, businesses are run by people who come from a technical background. They have what we call “technical know- how”, but they may not necessarily have the knowledge or the dedicated time to manage some other disciplines, such as human capital, marketing, or financial management.

How many small…

Gerrie van Biljon – Executive Director Business Partners Limited

Customers can sometimes seem unreasonable and demanding, yet they ensure that we are – and stay – in business. You may believe that they are wrong, but that is not the point. The fact is that, for whatever reason, you have a customer who is unhappy.

It is how we deal with these customers that makes the difference between having a customer for life, or having an ex-customer who is…

Gerrie van Biljon – Executive Director Business Partners Limited

One of the dangers of success is complacency - what is good today will be good tomorrow. Not so. We are living in an environment which is constantly evolving and we need to stay on top of these developments. Take electronics and communication as examples, how has the world changed around us? If you haven’t kept up to date, surely you have been left behind.

Never mind being up to…

Gerrie van Biljon – Executive Director Business Partners Limited

The lights went off in September 2009 and it’s been pretty dark ever since – the proverbial economic light that is. Did the economic downturn affect some industries more than others? To judge this, we need to remember that the economy is integrated; the various industries are interdependent and poor performance in one will have an influence on the others.

The public sector…