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Riversands Blog.

It’s essential that businesses have at least a basic understanding of the applicable legal requirements of operating a business in South Africa. Riversands I-Hub Senior Legal Advisor, Heather Toman offers advice on where to start. For many SMMEs, particularly those that are in the start-up phase, the legal requirements applicable to the business are often neglected, but it is essential to understand the law as it pertains to their business and industry. It's also more cost effective to ensure compliance at the outset and to obtain legal...

All businesses inherently collect data, but what matters is how they use this information. By taking time to analyse the numbers, we can use data to drive strategy and make better decisions to improve outcomes. In this Information Age, where large amounts of data are constantly being accumulated, number-driven analytics can, and should, be used to make informed business decisions. According to a survey by tax, assurance and advisory firm PWC in 2016, businesses that used data in the decision making process were three times more likely to...

By forcing us to acknowledge our shared vulnerability, the pandemic brought out a softer side to ‘doing business’. Now that business is almost back to normal, we would do well to incorporate some of the valuable lessons Covid taught us. According to reports, about three million South Africans lost their jobs over the hard lockdown period of Covid-19 in 2020. Now, more than two years later, the country is still battling to recoup these losses and recover from the economic and social repercussions of the pandemic. These challenges are ongoing...

The recent growth in the use of digital technology has brought sweeping changes in the business world. Many businesses born into this era have made it part and parcel of their product offering with much success - but this does not mean that every business that embraces technology is a tech business. On the contrary, technology is a useful tool that can help build and grow any business in the world of today.  SMEs are ideally suited to embrace new technologies. They are nimble and have less admin to contend with - which means they can jump on...

Building an entrepreneurial growth mindset is about a lot more than just adopting a positive attitude – it’s how we perceive the world around us. By adopting a success mindset, we can set ourselves up for success, no matter the obstacle. Small businesses make up 98% of businesses across South Africa and contribute 39% towards the country’s GDP. These same businesses employ between 50 and 60 percent of the country's workforce and are responsible for a quarter of job growth in the private sector. What is not candidly spoken about is the...

Amazon Marketplace will, by all accounts, launch in South Africa in 2023. What opportunities will this offer SMEs? South Africans’ growing acceptance of online shopping beyond travel and accommodation can be seen in the number of delivery scooters on our roads. While they tend to display big brand names – Checkers, PnP, Woolworths – entrepreneurs and small businesses too have found an online home on e-commerce platforms like Takealot and Bidorbuy. Many of these small businesses are third-party resellers who buy and sell items online instead...

As an International Development student at Notre Dane University in Indiana, United States Liam Coolican applied to conduct research and gain work experience at Riversands I-Hub. When I arrived at Riversands I-Hub earlier this year, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I had been scheduled to work at the Hub last year but couldn’t travel because of the Covid-19 pandemic. This meant that I was initially only able to participate virtually, navigating the six-hour time difference and a new culture from more than 12 800km away. While it was a fantastic...