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Access our current publication by clicking here. Our ezines are published monthly to keep you abreast of the rapid happenings on the South African small business scene. Our interesting articles have been written and selected for South African business owners. We trust that you will have as much benefit from reading this ezine as the pleasure we got from compiling it.

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Information about the various services offered by Ross Fyffe & Associates may be obtained by using the links below.

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Are you a business owner or about to start a new business?

Do you know that only 30% of business survive past their first year? And that this reduces to 10% after 3 years?

These statistics may seem frightening if you are about to start a new business, or have already started a new business. But there is good news too. The good news is that these odds can be beaten if you have the right information. The right information can come from many sources, but you must look for it, and it must be readily available, and you must know what to look for.

My name is Ross Fyffe, and you can find out more about me elsewhere on these pages. But really, this web site is about helping your business be successful and it's about providing you with the information to help you succeed. It is a pity that we cannot make you succeed, nor can we guarantee your success. But we can certainly help you stack the odds in your favour. But do you want the odds to be in your favour? Then read on...

We do this by providing you with information, advice and assistance in those areas which count most, at the time you most need it. We provide practical advice and a hands on approach to dealing with issues inside your business.

Check the list below to see if there is anything which rings a bell in your business:

Do you realize that you, as the entrepreneur or business owner, play the greatest role in your business' success or its failure?

How much time have you invested, if any, in the past year on making the most important and critical element of your business (you, the business owner) more effective?

Have you, in the past 6 months, spent more than 6 hours just thinking about how to make your business succeed?

Is your business' cash flow as good as it can be? The proper cash management of your business can be easy or tough, but if it's not done it's deadly. Do you do this as best you can?

Are you presenting your business to your customers in the best possible manner so as to contribute to success? Unbelievable as it may seem, many (and I would even say most) business owners simply HATE selling, or marketing. They prefer waiting for the business to come to them, or running the operation. Do you do this?

Have you recently checked that you don't have any legal, regulatory, tax or other time bomb lurking inside your business, which could shut your doors overnight? If there is, can you be sure that your unscrupulous competitor will not exploit this?

Do any of these rings true? If so, then your business may benefit from an exploratory chat with one of our business advisers. If you would like to take advantage of our free, no obligation consultation, then click here.

If your needs are more urgent, however, you may wish to take up our special offer of a Quick Business Assessment performed on your business within the next two weeks. This offer is only available in the Gauteng province for now, but may be extended by special arrangement. If you are outside Gauteng, then click here, explain your particular need and we will make contact with you as soon as possible.

Most of us have subjected ourselves to the scrutiny of a medical professional. Sometimes the reason is illness, but in other cases this was done while we felt perfectly healthy. Often the yearly medical check-up results in the doctor giving us some precautionary advice. Sometimes we don't like this. We've probably all been there. "Cut back on the smoking", or "cut down on eggs", or "have more vegetables" or exercise or whatever. Sometimes we actually take these measures and nothing extraordinary happens - and so we wonder whether there was any point other than to take away some of life's little pleasures. Not so?

Some of us, however, don't take these warnings seriously and suffer horrendous trauma, even death. Others of us don't even bother to undergo a medical examination. Not even when they know (in their hearts) that there is a problem, until it's really, really serious. In part, this is out of fear of the knowledge. In truth, the knowledge EMPOWERS you to DO SOMETHING.

I'm sure that the analogy to business is obvious. Why wait until your life assurer or medical aid insists on an examination; or until that angina attack shows that there is imminent and deadly danger?

Check your vital signs. Regularly look at those business vital signs which are indicators of other underlying problems. These are often reflected in the financial ratios, but other figures are also relevant. For example cost of scrap or wastage. If the vital signs indicate a potential problem, bring in a business professional. This can be an accountant or auditor, it could even be a banker or a commercial lawyer depending on the issues at hand. Alternatively the business professional could simply be a "PhD" from the university of hard knocks, an experienced business professional with years of general management experience.

Take your business for a health check. This translates to getting a business professional to check out your business and to give you a "heads up", a precautionary action plan to ensure that your business survives and succeeds.

TLC (tender loving care). The business analogy here is ensuring that all aspects of the business are regularly assessed, re-appraised, and fine tuned. If employees must be rewarded or (re-?)trained, or the business process must be improved - then ongoing action is best.

Get a personal trainer. Not having a business coach or mentor can be as serious as Bafana Bafana or the Springbok team going into a game without their (often denigrated) coach. I would guess that a well coached national under 19 rugby side could beat the Springboks if the Boks had no coaching whatsoever. No self respecting top sportsman will expect to be world class, or even succeed at provincial level without someone standing by who can see his game, and its flaws. So why do South African business people believe they can do it alone?

"But," I hear you ask "that will cost me an absolute fortune. My business cannot afford that."

If your business had a statistical possibility of failing due to a particular cause, and you merely sat back and said "I cannot afford to fix this area" - you would have made a decision - a decision to risk failure. What would be the cost of this failure - and what would be the cost of the remedy? Do your own calculations. If the remedy costs more, then close shop before you lose your shirt too - or take action now.

If you would like a business support professional to address a particular issue of concern to you, then click here for an introductory discussion without obligation.