South African small businesses Archives

As the nation approached the polls, iKhokha conducted a survey across its national base to learn more about SME confidence in our government. The survey revealed that 76% of SMEs felt government support to be ineffective in promoting small business growth and development. In May, retail spending fell by 0.7% month-on-month as uncertainty lead to more frugal consumer spending. This downturn was mirrored in the automotive sector, where new car sales saw a 14.2% drop. iKhokha also observed an 8% decrease in SME turnover in May and June as the nation held its collective breathe, watching potential coalition discussions play out in the media, further unsettling South African nerves. Last month, South Africa breathed a collective sigh of relief and entered a new era of our democracy with the f...

You’ve taken the plunge and your small business venture has taken off. You're confident you'll defy statistics like 70-80% of South African small businesses failing within the first five years. However, you encounter your first hurdle when applying for a business loan – the bank requires you to sign surety to secure the financing. Meera Naidoo, Head of Legal Support at SanlamConnect, says it is an industry-wide standard for banks to request a surety before approving a finance application. "A surety is a contractual obligation in which the business owner or shareholder acknowledges that they’re personally liable for the business’ debt if the business is unable to settle this debt This guarantee mitigates risk on behalf of the lender. Without it, if a business were to fail, the bank wouldn'...

Tag: South African small businesses

SME confidence on the rise as GNU promises growth

Business 101: How to protect your startup from bankruptcy