The National Small Business Chamber’s (NSBC) annual South African Small Business Awards is known as a “springboard to enhanced business success” for putting small business owners and entrepreneurs in the spotlight; and celebrating the most successful of these while bringing recognition to all entrants. This year, ProfitShare Partners – the Fintech company that is disrupting the SME funding landscape in South Africa – is thrilled to be a sponsor of the event, that will culminate in a memorable awards evening on 17 November 2022. In 2019, ProfitShare Partners itself won this prestigious award. Says Andrew Maren, founder and CEO of ProfitShare Partners and serial entrepreneur himself: “We’ve long admired the work the NCBC does in the sector, especially in giving small to medium size businesses the opportunity of being part of its impressive 156 000-strong network. “Like the NSBC, ProfitShare Partners recognises the vital impact small businesses have on the South African economy at every level, and we feel it is important for organisations like ourselves to show up for NSBC members with solutions to sourcing capital to build and grow small businesses in our country.” Commitment to small business The NSBC is Africa’s leading SME organisation and the fastest growing organisation of its kind in the world, committed to helping business owners and entrepreneurs become tomorrow’s business legends. The organisation provides an array of robust benefits for its members, and is dedicated to being their voice and support, to ensure that their business thrives. Because PSP’s business model doesn’t require financials, security or even a track record, SMEs with a signed order from a corporate for their products or services can apply online for assistance and get a response within days. “We understand what it takes to start and run a successful business and we’ve worked with hundreds of SMEs and can now boast a zero percent performance failure rate and speedy access to capital via our fully digital online process,” Maren says. “Scores of our clients have achieved a 1000% increase in turnover within a 12-month period,” he notes, adding that PSP’s focus is mainly on clients in the corporate supply chain of large companies or government entities.” ProfitShare Partners looks forward to being a part of the South African Small Business Awards and getting to know the entrepreneurs and business owners making a difference to the economy. Entries are open now and close on 30 September 2022. “We hope many of the businesses we’ve dealt with will enter and we’d like to meet many of those we don’t yet know,” Maren says. “Regardless of whether you take first prize or not, just doing what you do for a living makes you a winner.”
2022
TOP SUPPLEMENTS SA MOMS ARE GIVING KIDS TO BOOST IMMUNITY
Parents have seen the benefit of boosting their children’s immunity as they returned to school to face their first winter without lockdown measures. According to a survey conducted by Pharma Dynamics – a leading pharmaceutical provider, the top health supplements SA moms are giving kids are: Multivitamin-minerals (73%) Vitamin C (46%) Immune boosters (37%) Zinc (23%) Vitamin D (20%) Calcium (20%) Iron (17%) Omega-3 fatty acids (16%) Probiotic (10%) Nicole Jennings, spokesperson for Pharma Dynamics, says many parents are seeing the benefit of multivitamins and immune-boosting supplements, which include vitamin C, D and zinc to keep their children healthy. “While getting nutrients from food remains the best source, sometimes our busy schedules interfere with the best of intentions and even when we do prepare healthy meals, our kids turn their noses up at it. This can make healthy eating a real battle.” “Supplements are available to fill nutrient deficiencies and can provide essential vitamins and minerals to support growth and development in children.” Based on the survey most moms supplement their children with one multivitamin …
Whole Earth Organic Farm helps you save the planet (and enrich your soil), one onion skin at a time.
his month, in an effort to divert as much waste from landfill as possible and to encourage sustainable lifestyle habits, Johannesburg-based waste management company, Whole Earth Recycling — known for recycling over 120 tons of recyclable waste every month — has launched a new curbside food waste collection service called Whole Earth Organic Farm which turns kitchen scraps into compost. Making composting at home effortlessly fuss-free, the service is simple and rewarding: Whole Earth Organic Farm collects your organic food waste weekly and, at month-end, you receive it right back as a bag of nutrient-rich compost to feed your garden, herbs or pot plants. Who knew saving the planet could be so easy?! The big issue of waste in South Africa South Africa is experiencing a critical waste challenge — and experts concur that it’s up to citizens, legislation and businesses, like Whole Earth Recycling and Whole Earth Organic Farm, to work together to fix it. It’s estimated that South Africa generates more than 122 million tons of waste a year, equating to roughly R25.2 billion worth of dumped waste.[1]Of this, 90% is disposed of in over-capacitated landfill sites and only 10% is recycled. Almost 40% of all waste that ends up in South African landfills is organic and biodegradable.[2]This refers to organic food scraps like potato peels, apple cores, eggshells, coffee grounds, loose tea, citrus peels, bread crusts and, yes, all the food that goes funny in your fridge and simply gets “chucked” in the bin,even fish, meat and bones can be added! Yet organic waste, of any kind, doesn’t belong in a landfill. Breaking down anaerobically, this waste, compressed under the weight of yet more waste, slowly decomposes and produces methane: a harmful greenhouse gas directly linked to climate change. Organic waste also creates leachate, a pollutant that can run into local water sources at landfills if not managed properly. And, most notably, when organic waste is landfilled, it represents a significant loss of nutrients that could be used for compost and soil fertilisation i.e.: it’s essentially waste that’s wasted and not returned to where it, by Nature, belongs — Earth. Taking the mess out of home composting As we all become more conscious of climate change and the need to do our bit to save our planet, adopting more sustainable lifestyle habits is becoming no longer a choice but a necessity. Carmen Jordaan, Co-Founder of Whole Earth Organic Farm, says: “While home composting is an essential and impactful habit, it’s difficult and intimidating to do it alone. In addition to not knowing where or how to start, many people who want to compost their organic waste at home have the practical constraints of living in a small space; as well as concerns over it being messy, smelly, difficult to manage and attracting unwanted guests such as rats!” Whole Earth Organic Farm’s service removes all these barriers and headaches, as well as your waste — weekly — and puts you further in touch with Earth by rewarding you at the end of each month with a 2kg bag of nutrient-rich organic compost, which you can use to get your hands dirty (in the best way) by feeding your favourite green friends: whether that be your garden, your veggie patch, your window-sill herbs or your pot plants… and all of this, just in time for Spring! “We are so incredibly excited to have started our organic farm, to have launched our composting service and to extend Whole Earth Organic Farm’s impact in terms of ensuring that everyday organic waste is not sent to landfill but turned into something of value — just as Nature intended,” says Jordaan. …
Play your part on World Suicide Prevention Day (10 September)
To promote public commitment and action to prevent suicides in the lead up to World Suicide Prevention Day (10 September), a leading pharmaceutical company and advocate for mental health is sharing advice on how to support a loved one after a suicide attempt. Abdurahmaan Kenny, Mental Health Portfolio Manager for Pharma Dynamics says knowing how to deal with and support someone who has attempted to take their own life is crucial for their recovery. “Your loved one may be depressed or suffer from another mental illness caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain. Therefore, it is essential for them to see a trained healthcare professional, who will be able to make a proper diagnosis and prescribe the right treatment, which often involves a combination of medication and psychotherapy. Recovery (with the right help) is possible,” he says. Many of us know someone who has attempted or committed suicide. According to the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (SADAG), there are 23 known cases of suicide a day in SA, and for every person that commits suicide, 10 have attempted it. “When a loved one is affected, it can be traumatic as you need to support them, and deal with your own feelings about the suicide attempt – the anger, fear, shame and guilt. Saying and doing the right thing can be difficult.” Kenny shares the following advice of how to support a loved one during such a tenuous time. What to say (conversation prompts): • I’m sorry you’ve been feeling so awful. I’m so glad you’re still here. • I’m here for you. Remember that you can always talk to me if you need to. • I want to help you. Tell me what I can do to support you. Various organisations, including Suicide Line (Australia) and Mental Health Foundation (NZ), advise the following ways of support: • As much as possible, remove the means to suicide, including drugs and alcohol. • Create a ‘safe space’ for the person to talk. Be available and let the person know you will listen. Accept them for who they are and let them know you care. • Try to understand the feelings and perspective of the person before exploring solutions together. • Explore and develop realistic plans and solutions to deal with their emotional pain/ mental illness. For them to realise that suicide is not a solution, they will need to see real changes in their life. This will require making small steps in the beginning to change their situation. • Get your loved one the professional support they need. You could offer to go with them or help them to make appointments. …
Goodleaf launches a first-of-its-kind anti-stress skincare range
Goodleaf Wellness has upped the ante once again with the launch of their anti-stress skincare range, a fully certified, locally formulated collection dedicated to treating stressed out skin. Goodleaf is in the business of calm and as such has a deep understanding of the impact of stress and anxiety – not only on our minds, but also on our bodies. Being the largest organ, skin is one part of the body that is quick to show the negative effects of stress. It’s not a new theory but, according to research, the link between stress and compromised skin is stronger than we may have thought. Harvard Health Publishing recently wrote about how environmental and psychological stress can exert negative effects on overall skin wellness, while the topic is gaining a lot of interest with high profile consumer publications including the likes of The New York Times and Vogue. High levels of stress cause the body to release cortisol, often called the “stress hormone”, to help regulate the body’s processes. We are all familiar with those dreaded breakouts when under strain or feeling low, but there’s actually more to it. Sustained high levels of stress lead to an overproduction of cortisol which disrupts the hormone balance and can cause inflammation, compromising the skin’s natural barrier, resulting in common reactions like dry, itchy, or sensitive skin to more serious conditions like eczema, dermatitis, or psoriasis. “We’ve been conditioned to understand the impact of stress on many parts of our life except on our skin. Previously, we also haven’t had formulas available that address this challenge. This range is our solution which we feel fills a much-needed gap in the skincare market,” says Cathy Wynn, Marketing Head at Goodleaf. “We studied the connection between cortisol levels and what it does to our skin and designed Goodleaf Anti-stress Skincare to specifically target this problem.” With a keen focus on clean beauty – Goodleaf onlyincludes stuff that’s good for you and the planet. The unique formulations of the fully certified Goodleaf Anti-stress Skincare range offer a powerhouse of all-natural, locally sourced hero ingredients designed to combat stress, inside and out. CBD and Devil’s Claw tackle inflammation, while hemp seed and carefully selected African botanicals soothe, hydrate, and revitalise the skin. Building on the concept of ‘formulas with feeling’, they are subtly scented with Exhale, an anti-stress essential oil blend of clary sage, petitgrain, patchouli and rose geranium to improve mood and enhance relaxation. In addition to the ethical and sustainable sourcing of organic and biodegradable ingredients as required and certified by international regulatory body COSMOS Organic, the packaging has received a complete overhaul. An 85% reduction in plastic and the incorporation of more sustainable materials allows for the ongoing preservation and protection of our planet. The result? Calm skin and happy consumers. “This is skincare for anyone experiencing any level of physical or emotional stress and looking to soothe the skin, calm the mind and revitalise the body,” says Wynn. The Goodleaf Anti-Stress Skincare range is available online or in select stores: https://goodleaf.co.za/