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An online portal for small businesses looking to network, improve business administration skills, and keep up with the latest trends and thinking. Find the right tools to assist your small business get ahead, including offers tailored to address small business needs.

South Africa’s National Waste Management Strategy was published on 4 May 2012 by the Department of Environmental Affairs.

Giving effect to the National Environmental Management: Waste Act of 2008, the strategy identifies eight goals and their accompanying targets for 2016.

The goals and targets likely to be of particular interest to small business owners are:

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Making LinkedIn work for your small business

LinkedIn is commonly touted as a strategic social media tool for professionals and small business owners. But for many users (and even non-users) in South Africa and elsewhere, the power of LinkedIn is questionable.

How many of us have received LinkedIn requests to connect with random people we do not know and whose usefulness to us is dubious or uncertain?

The issue of whether and how to provide medical aid cover for employees is one that small business owners must tackle as the business grows and more employees are hired.

Although it can be an attractive perk for small businesses trying to recruit and hold onto the best talent, the reality for small business owners is that the affordability of medical aid cover is a decisive factor.

It is therefore not automatic that small businesses will offer medical aid cover as part of the terms and conditions of employment.

Finding ways to keep customers coming back is a priority for small business owners after succeeding in attracting first-time users of the business’ products and services.

After all, what is the point of all that hard work of winning new customers over if the business cannot hold onto them and battles to survive from one month to the next due to significant customer churn?

One of the most effective ways to increase the likelihood of repeat business is to provide a high quality product or service that customers appreciate and value.

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Business books worth reading

Reading business books, journals and other publications should not be seen as a leisure activity for small business owners with spare time on their hands; instead, reading is a valuable tool for small business owners as exposure to other business owners’ experiences and insights can be entertaining, enlightening, and inspirational.

Admittedly, given the sheer volume of business books there are to choose from some will be of dubious quality and value.

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SimplyBiz Blog Competition

We are currently validating the April winner of our Blog Competition. The points on the Leader board have been reset and the next prize will be drawn on the 29th of June.

You too can stand a chance to win a state of the art RC510 Notebook from Samsung. The more you interact with the content on our SimplyBiz website, the more points you earn. A user with the highest points accumulated on the leaderboard will be chosen as a winner every three months. You can earn points for registering as a SimplyBiz user, commenting on the blog / polls and promoting your business on our listing.

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Setting rates as an entrepreneur

A fundamental question for small business owners is, ‘How should I price my goods or services?’ The answer to this question will influence their ability to attract and retain customers, and determine the profitability and sustainability of the business.

Factors entrepreneurs should take into account include:

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Small business, volunteering and doing good

As the world rallies together for Mandela Day, many small businesses are getting involved in charity or pro bono work. Pro bono work involves a company voluntarily rendering services free of charge (or at a significantly reduced fee) to needy organisations or causes in the public interest. This is in line with the Latin phrase it is derived from - pro bono publico - which means ‘for the public good’. Beneficiaries typically include non-profit and community-based organisations which either lack certain skills in-house, or cannot afford to pay market rates for professional services.

A business’ workforce can give it a competitive advantage in terms of innovation, productivity, remaining relevant (spotting trends and adapting to them), and consistency in producing high quality goods and services.

Perks or fringe benefits are extra benefits supplementing an employee’s salary which are in addition to statutory benefits (e.g. as a general rule full-time employees in South Africa are by law entitled to 21 days’ paid leave per annum).

Offering perks can enliven the work atmosphere, make employees feel valued and respected, and make employees’ lives more convenient. This in turn boosts employee morale and enhances productivity, creating a more harmonious working environment and hopefully translating into greater profitability.

The Companies Act 71 of 2008 came into effect on the 1st of May 2011. Amongst its stated objectives are to create flexibility and simplicity in the formation and maintenance of companies, and to encourage entrepreneurship. The new act replaces the Companies Act 61 of 1973 and amends the Closed Corporation Act 69 of 1984.

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BBBEE certification and small businesses

To facilitate the implementation of the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment Act 53 of 2003 which aims to promote the meaningful participation of black people in the South African economy, the Department of Trade and Industry (the dti) introduced the BBBEE Scorecards and BBBEE Codes of Good Practice.

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