Archive for the ‘Business’ Category
by Amanda on Apr 3rd, 2012
Taxpayers often pay over more to the Receiver than required, and nowhere is this more evident than in the payment of Value Added Tax.
There are thousands of VAT vendors in South Africa who are obliged to prepare a VAT return every two months. On the face of it, the process is very simple: record the VAT paid in respect of producing your product or service, subtract from this the VAT received in respect of your product or service, and pay the balance over to the Receiver. But in practice it is rather more complex, as certain rules apply to what you can and cannot claim as a legitimate amount, and on imports and exports related to your business.
Tax consultants, who service several returns at a time, rush through the work, with the result that large amounts often get overlooked through ignorance or haste and millions of rands go unclaimed, or are paid over to the Receiver unnecessarily. But help is now at hand with The VAT Handbook, everyone’s essential guide on all matters concerning this tax.
About the authors
Geoff Hull is a Commerce graduate with over 15 years’ experience in the financial departments of major corporations, and has also lectured at Damelin. He is currently travelling extensively throughout Africa training staff at various mines, and in his spare time writes poetry, some of which will be published in Holland this year.
Clive Gibson is an Economic Sciences graduate with 30 years’ experience in the field of management development and training. He is the co-author of several bestselling learner’s and driver’s licence books and is the author of 53 different titles published by various publishers, including some in the UK. He has also co-authored several books for children, learners and management.
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by Amanda on Mar 29th, 2012
Strategy That Works is a practical guide to formulating a reliable strategy for turbulent times. It is founded on sound theory and two decades of experience by the author, Ian Mann.
Mann discusses – and debunks – a number of popular theories of strategy before presenting his unique approach based on many profound insights that have never before been gathered together in one place to form a coherent theory and method. He explains the difference between strategy and mere analysis parading as strategy; he shows how to build scenarios for uncertain futures; he provides key questions that will help guide one to develop an effective strategy; and he demonstrates how important it is that the strategy becomes the organisation’s culture.
Clear, insightful and entertaining, Strategy That Works makes strategy accessible to managers at all levels, in all sizes and types of organisations.
About the author
Ian Mann is the founder of Gateways Business Consultants and he has consulted to companies in fourteen countries. For the past sixteen years he has hosted monthly business-book breakfasts for senior business leaders. He wrote a weekly business book review in the Sunday Times and had a weekly slot on CNBC Africa. He now writes a weekly column for the online business paper Fin24, has occasional pieces in the Financial Mail, and has a regular slot on Radio 702 and Cape Talk. His previous book, Managing with Intent, was published by Zebra Press in 2002.
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by Amanda on Feb 28th, 2012
Coming soon from Zebra Press:
Dealmaking is the lifeblood of business – the heart. It is what makes business tick. So why isn’t dealmaking the number-one subject taught in business schools? Why do businesspeople have to learn about dealmaking the hard way, through painful and often expensive experiences? Is it because business schools can’t let go of their outdated ideas on negotiation and selling? If so, the time has come to change these perceptions so that success and financial rewards can be achieved in every sphere of life.
The Devil in the Deal delivers what it says on the tin: it cunningly reveals the ‘secrets’ everyone should know about dealmaking in business and ruthlessly exposes the 50 little devils that can break a deal. It is essential reading for anyone who wants to make great deals in the real world, quickly and profitably.
About the author
Kim Meredith is an internationally acclaimed lecturer, sales strategist, negotiator and dealmaker and is the chief executive officer of the globally represented The Dealmaker Programmes Company, based in Mauritius. She was one of only 179 women on the boards of the top 300 Johannesburg Stock Exchange–listed companies in 2000. Her most recent corporate position was with a listed information technology group, where she spent four years on the board as executive director of strategy. During this time, she was responsible for global strategy, including actively driving negotiations for key mergers, acquisitions and disposals. She also lectures and consults in the USA, Latin America, Europe and Africa.
Her two previous books are Work Diva: How to Climb the Corporate Ladder without Selling your Soul and Deal Diva: How to Negotiate your Way to Success without Selling your Soul.
You can visit Kim Meredith’s website at www.thedealmaker.com
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by Amanda on Aug 11th, 2011
In recent interview on Radio Today, Sue Grant-Marshall spoke to Maureen Collins, author of Straight Talk: How to Manage Conversations That Scare You and Conversations at Work That Get Results. Collins gave Grant-Marshall advice about dealing with friends who talk to much, and how to master the fine art of saying “no”:
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by Amanda on May 25th, 2011
Ronnie Apteker, author of Funny Business, is a highly successful entrepreneur who founded South Africa’s first internet provider, Internet Solutions, in 1993. He has spent the last 10 years in the film business, and is currently producing the film Material starring Riaad Moosa.
In the following interview, Apteker talks about his love of story-telling and taking risks:
What made you decide to start producing films?
I love story telling. We are taught from a young age that the world is made up of atoms, but it is actually made up of stories. Someone made up a story about those atoms. I mean, come on, have you ever even seen an atom? The Internet world, like the film domain, is all about stories. Tales of innovation and risk taking. Capturing people’s imaginations, with technology or with a motion picture, is a very beautiful thing. Of course, it is very hard to get it right.
What are some of the challenges of film producing that readers might not know about?
Wow, this is a big question! One could write a book and still not finish the answer.
The biggest challenge starts with the script, and the vision that underpins the script. In this case the vision was all about Riaad Moosa. We spent over 7 years on the script, and I just hope that was enough.
On set with Riaad Moosa and Ronnie Apteker:
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by Amanda on Dec 21st, 2010
Recession, inflation, interest rates, income tax, exchange rates … one is bombarded with these terms every day – by newspapers, the radio, TV and the internet – but what do they actually mean? And how do they impact on ordinary people?
In this thoroughly updated edition of Everyone’s Guide to the South African Economy, all these issues – and more – are addressed. The book clearly explains and evaluates a wide range of economic occurrences – from the budget and the rand/dollar exchange rate to the role of the South African Reserve Bank and the balance of payments. This landmark tenth edition investigates the causes and consequences of the 2008/2009 global financial and economic crisis, looks in more detail at the sub-Saharan African economy, and explores human development issues in South Africa and their implications for policy-making. Avoiding the specialised jargon of economists and bankers, the book clearly explains the economic forces that subtly dictate the day-to-day existence of ordinary people. This is essential reading for every South African consumer and taxpayer.
About the Author:
André Roux has lectured in economics to undergraduate and postgraduate students since 1981. He is currently an associate professor at the Graduate School of Business of the University of Stellenbosch, and is also director of the university’s Institute for Futures Research.
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by Amanda on Dec 7th, 2010
Mandy de Waal spends a profitable hour with the authors of Funny Business: The Secrets of an Accidental Entrepreneur. Don’t miss the video of “Ronnie Apteker being interviewed by a gaggle of MBAs” that she embeds in her article:
Ronnie Apteker has this funny story about Richard Laubscher. When Laubscher was the head of Nedbank, Apteker was doing sales for that little company, Internet Solutions, and wanted to speak to Laubscher about business. But how do you get past the gatekeepers to speak to the man?
No problem for Apteker. When he got Laubscher’s PA on the line he said he was phoning about the blow up doll that Loubser had ordered. He wanted to know where it should be delivered.
Like “Funny Business”, the book that steps inside Apteker’s mind, a breakfast in Hyde Park with the founder of Internet Solutions and Gus Silber is a non-stop laugh fest punctuated with kvetching, confessions and real gems. A serial entrepreneur who always says he’s made his last movie, Apteker’s currently busy with rewards portal Randgo and “Material”, which is another movie. Apteker says this one has a magic story which is about a smart local stand-up comedian who followed his heart.
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by Amanda on Nov 5th, 2010
Join the Book Lounge and Ronnie Apteker for the launch of his Funny Business: The Secrets of an Accidental Entrepreneur in which Ronnie describes what it takes to “close the deal”.
In his book, Ronnie reveals that serious business means not having to take yourself so seriously, and that it really helps to have a nice Jewish mother when starting out as an entrepreneur. Much more than a business book, this book is everyone’s business. It’s about the way the world works; it’s about living your life with grace and purpose; it’s about learning to love what you do for a living. And it might help you to make it as an entrepreneur … not to mention a stand-up comic.
See you at the launch!
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by Amanda on Oct 29th, 2010
MD of Exclusive Books, Fred Withers introduces Ronnie Apteker and Gus Silber :
Why does an entrepreneur, like a comedian, need to close a deal every 15 seconds? It is said that inside every successful entrepreneur there is a stand-up comic struggling to get out. Well, meet one who managed to escape. His name is Ronnie Apteker, and no, he’s not an apteker. He’s the high-energy, high-tech founder of South Africa’s first internet service provider, Internet Solutions, and a number of other innovative online ventures. But his real business is getting a laugh out of people, whether it’s in a boardroom, on a stage or on a movie set. As a storyteller, moviemaker and creative spirit, Ronnie takes business seriously enough to know that you don’t need to take yourself too seriously to succeed.
Funny Business was launched to much laughter earlier this week at Exclusive Books Hyde Park.
Ronnie Apteker and Gus Silber at the podium talking Funny Business :
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by Amanda on Oct 12th, 2010
Why does an entrepreneur, like a comedian, need to close a deal every 15 seconds?
It is said that inside every successful entrepreneur there is a stand-up comic struggling to get out. Well, meet one who managed to escape. His name is Ronnie Apteker, and no, he’s not an apteker. He’s the high-energy, high-tech founder of South Africa’s first internet service provider, Internet Solutions, and a number of other innovative online ventures. But his real business is getting a laugh out of people, whether it’s in a boardroom, on a stage or on a movie set.
As a storyteller, moviemaker and creative spirit, Ronnie takes business seriously enough to know that you don’t need to take yourself too seriously to succeed. Funny Business is a seriously funny and comically serious look at the arcane art and science of entrepreneurship, in which Ronnie reveals:
- Why it helps, as an entrepreneur, to have a nice Jewish mother
- Why being a waiter is the best training for an entrepreneur, especially if you’re serving steak tartare
- Why you sometimes need to slow down to move fast in a world where progress is a paradox
- Why some mistakes are too good to make only once
Much more than a business book, this book is everyone’s business. It’s about the way the world works; it’s about living your life with grace and purpose; it’s about learning to love what you do for a living. And it might help you to make it as an entrepreneur … not to mention a stand-up comic.
About the Authors:
Gus Silber is an award-winning journalist, bestselling author and scriptwriter. His books include It Takes Two to Toyi-Toyi, a satirical survival guide to the New South Africa, and the user-friendly guide to the world of children and computers, The PC Parent. As a scriptwriter and song lyricist, he has worked with South Africa’s most successful moviemaker, Leon Schuster, on a number of films, including Panic Mechanic and Schuks Tshabalala’s Survival Guide to South Africa.
Ronnie Apteker is one of South Africa’s most restless and successful young entrepreneurs. Armed with an MSc in computer science, a sense of humour and a healthy amount of chutzpah, he founded the country’s first internet service provider, Internet Solutions, in 1993. He has since applied his entrepreneurial expertise to several online ventures and technology start-ups. A passionate storyteller and movie entrepreneur, he has been involved in several productions, including the critically acclaimed Jerusalema. He is a regular speaker at business events, an active fundraiser, a mentor to entrepreneurs and an occasional stand-up comic. He never sleeps.
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