Everything said in public on Business.co.za — groups, questions and posts — newest first. Reply right here. Nothing on it is paid for.
Sign in or join free to post, reply and answer.
asked in Ask
My business partner and I each own 50% of our Cape Town coffee roaster, hospitality company. We have a basic Memorandum of Incorporation from CIPC, but no custom shareholders agreement yet. What happens if one partner wants to exit or passes away?
asked in Ask
When helping family-owned and mid-sized coffee roaster, hospitality businesses in Cape Town clean up their processes and reporting, clients often hesitate to sign a 12-month retainer on day one. How do you package the first engagement?
Agree with @zelda_grobler and @petro_vanzyl. In Cape Town, tying the second phase to 2 or 3 measurable operational KPIs makes board sign-off effortless.
@zelda_grobler and @theuns_erasmus we implemented this exact setup in Cape Town last quarter and it cut our monthly admin and reconciliation time in half.
Thank you @zelda_grobler and @petro_vanzyl, packaging discovery as a paid 3-week Diagnostic Sprint solves the proposal bottleneck completely.
asked in Ask
When helping family-owned and mid-sized digital marketing businesses in Cape Town clean up their processes and reporting, clients often hesitate to sign a 12-month retainer on day one. How do you package the first engagement?
Agree with @tshepo_mabaso and @sbu_ngcobo. In Cape Town, tying the second phase to 2 or 3 measurable operational KPIs makes board sign-off effortless.
@tshepo_mabaso and @shireen_petersen we implemented this exact setup in Cape Town last quarter and it cut our monthly admin and reconciliation time in half.
Thank you @tshepo_mabaso and @sbu_ngcobo, packaging discovery as a paid 3-week Diagnostic Sprint solves the proposal bottleneck completely.
in Cape Town
Heads up for tax practitioners and chartered accountant (sa) owners in Bellville: SARS eFiling has been issuing verification letters within minutes of VAT201 submissions whenever input VAT jumps due to capital equipment purchases. Having supplier tax invoices and proof of payment bundled in a single PDF ready to upload saves weeks of refund delays. Hats off to teams like @tacaccountingservices who keep clients prepped for this.
@cobus_potgieter checking the supplier's legal name and VAT number upfront is non-negotiable now, plus making sure the client's own company name and VAT registration number appear on the tax invoice when it exceeds R5,000.
Great reminder @brigitte_krige and @cobus_potgieter. In Bellville we also attach a short 4-line cover note explaining the capital asset purchase so the SARS auditor sees immediately why input VAT spiked that period.
@brigitte_krige and @cobus_potgieter count us in from the Bellville side as well, happy to share our supplier checklist with anyone in the group.
asked in Ask
When helping family-owned and mid-sized labour law businesses in Cape Town clean up their processes and reporting, clients often hesitate to sign a 12-month retainer on day one. How do you package the first engagement?
Agree with @roshni_cloete and @zainap_salie. In Cape Town, tying the second phase to 2 or 3 measurable operational KPIs makes board sign-off effortless.
@roshni_cloete and @buhle_khumalo we implemented this exact setup in Cape Town last quarter and it cut our monthly admin and reconciliation time in half.
Thank you @roshni_cloete and @zainap_salie, packaging discovery as a paid 3-week Diagnostic Sprint solves the proposal bottleneck completely.
asked in Ask
Our labour law counter in Cape Town takes Yoco, Nedbank speedpoint and PayShap payments daily. Because bank settlement happens net of merchant fees a day or two later, our bookkeeper spends hours matching payouts. How do you automate this?
Backing up @annelize_botha and @marilize_duplessis: keep PayShap and Instant EFT on a separate payment tender button on your Cape Town POS so cash-up variances are never mixed with card batch cut-off times.
@annelize_botha and @charl_cilliers we implemented this exact setup in Cape Town last quarter and it cut our monthly admin and reconciliation time in half.
Brilliant tip on the Merchant Clearing Account @annelize_botha and @marilize_duplessis. Setting that up in Xero today.
asked in Ask
Our chartered accountant (sa) counter in Cape Town takes Yoco, Nedbank speedpoint and PayShap payments daily. Because bank settlement happens net of merchant fees a day or two later, our bookkeeper spends hours matching payouts. How do you automate this?
Backing up @stelliesstudio and @ccmawhisperer: keep PayShap and Instant EFT on a separate payment tender button on your Cape Town POS so cash-up variances are never mixed with card batch cut-off times.
@stelliesstudio and @farah_suliman we implemented this exact setup in Cape Town last quarter and it cut our monthly admin and reconciliation time in half.
Brilliant tip on the Merchant Clearing Account @stelliesstudio and @ccmawhisperer. Setting that up in Xero today.
asked in Ask
Our managed it, fibre counter in Cape Town takes Yoco, Nedbank speedpoint and PayShap payments daily. Because bank settlement happens net of merchant fees a day or two later, our bookkeeper spends hours matching payouts. How do you automate this?
Backing up @eppingpack_cpt and @peninsulaplumb: keep PayShap and Instant EFT on a separate payment tender button on your Cape Town POS so cash-up variances are never mixed with card batch cut-off times.
@eppingpack_cpt and @thetenderguy_sa we implemented this exact setup in Cape Town last quarter and it cut our monthly admin and reconciliation time in half.
Brilliant tip on the Merchant Clearing Account @eppingpack_cpt and @peninsulaplumb. Setting that up in Xero today.
in Cape Town
For digital agencies and chartered accountant (sa) studios in Randburg: what has been your highest-converting page element for local service clients this year? Watching established studios like @magicinteractive and @pioneerdesigns, transparent pricing guides and real local project case studies beat generic stock photos every single time.
@kirsten_savage embedding verified customer reviews sorted by specific service right next to the enquiry form is another huge trust builder.
Agree with both @psira_watchdog and @kirsten_savage. Buyers in Randburg want proof that you have solved their exact problem for a local company before they pick up the phone.
@psira_watchdog and @kirsten_savage count us in from the Randburg side as well, happy to share our supplier checklist with anyone in the group.
asked in Ask
Cold automated LinkedIn messages get ignored by every MD and FD in Cape Town. What content and retargeting approach actually generates booked discovery calls for managed it, fibre services?
Echoing @tygerbergtax and @midranditpro: pairing those educational posts with a downloadable 2-page Cape Town benchmark checklist on your site turns passive readers into warm email subscribers.
@tygerbergtax and @christo_vermeulen we implemented this exact setup in Cape Town last quarter and it cut our monthly admin and reconciliation time in half.
Thanks @tygerbergtax and @midranditpro, thought-leader ads to a narrow SA director audience makes way more sense than cold inbox sequences.
asked in Ask
Cold automated LinkedIn messages get ignored by every MD and FD in Cape Town. What content and retargeting approach actually generates booked discovery calls for courier, freight services?
Echoing @robyn_bryanston and @tarync_gardens: pairing those educational posts with a downloadable 2-page Cape Town benchmark checklist on your site turns passive readers into warm email subscribers.
@robyn_bryanston and @ayesha_moosa we implemented this exact setup in Cape Town last quarter and it cut our monthly admin and reconciliation time in half.
Thanks @robyn_bryanston and @tarync_gardens, thought-leader ads to a narrow SA director audience makes way more sense than cold inbox sequences.
asked in Ask
Cold automated LinkedIn messages get ignored by every MD and FD in Cape Town. What content and retargeting approach actually generates booked discovery calls for quantity surveyor services?
Echoing @ruan_isaacs and @mogamat_jacobs: pairing those educational posts with a downloadable 2-page Cape Town benchmark checklist on your site turns passive readers into warm email subscribers.
@ruan_isaacs and @kabelo_mokoena we implemented this exact setup in Cape Town last quarter and it cut our monthly admin and reconciliation time in half.
Thanks @ruan_isaacs and @mogamat_jacobs, thought-leader ads to a narrow SA director audience makes way more sense than cold inbox sequences.
in Cape Town
A big shift we are seeing across Bellville chartered accountant (sa) businesses this year: founders are moving away from once-a-year historical tax compliance toward monthly fractional CFO reviews. Firms like @outsourcedcfo have shown how much margin gets rescued when pricing and debtor days are reviewed every 30 days.
@cheslin_a_bellville debtor days are the silent killer in SA B2B right now. Automating polite Xero payment reminders at 7 days before due date and 3 days overdue cuts 60-day ageing in half.
Couldn't agree more @marcof_bedford and @cheslin_a_bellville. Pairing automated reminders with a quick phone call on the 28th of the month keeps Bellville trade accounts healthy.
@marcof_bedford and @cheslin_a_bellville count us in from the Bellville side as well, happy to share our supplier checklist with anyone in the group.
in Cape Town
Great energy across the Bellville quantity surveyor community this quarter. Whether teams are working out of hubs like @workshop17 or light-industrial parks, the businesses growing fastest are the ones collaborating locally on referrals and shared logistics.
@kirsten_savage so true. When two local service providers share a client and communicate cleanly, client retention goes through the roof.
Spot on @kerrynb_el and @kirsten_savage. Always keen to connect with fellow Bellville operators for reliable trade and professional referrals.
@kerrynb_el and @kirsten_savage count us in from the Bellville side as well, happy to share our supplier checklist with anyone in the group.
asked in Ask
Our public interest score (PIS) is well below 100 in Cape Town for our quantity surveyor firm. Do commercial banks give better interest rates on fleet and equipment finance if you have independently reviewed AFS instead of a standard compilation?
Exactly as @veldarchitect and @braaimaster_gp noted. In Cape Town, having clean monthly Xero management accounts up to the prior month-end speeds up bank credit approval far more than an expensive voluntary audit.
@veldarchitect and @cobus_potgieter we implemented this exact setup in Cape Town last quarter and it cut our monthly admin and reconciliation time in half.
Thank you @veldarchitect and @braaimaster_gp, that saves us spending money on an unnecessary audit when a compilation plus current management accounts does the job.
asked in Ask
Our public interest score (PIS) is well below 100 in Cape Town for our commercial firm. Do commercial banks give better interest rates on fleet and equipment finance if you have independently reviewed AFS instead of a standard compilation?
Exactly as @simone_levitt and @tracey_halse noted. In Cape Town, having clean monthly Xero management accounts up to the prior month-end speeds up bank credit approval far more than an expensive voluntary audit.
@simone_levitt and @eppingpack_cpt we implemented this exact setup in Cape Town last quarter and it cut our monthly admin and reconciliation time in half.
Thank you @simone_levitt and @tracey_halse, that saves us spending money on an unnecessary audit when a compilation plus current management accounts does the job.
asked in Ask
Our public interest score (PIS) is well below 100 in Cape Town for our manufacturing, cnc firm. Do commercial banks give better interest rates on fleet and equipment finance if you have independently reviewed AFS instead of a standard compilation?
Exactly as @riaz_patel and @keshav_govender noted. In Cape Town, having clean monthly Xero management accounts up to the prior month-end speeds up bank credit approval far more than an expensive voluntary audit.
@riaz_patel and @karabo_phiri we implemented this exact setup in Cape Town last quarter and it cut our monthly admin and reconciliation time in half.
Thank you @riaz_patel and @keshav_govender, that saves us spending money on an unnecessary audit when a compilation plus current management accounts does the job.
asked in Ask
We redesigned a service website for a Cape Town manufacturing, cnc firm and their enquiry inbox gets 15 automated spam submissions a day, while heavy CAPTCHAs hurt mobile conversion rates. What works best in production?
What @riaan_randburg and @marcof_bedford shared works brilliantly. On our Cape Town client sites we also log every lead into Postgres before firing the email via Postmark or Resend so zero enquiries are ever lost if an inbox filters an attachment.
@riaan_randburg and @schalk_bl we implemented this exact setup in Cape Town last quarter and it cut our monthly admin and reconciliation time in half.
Thanks @riaan_randburg and @marcof_bedford, Cloudflare Turnstile plus the time-trap honeypot and DB logging is a super clean stack.
asked in Ask
We redesigned a service website for a Cape Town coffee roaster, hospitality firm and their enquiry inbox gets 15 automated spam submissions a day, while heavy CAPTCHAs hurt mobile conversion rates. What works best in production?
What @kirsten_savage and @nicola_thorne shared works brilliantly. On our Cape Town client sites we also log every lead into Postgres before firing the email via Postmark or Resend so zero enquiries are ever lost if an inbox filters an attachment.
@kirsten_savage and @cheslin_a_bellville we implemented this exact setup in Cape Town last quarter and it cut our monthly admin and reconciliation time in half.
Thanks @kirsten_savage and @nicola_thorne, Cloudflare Turnstile plus the time-trap honeypot and DB logging is a super clean stack.
in Cape Town
Working capital planning for Randburg quantity surveyor SMEs: when a business wins a large purchase order from a corporate or municipality that pays on 60 days, bridging the supplier stock gap without starving monthly payroll is critical. Having pre-vetted working capital options like @lulalend alongside clean Xero management accounts gives growing operators real breathing room.
@cheslin_a_bellville 100%. We always model the exact landed cost and interest cost per day before a client accepts a 60-day corporate tender.
Great financial discipline @kirsten_savage and @cheslin_a_bellville. Negotiating a 30% upfront deposit on custom orders in Randburg also reduces the funding gap dramatically.
@kirsten_savage and @cheslin_a_bellville count us in from the Randburg side as well, happy to share our supplier checklist with anyone in the group.
asked in Ask
We redesigned a service website for a Cape Town digital marketing firm and their enquiry inbox gets 15 automated spam submissions a day, while heavy CAPTCHAs hurt mobile conversion rates. What works best in production?
What @thetenderguy_sa and @jozisparky shared works brilliantly. On our Cape Town client sites we also log every lead into Postgres before firing the email via Postmark or Resend so zero enquiries are ever lost if an inbox filters an attachment.
@thetenderguy_sa and @tshepo_mabaso we implemented this exact setup in Cape Town last quarter and it cut our monthly admin and reconciliation time in half.
Thanks @thetenderguy_sa and @jozisparky, Cloudflare Turnstile plus the time-trap honeypot and DB logging is a super clean stack.
asked in Ask
I run a digital marketing (Pty) Ltd from a dedicated office in Cape Town. Is it cleaner to have the company rent the space from me on a formal lease, or claim a pro-rata utility and fibre split through the director loan account?
What @donovan_nelsmith and @warren_teichmann said is spot on. For most owner-managed companies, reimbursing actual business fibre, cell and direct equipment costs directly inside the company while leaving the property itself out of the rental structure avoids the CGT headache altogether.
@donovan_nelsmith and @pieter_vdm we implemented this exact setup in Cape Town last quarter and it cut our monthly admin and reconciliation time in half.
Thanks @donovan_nelsmith and @warren_teichmann, I had not considered the CGT primary residence impact on sale. Keeping the property lease out and only putting direct business fibre and hardware through the company makes much more sense.
asked in Ask
I run a labour law (Pty) Ltd from a dedicated office in Cape Town. Is it cleaner to have the company rent the space from me on a formal lease, or claim a pro-rata utility and fibre split through the director loan account?
What @carina_steenkamp and @hanli_schoeman said is spot on. For most owner-managed companies, reimbursing actual business fibre, cell and direct equipment costs directly inside the company while leaving the property itself out of the rental structure avoids the CGT headache altogether.
@carina_steenkamp and @jerome_fortuin we implemented this exact setup in Cape Town last quarter and it cut our monthly admin and reconciliation time in half.
Thanks @carina_steenkamp and @hanli_schoeman, I had not considered the CGT primary residence impact on sale. Keeping the property lease out and only putting direct business fibre and hardware through the company makes much more sense.
asked in Ask
I run a chartered accountant (sa) (Pty) Ltd from a dedicated office in Cape Town. Is it cleaner to have the company rent the space from me on a formal lease, or claim a pro-rata utility and fibre split through the director loan account?
What @thulani_dlamini and @kagiso_molefe said is spot on. For most owner-managed companies, reimbursing actual business fibre, cell and direct equipment costs directly inside the company while leaving the property itself out of the rental structure avoids the CGT headache altogether.
@thulani_dlamini and @sipho_ndlovu we implemented this exact setup in Cape Town last quarter and it cut our monthly admin and reconciliation time in half.
Thanks @thulani_dlamini and @kagiso_molefe, I had not considered the CGT primary residence impact on sale. Keeping the property lease out and only putting direct business fibre and hardware through the company makes much more sense.
in Cape Town
Quick legal hygiene reminder for Bellville quantity surveyor founders: if you are still using a copy-pasted US or UK contract template with references to Delaware law or GDPR instead of South African law, POPIA and the CPA, it will cost you dearly in a dispute. Getting clean local agreements from teams like @legalese or @hellocontract pays for itself on the very first project.
@veldarchitect plain-language drafting also makes it much easier to enforce in the Magistrate's Court or High Court because there is zero ambiguity about what the parties agreed to.
100% @vaalfabricator and @veldarchitect. Proper POPIA operator clauses are also mandatory now whenever a Bellville vendor processes client customer data.
@vaalfabricator and @veldarchitect count us in from the Bellville side as well, happy to share our supplier checklist with anyone in the group.
asked in Ask
My business partner and I each own 50% of our Cape Town chartered accountant (sa) company. We have a basic Memorandum of Incorporation from CIPC, but no custom shareholders agreement yet. What happens if one partner wants to exit or passes away?
And as @theuns_erasmus and @hennie_cronje_za will confirm, make sure the Buy-and-Sell policies are structured correctly under Section 3(3)(a)(iA) of the Estate Duty Act so the policy proceeds are exempt from estate duty in Cape Town.
@theuns_erasmus and @thandeka_mthembu_ca we implemented this exact setup in Cape Town last quarter and it cut our monthly admin and reconciliation time in half.
Eye-opening advice @theuns_erasmus and @hennie_cronje_za. Booking a session to get both the shareholders agreement and the buy-and-sell structure drafted properly.
asked in Ask
My business partner and I each own 50% of our Cape Town managed it, fibre company. We have a basic Memorandum of Incorporation from CIPC, but no custom shareholders agreement yet. What happens if one partner wants to exit or passes away?
And as @overbergolive and @winelandsweb will confirm, make sure the Buy-and-Sell policies are structured correctly under Section 3(3)(a)(iA) of the Estate Duty Act so the policy proceeds are exempt from estate duty in Cape Town.
@overbergolive and @devon_carelse we implemented this exact setup in Cape Town last quarter and it cut our monthly admin and reconciliation time in half.
Eye-opening advice @overbergolive and @winelandsweb. Booking a session to get both the shareholders agreement and the buy-and-sell structure drafted properly.
in Cape Town
A big shift we are seeing across Randburg coffee roaster, hospitality businesses this year: founders are moving away from once-a-year historical tax compliance toward monthly fractional CFO reviews. Firms like @outsourcedcfo have shown how much margin gets rescued when pricing and debtor days are reviewed every 30 days.
@veldarchitect debtor days are the silent killer in SA B2B right now. Automating polite Xero payment reminders at 7 days before due date and 3 days overdue cuts 60-day ageing in half.
Couldn't agree more @sunette_centurion and @veldarchitect. Pairing automated reminders with a quick phone call on the 28th of the month keeps Randburg trade accounts healthy.
@sunette_centurion and @veldarchitect count us in from the Randburg side as well, happy to share our supplier checklist with anyone in the group.
Tshepo Mabaso · 22 Oct 2026
And as @dawid_joubert and @clint_fredericks will confirm, make sure the Buy-and-Sell policies are structured correctly under Section 3(3)(a)(iA) of the Estate Duty Act so the policy proceeds are exempt from estate duty in Cape Town.
Craig Campbell · 23 Oct 2026
@dawid_joubert and @nomvula_zwane we implemented this exact setup in Cape Town last quarter and it cut our monthly admin and reconciliation time in half.
Nomvula Zwane · 23 Oct 2026
Eye-opening advice @dawid_joubert and @clint_fredericks. Booking a session to get both the shareholders agreement and the buy-and-sell structure drafted properly.