As always, there is a market for new and innovative ideas to take route in South Africa’s society, although tried and tested concepts should not be overlooked, but valued and learned from. Success stories of thriving international franchises are something that can be looked to as a potential investment. Being involved with bringing over the Crispy Crème or Burger King franchises to South Africa’s shores will guarantee an instant success based solely on the marketing and good will aspect of the already established brands. Making use of existing marketing strategies and learning how to manage and grow a successfulfranchise from businesses already in the know,is a surefire way of imitating the success of big corporatecompanies. There is nothing wrong with following a successful business concept and should you find yourself in the throes of a booming business, all the better. Food and restaurant franchises already brought to our shores such as Kentucky Fried Chicken and McDonalds have already done extremely well in the South African market.

Kid’s entertainment and fun franchises are always welcomed by parents in any country. The idea would be to look for a franchise that offers something different and interesting. There are already kid’s party franchises already in South Africa, but how great would it be to open up a Pump-It-Up Party Zone? This particular franchise operates mainly in USA and provides all manner of inflatable jumping castles and set ups for hours of fun. Another great kid’s franchise opportunity would be that of Sharkeys Cuts for Kids which is a kid’s salon franchise dedicated to entertaining children while their hair is styled and cut. Make sure to chat to locals and see what their take on a business of this type would be. Know your market before getting involved.

People are realizing that a healthier lifestyle results in a healthier life, and a market has been created for offering a convenient, effective way of helping them achieve that. In the US a new concept is helping people to fit exercise into their lives with the Suitcase Gym. Manufacturing something similar to service the SouthAfricanmarket would be most profitable as production costs can be kept to a minimum with more resources spent on the sales aspects. The Suitcase Gym offers a health and wellness franchise that focuses on selling a product that can assist people with exercising and keeping fit no matter where they are and what their commitments may be. The suitcase gym can be packed away into small travel luggage and used in confined spaces such as hotels, bedrooms and even bathrooms. With health consciousness being promoted in South Africa there is every reason for this type of franchise to thrive.

Knowing your product, your market and your business is essential to getting your business off the ground. Choosing to go ahead with a start up business is a heart wrenching ordeal for any first time entrepreneur, but the benefit of having your own successful business is the best compensation you can get. Putting in all the long hours coupled with the blood and sweat when you are doing it for yourself and not for someone else’s benefit, is great because you will experience all the fruits of your labour . The important thing to do is to know your product, and keep your eyes on the prize. If you do make mistakes, learn from them and build on them. It is a process that each and every successful entrepreneur has had to go through when planning and starting up their own business.