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Kickstart your business with expert advice

21st September 2020

Kickstart your business with expert advice from serial entrepreneur, Fetola founder and author of the new book Sheep Will Never Rule The World, Catherine Wijnberg
Many businesses are reverting to prelockdown levels of activity, while others still are seeking new entrepreneurial avenues to supplement existing incomes or replace those lost due to the Coronavirus crisis. A mustread for entrepreneurs and new business owners to aid this return and stimulate new economic activity is the debut book by Catherine Wijnberg, entitled Sheep Will Never Rule The World.

Launched officially on 13 August 2020, the book is a collection of wisdoms from the pen of this successful entrepreneur, who is the founder and CEO of SME growth specialists, Fetola. Wijnberg brings a wealth of experience from having charted her extensive business journey as well as through her ongoing role at Fetola, a company that is geared towards supporting small businesses and helping them become more profitable.
Here are just a few of the insights Wijnberg offers to assist entrepreneurs: Follow your passion
According to Wijnberg: “As entrepreneurs, we have the choice to make the world what we want it to be. So be grateful for that choice – and find a way for your passion and your work to align.” Understand the market
Identify if there’s not only a gap in the market but “a market in the gap you’ve chosen!” In other words, customers who are willing to pay for the service and product you wish to provide. Start Small Wijnberg advocates starting small. “Don’t be hobbled by the misperception that you need a large loan to get a business going. Starting a business with a huge debt to pay back can be the proverbial albatross about your neck,” she says. “A new venture is stressful enough on its own. Rather build from a small base with less risk.”
Reconsidering Capital
Start thinking about your capital, and capital is not just money. Wijnberg explains how capital comes in three forms:
 Networks: “Think about who you know that you can connect to for markets, expertise, support.”
 Expertise: “What information and skills do you have that are of value”, and lastly,  Money: “What money do you have and how much do you need? Can you leverage the other two forms of ‘capital’ to get money?”
The pages of Sheep Will Never Rule The World are peppered with advice designed to support, stimulate and inspire. Although there is a decidedly business bent to the book, its content does not preclude the everyday reader as Wijnberg’s prompts which are often highly practical are intended to help anyone achieve their highest potential in life and business.
To access this powerful resource, purchase the book at leading local bookstores or via their online stores. Sheep Will Never Rule the World is published by Quivertree Publications and is currently in distribution.

For more information on Catherine Wijnberg visit www.catherinewijnberg.com. Follow her on social media:
 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/catherinewijnberg5142049/
 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wijnberg.catherine or @wijnberg.catherine
For more information on Fetola, visit www.fetola.co.za. Contact 0861 111 690 or email info@fetola.co.za.

Why Debt is the new big thing in Investment

19th September 2020

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Investors need to be aware of the long-term trends so they can make decisions that grow their investments, this means being well-informed about developments around the world and educating yourself on how these changes can affect you and your investment.

By keeping a wary eye on the trends and patterns, you can stay well ahead of the curve no matter what new trends appear – and the one that seems to be coming to the fore at present is debt.

Debt investments, including bonds and mortgages, provide fixed payments to investors and tend to be less risky than equity investments. They also usually offer lower, though more consistent, returns.

They are much less volatile than equities and investors can generally avoid the nausea-inducing highs and lows of the stock market. Mortgage investments come with set interest rates and are backed up by collateral in the form of property.

Since the 2008/2009 global financial crisis many banks have been in disarray, and one of the results of this is they have pulled back from financing property. The gap they have left has been filled in many cases by private equity firms, including Black Rock. These firms generally have low gearing (loan to value ratios) and can earn attractive monthly, quarterly or annual fixed-income returns.

This now-widespread trend used to be available only to sophisticated investors, private equity firms or real estate investment trusts (REITs), but technology has made it accessible to many more people, even investors with smaller investment minimums.

While the Covid-19 pandemic has increased the uncertainty levels, things have been fairly tumultuous for the past few years. Uncertainty tends to make investors move away from capital growth and head for fixed income, with its built-in lower risk. This is the reason debt products have become more popular.

A big plus for these types of investments is that in the event of a default, a debt investment comes ahead of an equity investment, so it is inherently a less risky choice. In bear markets debt products are favoured as they allow investors to manage the downside more aggressively while still focusing on income.

No matter where you decide to put your money, there is always some risk when investing. However, an educated investor will make smarter, better-informed choices. Wealth Migrate, for example, is committed to educating investors through its Wealth University, among other online offerings, to ensure that investors do not make expensive and heart-breaking mistakes with their money.

Why make expensive mistakes when you can just learn the lessons

19th September 2020

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Learning anything – from walking to making money – is a process of trial and error, so wouldn’t you prefer to cut out some of those errors and get straight to the lesson? You have come to the right place. Here are some lessons you can learn without having to make the mistakes first.
It's all about the people

No matter what shiny, new development you are yearning to invest in, you need to make sure you have the right people to support and guide you, especially if you are investing offshore. You may know everything about investing at home – you can recite every bylaw that applies to property usage and zoning – but when you leave the safety of your homeland, make sure you have partners who are trustworthy and actually know what they claim to know.
Play the long game

Investing in property offshore is not a get-rich-quick scheme. You need to take at least a five-year view, a big reason for this is our highly volatile rand, which is much rougher in the short term, but will cancel out in the longer term. Essentially, anything shorter than five years is no different from gambling.
Information is power

Get your hands on the right information – information that reflects what is really going on. The property you are planning to buy is going for a song, what’s the catch? It’s located next door to a condemned building filled with squatters or the strip mall that a super-salesman has been telling you about is miles from anywhere and most of the shops are empty. Getting the right information relates back to having the right partners, people you can rely on, and who will tell you what you need to know – not only what they need you to know.
Compare apples with apples, always

Take a good look at how tax, structuring, and compliance will affect your investment, so you can make a useful comparison of what will be a better deal.
The currency factor

When you invest offshore, you need to take the exchange rate into account – the deal may not be fabulous, but if the rand is under pressure, then you can benefit. In fact, even if you lose percentage points on the property, you will get support from the weaker rand. Again, this works best when you have a five-year view. While the property is earning income and you are getting good returns on your rand investment, stay put, as it is based on long-term trends and fundamentals.
It's not about you

When it comes to the décor choices of the property you invest in, remember it’s not about you – it’s about the tenants. If the tenants you are targeting want small kitchens and tiled bedrooms, then give them what they want. If you have bought a property as an investment, it doesn’t matter if it is not to your taste, as long as the tenants like it.
Income is where it’s at

Keep your focus on the income, not the growth, and you are on track to survive dips in the market. You lose money in property when you sell in a panic. If you have a good stream of income because you focused on the investment fundamentals, then you sell only when the time and price is right for you.
A team event

Crowdfunding allows you to raise money with the help of others – you can raise $10 million by getting $100 from 100,000 people rather than getting the whole amount from one source (typically a bank). The online platform Wealth Migrate, for example, offers this as a way to invest in international property.
Pay it forward

People are living much longer – celebrating your 100th birthday is no longer a rare event. Take the time to accumulate first-world assets and income, which makes you a global citizen, and the world is your oyster. What you put in place today can pay huge dividends one day when you want to retire.
Now, take these lessons and use them to take charge of your future.

About Wealth Migrate:

Wealth Migrate is a trusted global real estate marketplace that allows investors to safely invest internationally, in quality opportunities, thus achieving wealth preservation. They have members in 133 countries and have facilitated real estate investments of over $600 million USD on 4 continents with investors earning an average of 8% cash on cash in USD for the last 6 years and IRR’s of 13% to 20%. For further information please visit wealthmigrate.com

A Recipe for Success – The Ultimate Guide for Your Baking Busines

19th September 2020

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Thinking about taking your hobby from confectionary side hustle to a full-time baking business? The romantic idea that you will spend your days only baking perfect cookies is far from the reality of what it takes to run a profitable baking business.

Cookbook author, business owner, and baking aficionado Grace Stevens shares her most valuable insights into what you need to do to begin your baking business.

Set informed goals

Every great cake begins with an amazing recipe. In business, your recipe should start with researching your target market, examining your competition, and setting clear, achievable goals to help you stay disciplined on the path to your sweetest business dreams.

Play to your strengths

Embrace the elements that make your creations extraordinary and play to your strengths as a baker and businessperson. Offering something unique, delicious, and reliable to your customers will keep your creativity flowing and ensure you get your financial piece of the pie.

Listen to your customers

Your customers can be your biggest advocates and having a great reputation can even save you money on marketing. Being mindful of your patron's ideas, inputs and even criticisms will help you build a loyal base of return customers and pull in new business.

Ask for assistance

Identifying what is not your strong point and learning to ask for help in the right places is extremely important for your confidence, as well as the growth and sustainability of your business.

5 top tips on pricing that you never even thought about:

1. When selling your masterful creations be mindful of expenses like packaging, consumables, ingredients, your time and your technical skill level.
2. Marketing for the launch of your start-up and for the long term is important to cost into every sale.
3. Certain markets, such as wedding cakes, may have a seasonal swing to them and it is important to budget to diversify your products and save for the slower months accordingly.
4. Identify exactly what each of your recipes cost as if you had to buy all your ingredients and equipment tomorrow. Even the best equipment has a lifespan so it is important to plan to improve, expand, and replace your essential equipment as needed.
5. Have a contingency plan. Adding a small amount onto each of your successful orders will ensure that you have the budget to remake an unsuccessful order without running at a loss. The number of re-bakes will be unique to your skill level and should decrease as you become more experienced.
Perhaps the most important pearl of wisdom that Grace shares are that you need to know your worth and stick to it. The value you assign to your creations is pivotal to both the health of your business and your professional confidence.

If you plan carefully, never follow a half-baked idea, are mindful of your finances, and never undervalue your skills or the products they allow you to produce, you should be sifting your way to success in record time.

Hot New Soft Drinks from Mofaya

2nd September 2020

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A hot new range of 12 soft drink products from MoFaya has hit the South African market – featuring fresh new flavours and a sparkling use of kasi lingo in the product names.

MoFaya, a black-owned beverage company in South Africa, has gained considerable ground in the African market since launching five years ago, and is now established in the top-tier energy drink range by volume. Siphiwe Shongwe, MoFaya’s ‘Firestarter’ co-founder and partner with DJ Sbu, who boasts the designation, ‘Chief Hustler’, had the aim of creating a strong and authentically African-inspired non-alcoholic beverages brand in South Africa and Africa with a strategic plan that comprises four ‘chapters’.

Shongwe says the first chapter opened with the launch of the first energy drink variant, followed by three additional flavours and accompanied by high intensity marketing strategies. “We have achieved what we planned in chapter one, and we are now moving into chapter two with the launch of our carbonated soft drinks.”

The new soft drink range, made to an exceptionally high standard, includes Cola – Sash Mnyamane, Crème Soda – Nomalizo, Ginger Beer -iGemmer (described as a true African taste that always screams ‘hoyi hoyi’ when it goes down your throat), Granadilla – Slay Queen, Grape – Tjovitjo, Iron Brew – Intsimbi, Lemon – Boss Zonke, Lemonade – Botsotso, Litchi – Akekhugogo, Orange – Mzekezeke, Coco Pine – Yellow Bone, and Raspberry – Isichomani.

“The fun and evocative names reflect the heart of MoFaya, which is all about celebrating the untold African and South African culture that continues to shape how we celebrate ourselves,” explains Shongwe.” MoFaya is a platform we use to celebrate our ‘kasiginality’, and the names are a reflection of just that – those who know … know!” He is quick to add that translations of the names will be freely given to “those who don’t know and want to know”.
MoFaya has also made a name for itself as an empowering company, encouraging entrepreneurship, sharing knowledge and opportunities, and building success. Shongwe explains, “MoFaya has set its business ethos around encouraging the spirit of rolling up your sleeves and making it happen – which we loosely translate as ‘hustling’. Our hope is that this launch will ignite passion in those who have started to empower themselves, and in those who are thinking of starting a small business – particularly in this tough economy.”
DJ Sbu notes that “MoFaya has been doing incredible work in line with government’s narrative and drive towards youth empowerment, creating jobs, teaching entrepreneurship and business, and living, breathing, walking, and preaching it, to become a true patriotic organisation that has overcome the odds many times over to prove that we are here to stay.”
MoFaya’s new carbonated soft drinks will be sold through existing wholesale and retail channels nationwide. Shongwe expresses his gratitude to wholesalers and retailers who believed in the first black-owned beverage company in the country, “Your support and guidance is truly appreciated.”
Shongwe also thanks South Africans and Africans, “For all the support you have shown our vision, our idea, our MoFaya, your MoFaya. We have taken punches and rolled with them. We didn’t give up. We refuse to give up on our dream – and our perseverance has and will continue to pay off.”
As for MoFaya’s chapter three? It’s being written and it’s going to be great, he says.
For more information, visit www.mofaya.co.za or call Renaldo Farinha on 010 555 0500.