Clem Sunter, Scenario Planner and Futurist, wrote this inspirational article following the Springboks’ successful test match against Wales in July. As we tackle the All Blacks this month, his article about how the example set by the Springbok rugby team is pivotal in ensuring a positive economic future for South Africa is one that everyone should read. We should all take inspiration from it on how to put our differences aside and work together towards a common goal.

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Human resources management is arguably one of the most complex and daunting aspects of managing a business. Unless a franchisee or business owner has HR management training or experience, personnel management presents a number of potential challenges.

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In the same way that the energy crisis in South Africa has dragged on with no solution in sight, reforms to enable SMME growth through efficient governance has also seen years of draft master plans going nowhere. The National Integrated Small Enterprise Development (NISED) Master Plan published recently by the Minister of Small Business Development is yet another in a long line of initiatives that show no urgency and are simply tools for delay.

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Franchising is a great mechanism to expand with third-party capital and to benefit from having dedicated owner-operators who care about customer service in all your outlets. However, franchising can become a struggle when all parties – the franchisor and franchisees – do not have their needs met and become frustrated with the relationship.
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In the current economic downturn, all franchisors are certainly going to experience an increase in franchisees who are struggling to make a profit. The way in which a franchisor can look to assist a struggling franchisee is to implement an “intensive care programme” to assist. This would include:

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It’s finally back on the FASA events calendar! Traditionally one of the highlights of the FASA calendar, the Golf Day sponsored by Absa will once again be a Spring event on 30th September 2022 at Wanderers Golf Club.

This is the one occasion that allows franchisor members to socialise on a casual basis, invite their franchisees or suppliers to join them in a great game of golf and then celebrate a hard day’s play with an informal prize-giving and dinner.

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The Franchise Relationships Institute in Australia, in a group workshop of Vision Personal Training franchise partners, debated the question; what helps to maintain resilience and positivity when running a business?

Their conclusions are relevant to everyone struggling to maintain resilience and make a success of their businesses.

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Mike Said of MikeSaidWhat Brand Strategy – a brand strategist with experience in the food sector and in franchising, has his finger on the pulse of what makes a good brand, with the focus on marketing, multi-media and service excellence. Mike Said equates running a business to riding a wave – there are always highs and lows that make for a wild ride. Understanding the process of building a business and being prepared for the curveballs will go a long way to keeping your sanity and managing a successful business. Mike Said’s business wave goes something like this:

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At FASA’s 2021 Conference, The African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), a pan-African multilateral financial institution established in 1993, gave their initial findings on a market study on the franchising sector in Africa, and have now published their final research findings.

Afreximbank, under the Create and Connect pillars of its Intra-African Trade Strategy, has prioritised franchising as a critical instrument to unlock opportunities for entrepreneurs, especially small and medium enterprises (SMEs) that are seeking new business ventures on the African continent.

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Franchises after the Pandemic

Although franchises and businesses in general have been impacted by the pandemic for the past 2 years, it seems that the franchise business model has proved resilient and franchises all over the world are bouncing back – some franchise companies are even looking to foreign markets for future expansion. The recent signing of an MOU between FASA and the Malaysian Franchise Association is a bold step in that direction.

Franchising is the one business method that has perfected going global. Think of some of the world’s most iconic brands – from McDonald’s to KFC; from Re/Max to Cash Converters – they have all become global brands taking their concepts to new territories and new markets. Whilst the USA has pioneered going into international markets, many other countries have successfully broken the global barriers in untapped markets for potential growth. Even South African brands have successfully established themselves abroad – including Nando’s, Ocean Basket and Tashas, to name just a few.

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