IS AMERICA BETTER FOR ME?
Somethimes the grass is greener, and sometimes it is simply different grass.
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Deep beats wide
Most small business owners have far more depth available to them than they realise: in the customers they already serve, the products they already sell and the assets already sitting on their property.
The growth you are looking for is often not out there in something entirely new. It may be right here, in something you already own but have not yet used to its full potential.
Before you go wide, go deep. Look carefully at what is already in your hands. More often than not, that is where the next stage of growth is hiding – not on the shelves of the shop next door.
SEPT – NOV 2026 – NATIONAL EDITION
In the September–November 2026 edition of The Life of the Entrepreneur, we feature the inspiring story of Lorna Greyling as she shares her journey of immigrating from South Africa to the United States.
Harvesting the Ocean, Part 2
Seaweed farming is rapidly becoming one of the most exciting agricultural opportunities on Earth. Often described as one of the fastest growing forms of aquaculture, it has the potential to supply food, create employment, support industry, and strengthen coastal economies while working in harmony with nature. As the global population continues to grow and agricultural land becomes increasingly limited, the ocean offers an opportunity that has remained largely untapped.
WHEN HOME CHANGES FROM SOUTH AFRICA TO AMERICA
Our story is not one of an easy escape or a perfect new beginning. It is a story of loss, survival, faith, forgiveness, and starting again.
And through it all, we have learned that when home changes, hope can still remain.
Franchising and the 90 day threshold
The first is approval bottlenecks. If decisions that should sit with your operations team, a field consultant signing off on a store visit report, or a support manager resolving a complaint, still find their way back to you, the business has not been built to run without you. It has been built around you.
The second is unwritten knowledge. If the answer to “how does this work?” inside your own head office is “ask the founder” rather than “here is the process”, your operational continuity is a person, not a system.
The third is performance variance by presence. If franchisee support quality, brand compliance or store standards shift noticeably when you are not personally involved, the network is responding to you, not to the system you have built. That is the most honest diagnosis available, and most franchisors only discover it under pressure.
SAVING FOOD. SAVING MONEY. BUIDLING A MARKET
South Africans have saved R12.5 million on groceries while preventing 200,000 meals from ending up in landfill through Refreshi, a local startup that built a surplus-food marketplace that has expanded from just 35 partner stores to 700 nationwide in the space of a year.
The startup has released its very first annual Grocery Savings Impact Report, revealing how the sale of quality surplus food at discounted prices (instead of throwing it away) is helping South African households stretch their grocery budgets while creating a new revenue stream for retailers.
BUILDING A CULTURE RESPECT, RESPONSIBILITY AND RESOLUTION
Conflict is a natural part of school life but with the right skills, it can become a opportunity for growth and positive change.
SAVING FOOD. SAVING MONEY. BUILDING A MARKET
South Africans have saved R12.5 million on groceries while preventing 200,000 meals from ending up in landfill through Refreshi, a local startup that built a surplus-food marketplace that has expanded from just 35 partner stores to 700 nationwide in the space of a year.
Get Your IT Working for You
The entrepreneurs who pull ahead won’t be the ones with the biggest teams or the deepest pockets. They’ll be the ones who got their technology working for them instead of the other way around doing more with less, staying responsive as they grow, and spending their limited hours on the work that only they can do. Good IT won’t run your business for you. But done well, it clears the clutter so you can get back to the reason you started this in the first place and every now and then, close the laptop a little earlier.
Political Freedom Was Won. Economic Freedom Is Still a Fight.
According to Stats SA, in the first quarter of 2026, 60.9% of South Africans aged 15 to 24 were unemployed. When considering the number of people that are not in employment, education or training (NEET), Statistics South Africa’s Quarterly Labour Force Survey revealed that 37.6% of people aged 15-24 were in the NEET category. This is the description of a generation that has been locked out of the economy before it has had a fair chance to enter it.
MEET OUR HBC MEMBERS 2026
Networking is about more than exchanging business cards it is about building meaningful relationships and creating a strong, supportive community. When local business owners connect, share ideas, support one another and collaborate, everyone has the opportunity to grow. Together, we build a community where businesses thrive, referrals flourish and lasting partnerships are formed.
Italian Trade Agency (ICE) Co-hosts Landmark Italy-South Africa Agri-Food Business Forum and MOU Signing in Cape Town
A highlight of the opening session was the signing of an Italy-South Africa Memorandum of Understanding, formalising a joint commitment between SACE, Italy’s export credit agency, and SIMEST, the Italian development finance institution focused on internationalisation, with the Italian-South African Chamber of Commerce. The MOU establishes a framework for long-term cooperation across research and innovation, digital agriculture, agricultural mechanisation, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, agro-processing and technology transfer – and creates a Joint Working Group to ensure the commitments made translate into practical commercial and investment outcomes.
EDITOR’S NOTE
A new season brings fresh opportunities, new ideas and exciting possibilities for growth, reminding us that every new beginning is a chance to connect, collaborate and turn our goals into something meaningful.
FROM SURVIVING LIFE’S STORMS TO STANDING BESIDE OTHERS
“Behind every legal file is a human story and every story deserves someone willing to stand beside it.”
“It Starts Quietly”: Experts Urge South Africans Not to Ignore the Silent Symptoms of Nerve Damage
“Neuropathy is not always dramatic in its early stages in fact, it’s often silent,” says Dr Joshi, a practising diabetes specialist. “But those early sensations tingling, numbness, burning are important warning signs. They should never be ignored.”
The People Behind the Wheel: The Challenges Faced by City Drivers Serving Our Communities
These are difficult questions, but they deserve to be asked.
Because the next time you climb into a ride-hailing vehicle, take a moment to look beyond the dashboard.
There is a person sitting behind that steering wheel.
A person trying to make a living.
A person with a story.
And perhaps, just like Thabo, Tina, and William, a person simply trying to make it through another day.
Dormant Trusts Under Scrutiny as SARS Begins Enforcing Administrative Penalties
SARS has made it clear that trusts which no longer serve a purpose must still follow a formal process before they can be removed from the tax system. This includes submitting all outstanding tax returns, settling any tax liabilities and providing supporting documentation confirming the termination of the trust.
LOCAL STABILITY MEETS GLOBAL VOLATILITY
“South Africa is already seeing early signs of this. Investor sentiment has improved following the country’s removal from the global anti-money-laundering grey list and its first sovereign credit rating upgrade in nearly two decades.
“Combined with a more disciplined fiscal framework, these developments signal that South Africa’s macroeconomic environment is becoming more stable. That stability does not immediately translate into rapid growth, but it does provide the predictability that markets value highly.