In today's world, it makes good business sense for aspiring entrepreneurs to choose a business idea that takes an individualistic approach and that keeps them interested. Make sure the type of business you have in mind fits your own particular background and experience. Because once you get bored with what you are doing--even if the business is profitable--your lack of enthusiasm will be the death knell for whatever hopes you have of succeeding. Also, avoid the three demons that can cripple your best efforts to make it in the world of business: (1) lack of working capital. (2) Lack of experience. (3) Failure to plan properly. While it is important that new entrepreneurs be thoroughly skilled in all aspects of running a business before launching the enterprise--including management, marketing, bookkeeping, and dealing with people, to name but a few--most aspirant business owners can easily acquire a thorough working knowledge of these critical skills through formal or self-study. The Biz Culture A4 Print Manual "Only 50 Steps to Start Your Own Business" is available on order at R605, which includes a pen, note book, pocket calculator and delivery within South Africa. Implementing each step will bring you steadily closer to your goal.

Path to economic growth
South Africa needs innovative entrepreneurs to generate new business ventures, and to create self-employment and more job opportunities for ordinary people. More >>

Self-employment High & Growing
Shortage of jobs in the formal sector means that the incidence of self-employment, particularly among secondary school-leavers, is high and growing. More >>

Comprehensive Business Toolkit
A self-study business toolkit (printed manual) titled "Only 50 Steps to Self-Employment", compiled by Theresa Lütge-Smith, also includes 8 individual self-study courses:

Professional Selling
Persuasion
Public Speaking
Money Savvy
Advertising & Promotion
Public Relations & Publicity
Guerilla ‘low-cost’ Marketing
Customize your Business Plan

The Biz Culture Toolkit includes templates of business plans that the entrepreneur must customise according to his or her business venture, to submit with an application for financial support or simply to serve as a blue print to grow a profitable enterprise.

Self-employment in South Africa increasing

More South Africans are working for themselves with one in six now self-employed. While there are currently an estimated 2.1 million businesses in South Africa, only 600,000 were in the formal sector. The biggest challenge is to bring entrepreneurs from the informal into the formal sector, which will have far-reaching benefits for the national economy. The Biz Culture Toolkit lists all major financial institutions countrywide and a diverse range of funding programs on offer.