Help! I'm out of my depth... [2006]
- Date : (2006-01-04)
- Author : SAIE
Help! I’m out of my depth!
Some people are set up to help you succeed!
Every new business goes through growing pains. Often they are as a result of success when things have grown and the owners no longer know exactly what to do anymore. Linda had been running a hairdressing salon from home but now it was getting too big. More and more customers wanted appointments. Word of mouth had spread that Linda’s Salon was the place to go!
Linda knew that the business had to move into bigger premises. But how? What rent could the business afford? How much would it cost to move the business? What would it cost to set up the new premises so that they would be just right and keep attracting more and more customers?
Where would the money come from? How much money would be needed? Would the business be able to pay back a loan?
These are all the sort of questions that small business owners worry about as they lie awake late at night. Where can they get help?
There is some good news. The new South African Government has made it part of their policy to help to support and develop small businesses. The National Small Business Act was put into place and a strong National Small Business Support Strategy has been put into place. Around the country there are now many business support services available to help small businesses to become successful. There are many places where you can get free advice, the trick is to find the right sources. It can be very frustrating to go round and round in circles, trying to find the right level of advice. Here are some suggestions….
• Try and be as specific as possible about the advice you need. If Linda phoned and said “I need support for my small business,” the advice given would be very general and not very helpful. If Linda was much more specific and set out exactly the kind of support that was needed it would be much more helpful. Linda should say something like, “I am running a hairdressing salon from home and I need to move into business premises of about 150 square metres in a busy shopping centre. I need to talk to someone who can help me plan my steps so that the move can be made successfully.”
• Don’t be afraid to phone up and ask people to help you or to refer you to people who can help you. If somebody on the phone says that they do not think that they can help you, ask them who can! Even if people have been helpful, ask them for a list of contact numbers of other people who can assist you.
• Don’t be put off if you do not get successful with your first phone call. Try some other numbers!
The National Small Business Strategy has tried to make all levels of government responsible for helping small businesses. You can phone your local municipality or go to your local municipal offices and ask for help, they should point you in the right directions. Provincial governments have all developed regional strategies for helping small businesses. Here are a few examples….
• If you live in the Western Cape, the provincial government has set up a series of “Red Doors”. RED stands for Real Enterprise Development. There are 9 Red Door offices in places such as Hermanus, Vredenberg, Knysna, Paarl and the major centres. Here you will find well qualified business support staff who will help you with your business development issues. If you live in the Western Cape, call 021 4832628 to find out where your nearest Red Door is.
• If you live in the Free State then the Free State Development Corporation (FDC) has set up offices to help you. The FDC's mandate is to promote the SMME (Small Medium and Micro Enterprise) sector in the Free State province, as this sector is potentially the largest creator of employment opportunities and the strongest generator of economic growth. You can call them on 051 400 0800 to find out where their offices are.
• If you live in Gauteng then you can contact the Gauteng Enterprise Propeller (GEP). GET is part of Gauteng's Department of Finance & Economic Affairs and it provides financial and non-financial support to SMMEs in the province, and co-ordinates the efforts of stakeholders in the field of small enterprise development. If you live in Gauteng you can call them on 011 689 4300 to find out if they have offices near you.
As part of the National Small Business Support Strategy, the Department of Trade and Industry has set up SEDA, the Small Enterprise Development Agency. This is a national body that is now rolling out its plan to work in all provinces. They have a national call centre help line. You can call them from anywhere in the country on 0860103703 and they will be able to put you in contact with the right level of support for your small business in your area.
If you have access to the internet you can reach all of these agencies on the web. Just go to Google and type, small business support into the search window. Click on the South Africa only button and you will find over a million websites offering you assistance! Try this one for some very practical advice www.smallbusinessowner.co.za it has good practical suggestions for businesses that are either in the planning stages or the start up stage or even for businesses that have been running for some time.
