One thing which is uniting a diverse South Africa is our mutual disdain for loadshedding. The situation is annoying enough for individuals, but for your business it can be more than just an inconvenience. This article discusses how to make sure your business is not disrupted or that you have a contingency plan.

When starting a small business,it's important to ensure that you’re not contravening competition law. Competition law has two sources: the Competition Act, 89 of 1998, and the common law (i.e. law based on case law and old authorities). The Competition Act focuses on two broad areas: (a) harmful competitive practices that existing businesses may not engage in; and (b) the competitive effects of mergers and acquisitions. This article explores how not to contravene competition law.

As with any industry, the hospitality industry has a framework of rules, regulations and guidelines for issues pertaining to human resources.

When running a tourist-related venture, it's important to consider packaging your product or service.

When I came across the quote from Dr Ken Blancard, business writer, which reads: “Providing good service, on time, every time, is not good enough”, I was astounded. Is this not the essence of service excellence? In this article I quote some of Dr Ken Blancard’s tips that brought about a positive change in my way of thinking about service delivery. Read on to find out how to better approach your customer service.

A common mistake for SMEs is the tendency to overspend on marketing efforts. However, having a large marketing budget is not always realistic, nor is it the best option for SMEs. This article, therefore, looks at various ways for you to improve your brand image and visibility at zero cost, or maybe even less than that. To do so, it uses examples to highlight what you should do, what you should stop doing, and destructive things you probably don't even know you're doing.

You may have tried new ways of reaching prospective clients like using social media, more traditional ways of getting out there like distributing leaflets, focused on optimising your website, or you may have targeted networking events. There are many options available to reach out to your audience. However, none of your efforts will work if you are not very clear about the key elements of your plan. Here is how to grow your customer base by creating and implementing an effective plan.

Why you should grade your tourism business.

Facilitating growth, development and sustainability of the small tourism business.

So you've registered a domain, got your website up and running and believe you've established your business online. Like many businesses you might think your online marketing work is finished, but there are a few more steps needed to make sure that people actually find your site and interact with you online. This is a journey not a destination. Noto Modungwa, former Commercial Manager for eCommerce and Web Strategy at MWEB Business says there are a number of different tools available to do this but business owners are often unsure where to begin.

While it's true that all business owners need to make sure they have adequate insurance coverage in all aspects of their business, you may not have considered the fact that there are certain types of insurances specific to the tourism industry. Besides insuring the property and vehicles owned by the business, there are three main types of tourism insurance: General Public Liability Insurance, Passenger Liability Insurance, as well as Professional Indemnity Insurance.

With new businesses opening all the time and consumers getting more and more demanding, it's inevitable that you will have to compete with similar ventures for business. So how do you get and maintain that competitive edge? Before you start looking for ways to stand out in the crowd, analyse your competition and what they are doing. This will give you an idea of where you need to make adjustments. Here are a few strategies to help you stay on top of your game.

The top line on your Income Statement indicates how much your sales were in a particular period in time. That figure is important to note, as your expenses get deducted from your sales to calculate profit. By saving on expenses you will only be able to increase your profit up to a point. But by increasing your sales there is no limit to where you can grow your business! Read on to find out more.

Most small business owners facing a business crisis are caught in a classic Catch-22 situation. On the one hand, they require specialised business turnaround expertise to save their business. On the other hand, their financial crisis prohibits them from hiring the expensive turnaround specialists who offer the expertise. Typically owners have three choices: walk away, hope for help, or keep struggling. Well, no more. Sanlam's Business Turnaround Book will help you lead your business away from trouble, to success.

Many guesthouses and B&Bs around the country enjoyed the boom in business that the Soccer World Cup brought about, but it has been a challenge for these small businesses to keep the momentum going since the World Cup ended. Many of the most successful South African lodges used the Internet to catch the lion’s share of bookings. The Internet provides many opportunities for guest house and B&B owners to market their businesses, especially when budgets are tight and traditional advertising is sometimes not an option.

A tourist brochure has a very specific purpose and there are certain guidelines you can follow to ensure it achieves these goals.

Perform a simple exercise every month that will help you make the best of your business. The 5 Step Plan involves 5 easy and simple steps that you must commit yourself to execute every month, to improve your business. You don’t need a consultant or a business analyst to do this for you – nobody can do it better than yourself – nobody knows your business better than yourself! Call it your monthly strategic planning session. Here's how to get started.

The importance of tourism grading for your hospitality establishment.

It’s a fact: tourists love South Africa. According to the World Travel and Tourism Council, tourism directly and indirectly contributes to an estimated 4.3% of the country’s GDP and employment, supporting one in every 23 jobs. Despite the encouraging statistics, it can be challenging for new small businesses aimed at the tourist industry to enter this potentially lucrative industry. This article provides three insights into small business success in the tourism industry.