While South Africa’s economy appears to be on the mend, the recovery will likely be a slow one. There are indeed many positive indicators, such as higher household spending, but the power crisis continues to be a massive concern, both for national economic growth and for the immediate profitabil...

How to nurture your business through each stage of growth The process of growing a small business to maturity can be a lot like raising a child: some key principles remain constant, while others require adapting to your business’s changing needs. Commitment is always paramount, but where you inves...

The phrase “work smart, not hard” has become a common business-motto in recent decades, with admin and inefficient workflows increasingly eating up time. This is especially true for SME owners, who often do the work of several people, rather than focusing on high-value work. While a good princip...

As we head into the holiday season, here are our top six business tips for ending 2018 on a positive note. 1. Communicate with customers It’s polite – and important – to inform your customers about your year-end operating schedule. They need ample notice if you’re planning to shut up shop. ...

As an organisation that trades business-to-business, do you sell to your customers on credit terms? You may, for example, have agreed to net 30 days. This means that the customer must pay within 30 days of the invoice date. Or, are you dealing with credit sales terms that run into months? This can b...

For many companies, cash flow problems can feel like an eternal winter. When funds begin to dry up, business slows down and growth plans go into hibernation. If this sounds familiar – it may be time to spring clean your business finances. Step 1: Refresh your spending priorities A new season is th...

Collecting payments when these are due is vital for any business to succeed. Late payments by your customers can lead to an array of issues such as cash flow problems, low productivity and stress. A recent study showed that debt collection was the greatest financial challenge for more than half of...

Are you gearing up for a new growth phase in your business? Or are you struggling to make ends meet as you wait for your customers to pay their invoices? There are many reasons why companies choose to factor their invoices. As a business that is exploring factoring as a potential working capital sol...

As a business owner, you may have reached the point where you’re ready to grow your sales. Perhaps you want to seize an exciting new opportunity in the market or expand into new locations. Maybe you’re ready to introduce a new product line or you want to hire new skills. While there’s no limit...

Accessing working capital to boost cash flow or pay off debt can be a challenge for any business. As a smaller company, this can feel especially daunting. When the banks turn down your loan application, where can you go? Over the past decade or so, a series of online lending platforms have emerged t...