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The world has gone through significant changes in recent years, and in particular in the past 18 months. These changes have permanently refocused many of our traditional business processes and norms. We, as the business community, now use virtual meetings to conduct business in a way we have not done before. We now find it a simple task to link onto online meetings and have meaningful and productive discussions with our staff members, customers, suppliers and stakeholders, no matter where they may be located. Although technology has led this shift in the way we communicate and implement quality assurance, best practice, and helped define new efficiencies in business governance and norms; other enterprise functional area activities have also evolved to meet the times. These activities include how we now employ, manage, and engage with our staff members. Helping enterprises with staffing needs The PEO (Professional Employer Organisation) industry began many decades ago, but only in recent times are we beginning to see the significance these organisations have in helping to create effective staff mobility, ensuring local compliance, and attracting and retaining preferred talent. DRG has been a PEO service provider within the PEO industry for the past 25 years and is part of global networks that help enterprises with staffing needs in South Africa and Africa. These services include Human Resources (HR) administration, compliance, and associated reporting responsibilities. The PEO industry has focused largely on providing services to end-clients to help them ensure their staff are compliant in employer responsibilities such as deduction and payment of employee tax, meeting social security and employer body contribution requirements, and where applicable providing immigration submission support. Ensuring compliance and risk mitigation In South Africa, many new changes in the way staff are employed, managed, and terminated have been implemented since the new constitution was promulgated in 1996. Thus, resulting in the need for professional and reliable HR administration, compliance, and engagement service providers such as DRG to service this growing employment market. South Africa has one of the most comprehensive HR frameworks in the world today, and many large and corporate companies use DRG’s services to assist them in ensuring compliance and risk mitigation in their employment relationships. As an example, in South Africa, it is possible for enterprises to engage staff through permanent contracts, fixed-term contracts, project-based contracts, as personal services companies, and through juristic entities. Each of these engagement types have different effects on legislative responsibilities and reporting expectations, and are complicated further through staff earning above or below the Basic Conditions of Employment Act threshold. DRG’s focus, as a PEO service provider, is South Africa and Africa, and through relationships with in-country partners (ICPs) we are able to ensure compliant employment solutions in virtually every country on the African continent. ICPs work closely together, respecting employment parameters that exist in each country, ensuring their clients’ staff are paid correctly and timeously, and are current and compliant with receivers of revenue, departments of labour, the various statutory employer bodies and where applicable home affairs offices. PEOs essentially provide clients’ staff with the services of a full HR service. In many circles these services are also referred toas Employer of Record services (EoR) and include providing their clients’ staff members with the same employer representation service. Although PEOs assume all employer related responsivities, including representation and meeting statutory employer responsibilities, they do not under normal circumstances assume direct management control. Reporting generally remains between the staff member and the PEO client, but is tempered by best practice and meeting existing legal employment parameters within the country where they are operating. Support for offshore enterprises The pandemic and virtual engagement model has fueled the PEO industry growth in many ways. Business leaders have realised that it is now possible to employ staff in different locations. It is commonplace now as an example, for United Kingdom, European and American companies to engage South African staff through employment relationships to provide functional resource support within their offshore enterprises. These enterprises do not want to fall foul of the law and want to be respectful to the country in which they engage staffing resources, and thus look to PEO services providers for support. South African staff are, as we are continually reminded, highly regarded across the world for their commitment, enthusiasm, and broad abilities. With the PEO industry now well established in virtually every country in the world, it is easy for multinationals and even small enterprises to look beyond their local environments for staffing resources, and in many cases are looking first to engage South Africans. I was on a virtual call with an Australian business leader a short while ago. He said that in Australia there are in some sectors more jobs available than resources. He said that it is possible that if an advert is placed seeking engagement for a specific skill, that nobody will respond – or if they do it may take eight months. South Africa is as we know desperate to create jobs, and the PEO industry has now made it possible for international organisations to seek and procure resources from South Africa. PEO’s employ staff members directly and assume all employer responsibilities. This is a wonderful service for clients, who are able to engage suitable resources from all over the world, and have a professional PEO team assisting in meeting all engagement aspects related to staff employment. PEOs must ensure that staff members are properly appointed and are current with all related employment responsibilities and legislation. This is inclusive of providing adequate inductions, and where applicable facilitation of reward and incentive design, performances management processes, misconduct or incapacity hearings, staff retrenchments, terminations, etc. PEO customers PEO services, although experiencing growth in supporting localised employment, contribute hugely to other areas of staffing engagement as well. Typically, customers using PEO services include: NGOs without a fully-fledged HR department, enterprises funded through government and non-government agencies as the Growth Fund, Jobs Fund, USAID, Global Fund, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, John Hopkins University and other; larger enterprises that require project and unusual payroll and employment support; mid-size companies wishing to focus more on core activities and not be pulled into the administration of the business; and SMEs and start-up enterprises that wish to ensure their HR responsibilities are properly structured and fully compliant from the very beginning. Comprehensive HR service DRG’s PEO Service is comprehensive, providing services to a wide range of local and international enterprises. This service provides enterprises with a solid labour law foundation, employee taxation guidance and administration, social security and employer body registrations and payments, as well as implementation and coordination of well-structured employee benefit packages as DRG’s Group Allan Gray Retirement Fund, Discovery Medical Aid, and various Life and Risk products and services. This comprehensive HR service is inclusive of a fully compliant human resource foundation of payroll administration, workman’s compensation cover, unemployment insurance contributions, relative contracts of employment, clearly defined job descriptions, monthly payslips, and annual IRP5’s. The service also meets legislative requirements in employment equity reporting, workplace skills planning and annual training records, and where applicable, application and submission of critical skills and general work permits. “We”, says Youshi Naidoo PEO Services manager at DRG, “are a team of professionals, supporting the human resource function within all size enterprises, and are ready to provide aid as and when needed. If a company joins our PEO service in the morning, by the afternoon each of their staff members will be fully onboarded and compliant in all aspects of employment related legislation.” For more information contact T: +27 (0)31 767 0625 E: youshi@drg.co.za W: www.drghumancapital.com SA CHAMBER KZN CHAPTER LAUNCH #KZNbusinesssense

The South African Chamber of Commerce (UK) Ltd wants to thank everyone who joined us for the hugely successful launch of the KZN Chapter of the SA Chamber UK yesterday morning. If you weren't able to join us live for any reason, you're invited to watch the replay on our YouTube channel. A full report of the launch is now available on our website . Sharon also took part in an interview on SABC with news anchor, Peter Ndoro, discussing the launch which can be viewed here . You'll find access to all of our past and upcoming events on our website , along with details on how to join the Chamber if you are not already a member. South African Chamber of Commerce (UK) Ltd Cournswood House Clappins Lane North Dean Buckinghamshire HP14 4NW Company No: 06021608 david@drg.co.za http://www.baq.co.za Business Assessment Questionnaire Website: https://southafricanchamber.co.uk

What is Employment Equity and how we at LabourNet can assist you! With the constant evolving economy and fast-paced world we live in, LabourNet as an entity has also evolved and transformed to accommodate for clients’ modern-day needs. There is hardly an employment compliance solution that we cannot provide. Need payroll? We have consultants, support, and software – so just LabourNet it. Can’t manage internal disciplinary or performance issues? Just LabourNet it! Health and safety compliance keeping you up at night? Just LabourNet it! Employees need upskilling? Just LabourNet it! Need to improve your B-BBEE rating? Just LabourNet it! Department of Labour and Labour inspectors breathing down your neck regarding employment equity compliance? Just LabourNet it! If you’re pondering about what exactly is employment equity compliance and who should comply, we need to look at the term designated employer. All designated employers need to comply with employment equity. You can identify yourself as a designated employer if you are: · Someone that employs 50 or more employees · Your annual turnover threshold is equal to or above the threshold as stipulated in Schedule 4 of the Employment Equity Act · An organ of state · A municipality or an employer that is bound by a collective agreement Designated employers have the responsibility to appoint a section 24 manager, address unfair discrimination in the workplace, implement affirmative action measures, consult with employees, conduct an analysis, prepare, and implement an employment equity plan as well as report to the Department of Labour on an annual basis. Why choose us? Our consultants pride themselves in developing a professional bond with each client as each client is unique with different needs. Whether it is establishing an employment equity committee, facilitating quarterly committee meetings, or assisting a client with a Department of Labour Director-General Review, we have it all planned out as per your project plan. We follow all protocols and guide employers to the best of our ability to be compliant with legislation. We also recognise that no one is above the law and ensure that at LabourNet we conduct all activities strictly as per current legislative requirements and good practice. What happens if you do not comply? Your company name will be removed off the Employment Equity Public register, penalised for obstruction, undue influence and/or fraud and lastly, but definitely not the least, issued a minimum fine of R1,5 million (or 2% of your annual turnover, whichever is the greatest) by the Director-General. Noncompliance to equity can also result in losing out on business prospects with other companies and non-eligibility for tender opportunities. Who must submit reports to the Department of Labour? For employers that have become recently designated on or after the first working day of April but before the first working day of October, reports must be submitted on the first working day of October in the following year. Employers that also wish to voluntarily comply in terms of S14 of the Employment Equity Act may submit their employment equity reports. Employment equity reports can be submitted manually to the Department of Labour or electronically, however due to Covid-19 regulations we have opted and committed to submitting these reports electronically for each client before the 15th of January 2022. LabourNet is your answer to all your daily compliance needs in an employee’s life cycle in any organisation. Why? Employment Equity legislation and other employment compliance legislation can be wide-ranging and intimidating to the ordinary person, but here at LabourNet we have the best, high-performing, and professionally trained consultants, each one allocated to a specific client to service and provide the best cost-effective solutions. For more information on employment equity or any other employment legislation compliance solution, please do not hesitate to contact us. LabourNet – providing simple, effective and affordable solutions for employment legislative compliance. T: +27(0)31 266 6570 C: +27(0)82 786 7480 E: johanvd@labournet.com W: www.labournet.com

ActionCOACH Business Coach & 2021 Standard Bank KZN Top Business Webinar Facilitator Marlene Powell has been coaching business owners for more than a decade. As the first woman ActionCOACH franchisee in South Africa, and with more than 10 000+ coaching hours, Marlene Powell has transitioned herself from a generalist to a specialist in her field. As an internationally certified business coach, Marlene provides business help, business advice, business coaching and mentoring services to small and medium sized businesses. Marlene’s personal brand is defined by precision in all that she does so it is not surprising that the Westville based franchise has consistently been placed in the top 100 in the world. Marlene helps business owners to deliver the results they desire using proven tools, methodologies and systems, tested and perfected over tens of thousands of businesses worldwide for over more than two decades. She will hold you accountable for your results and just like a sports coach, push you to perform at optimal levels. Click SAVE YOUR SPOT and be part of Marlene Powell’ inspirational journey.

There are many reasons why enterprises fail. The biggest perhaps being that setting up and managing a business in itself is enormously complex. It is complex for many reasons, which often include the inability many entrepreneurs and business leaders have of the importance of clearly defining aims, objectives and timeframes for the enterprise development, and then also not fully understanding the detail and responsibilities it takes to create an impactful and sustainable business. Entrepreneurs and business leaders are now our frontline contributors, and their responsibility is the growth of our economy and being custodians of our nation’s prosperity. Our doctors and nurses held this responsibility during the initial impacts of Covid, and we are grateful for their enormous and selfless serve to our people. Entrepreneurs and business leaders need to now recognise their responsibility to contribute to better ways of serving customers, to creating engaged work environments, and ensuring the enterprise outcomes result in growth, development, and advancement. We as the business community need to create opportunity for new enterprise entrants in the market – to result in growth of our economy and the creation of employment. UNIQUE Entrepreneurs by definition are those unique individuals who set up a business or businesses, taking on financial risks in the hope of making a profit. They are commonly seen as inventors, sources of new ideas, goods, services, and business processes. The world since Covid has changed… we as the generation of this time, now have to focus on creating new means of ensuring our world’s growth, prosperity, and the sustainability of resources for new generations. This enormous task is to a large degree the responsibility of our new front-line workers, our entrepreneurs and business leaders. There is little difference between entrepreneurs and business leaders, but for the purposes of this communication, we provide the distinction that entrepreneurs are active at the setup or S-Curve 1 level, while business leaders generally have matured their enterprises beyond this point to levels with higher standards of structure, quality assurance, governance, and profitability. Both entrepreneurs and business leaders have important roles to play in our “new generation economy”, and their work is critical in the days, weeks, months, and years ahead. CREATIVE Entrepreneurs tend to be more creative, as they move forward with their ideas and available resources, in pursuit of meeting customer wants, needs and preferences, while ensuring they meet their own enterprise survival criteria. Business leaders are often in a stronger position for growth, expansion and servicing new opportunities in the market, and as such both entrepreneurs with their fresh approach to finding new solutions and business leaders with their structured processes and defined outcomes are essential to meet increasing demand for new and better ways to provide innovation and value creation, as well as ensuring continuity and sustainability in enterprise operations and delivery. What does not exist at present in a concentrated form is an Ecosystem that defines steps for entrepreneurs and business leaders to follow to reach these higher ideals. The defining Ecosystem is likely to be “invented” by an entrepreneurial organisation that has experience and understanding of the business process, with its mindset less hampered by criteria as hurdle rate returns to investors, risk evasion, and defined standard operating procedures, and being more focused on the specific needs of growth through structure and opportunity. Existing ecosystems for entrepreneurs and business leaders do provide significant support, but not enough, and this is evident in the way we continue to see an alarming number of start-up failures, and less growth than desired from slightly more mature enterprises. REVOLUTION We need a revolution in business development and related support services if we want to feel the effects of a growing and thriving economy. We need a new and better approach to supporting entrepreneurs and business leaders so they can learn essential lessons needed in business, benefit from existing knowledge and learning curves, and in turn serve our communities, nations, and the world at large with better value for consumers and produce better effects on our environment and global society. We want entrepreneurs to be as much as possible unencumbered by the complex administration, reporting and compliance responsibilities in setting up and running an enterprise. We want them to be confident in their understanding of how a business should be managed and lead, and we want them to be supported and encouraged in their work each step of the way. How we help entrepreneurs and business leaders is simple… well not so simple that just anyone can believe it possible to leave their current employment and set up a business entity, but certainly for those entrepreneurially and business minded people to help them understand better their responsibilities and manage their expectations of what is required to be a leader in business. Once a person has stepped forward into the role of being an entrepreneur or business leader, they need an ecosystem of support and encouragement to help them move their business forward. ESSENTIAL Support and encouragement are essential for each entrepreneur and business leader, and this relates to all levels of activity in business. Every entrepreneur needs self-belief, and rarely does this come without support and encouragement from family, friends, colleagues, customers, and mentors. Entrepreneurs and business leaders are different to contributors in other professions in that their minds jostle between inventing, creating the uncreated, and the business minded financial requirements to ensure their enterprise ongoing development and sustainability. Artists may be likened in a similar way, with their minds noticing outlines, colours, shadows and textures, and a musician’s mind forming melody, rhythm, and lyrics. Entrepreneurs are similar to artists and musicians, except that their minds are conditioned more to the confines of value creation and commercial opportunity. Like artists and musicians needing to learn the basics of their art, entrepreneurs too need to learn that their idea creation although essential, is but a very small part of the ingredients needed to create a successful business. Entrepreneurs need foundational support, and a road map to follow to help them reach their destinations. The four critical aspects of any aspiring entrepreneur and his/her enterprise are sufficient leadership providing direction, clarity and confidence, well-constructed functional areas of the business, an accurate definition of the desired outcomes, goals and objectives, and an engaged work environment where staff contributions help in driving the business forward. Marketing, sales, strategy, administration, systems, and quality control form part of the well-constructed functional foundation of the business. SUPPORTS An ecosystem supports entrepreneurs and business leaders through a well thought through formula for success based on entrepreneurs receiving guidance in the business structure needed to take their ideas to market. There are many great ideas that have not yet reached the market, and many small and large enterprises that have as yet not actualized or reached that point, we refer to as thriving. This is the mission and intention of the ecosystem concept. With a clearly defined ecosystem, more new entrant enterprises will be successful through the support received and exiting enterprises will benefit through new confidence and opportunities created. Every entrepreneur’s first requirement is adopting a suitable mentor. I have been an entrepreneur for what I consider my entire life, and still look to those further ahead on the path, or those more knowledgeable and capable in specific areas for guidance. This never changes, as there are always people ahead of us in all forms of life, and always opportunity for us to learn and grow. Mentors come in different forms, fortunate are those entrepreneurs who through enterprise and supplier development transformation programmes, or them being able to afford a personal mentor on an ongoing basis, are able to receive insights, guidance, and an objective and qualified perspective. For those not able to draw in a personal mentor, there needs to be a continual commitment from them to gaining more knowledge and understanding to support them reaching their desired outcomes. There are many ways to do this, including asking those more aware and knowledgeable than us for their advice and input, and we can research and gain information in myriad different ways. But, never to believe, not even for a moment, that we are self-capable and all knowing. This is simply never a consideration for an entrepreneur or business leader. We do not know everything and will not ever know everything. Mentors too do not know everything, and as such need to be carefully chosen to complement existing skills, knowledge and experience that exists in the enterprise. DEFINING The ecosystem for entrepreneurs and business leaders needs to include matters defining quality assurance processes to support the likely outcome of the enterprise’s desired aim and objectives, mentorship relationships that provide guidance in directing the business effectively, and to achieving high levels of sustainability through identification and introduction to new and potential markets. A successful enterprise has access to networks and resources, and these essential ingredients form part of a well-structured entrepreneur ecosystem. In summary, we as entrepreneurs and business leaders need to recognise our role and responsibility as front-line workers charged with the responsibility of growing our businesses and the economy, and to realise also that we need to draw in mentors, quality assurance, and sustainability measures into our businesses to ensure we are putting our best foot forward in creating enterprises that meet value creation demands for customers, being structured suitably to be resilient to turbulent and unpredictable effects, and providing security and opportunity to staff, customers, suppliers, while ensuring that all stakeholders in the business have confidence in their relationship with the enterprise. DRG, BusinessFit and the SA Chamber UK KZN Chapter have heard these calls, and we have developed an Ecosystem to help support and advance these objectives. Call us, we look forward to sharing our passion, knowledge, systems, and networks to support confidence and business development. Contact David White, T: +27 (0)31 767 0625 E: david@drg.co.za W: www.drghumancapital.com #KZNbusinesssense

Your team members are the biggest asset in your company and when your team are as passionate about your company as you are there should be synergy in all areas. Isn’t that the ideal image of a successful company? Is it possible? Understanding your team and making sure that your team understands each other and also understands the internal and external challenges in your company is the key to leverage. Your team is the glue that holds your company together. How strong would you say your bond is? Meeting or exceeding your sales and/or financial targets consistently is a great measurement! Unfortunately, internal conflict, lack of communication, different working styles and/or lack of direction or understanding of the company’s goals and personal goals are a few challenges that lead to frustration amongst employees within an organisation. In most companies their employees often see themselves as being just the ‘Staff’ instead of being a ‘Team Member’ who plays an integral part in the company’s growth and success. What have you done to explore and improve the different dynamics in your team, from owners/directors/team leaders through to the lowest level team players? Here are a few of the key focus areas to consider: 1. Communication Clear and effective communication among team members is key in productivity, morale and clarity on each other’s roles. 2. Work Styles Understanding each other and the different work styles we each have and use to get the job done. 3. Goals Understanding the company goals and leveraging through them to achieve personal goals. 4. Culture Understanding and building a supportive and productive company culture. 5. Motivation Providing motivation for current and future roles in the company. 6. Productivity Understanding the current role and exploring efficient and effective ways to provide optimum work flow. If, you are ready to see an increase in productivity, team collaborations along with time management then consider doing a team alignment. Do you want to bring full transparency to the surface on why your team behave and act the way they do as well as the decisions they make, if any? Are you, as the business owners/directors/ team leader, ready to hear what your team has to say? HOW DO YOU RATE YOURSELF IN THESE THREE AREAS? 1. Team Work I am a team player and team leader. I do whatever it takes to stay together and achieve team goals. I focus on cooperation and always come to a resolution, not a compromise. I am flexible in my work and able to change if what I’m doing is not working. I ask for help when I need it and I am compassionate to others who ask me. 2. Systems I always look to the system for a solution. If a challenge arises I use a system correction before I look for a people correction. I use a system solution in my innovation rather than a people solution. I follow the system exactly until a new system is introduced. I suggest system improvements at the first opportunity. 3. Consistency I am consistent in my actions so my clients and team mates can feel comfortable in dealing with me at all times. I am disciplined in my work, so my results, growth and success are consistent. Do you have all six keys to a winning team? Strong Leadership Common Goal Rules of the Game ActionPLAN Support Risk Taking 100% Involvement and Inclusion Are you ready to bring the best out of your team and ensure they perform to their full potential? If it is a yes, then contact your ActionCOACH Marlene Powell on M: 083 479 4471 W: www.linkshare.co.za/marlenepowell #KZNbusinesssense

What is Employment Equity and how we at LabourNet can assist you! With the constant evolving economy and fast-paced world we live in, LabourNet as an entity has also evolved and transformed to accommodate for clients’ modern-day needs. There is hardly an employment compliance solution that we cannot provide. Need payroll? We have consultants, support, and software – so just LabourNet it. Can’t manage internal disciplinary or performance issues? Just LabourNet it! Health and safety compliance keeping you up at night? Just LabourNet it! Employees need upskilling? Just LabourNet it! Need to improve your B-BBEE rating? Just LabourNet it! Department of Labour and Labour inspectors breathing down your neck regarding employment equity compliance? Just LabourNet it! If you’re pondering about what exactly is employment equity compliance and who should comply, we need to look at the term designated employer. All designated employers need to comply with employment equity. You can identify yourself as a designated employer if you are: Someone that employs 50 or more employees Your annual turnover threshold is equal to or above the threshold as stipulated in Schedule 4 of the Employment Equity Act An organ of state A municipality or an employer that is bound by a collective agreement Designated employers have the responsibility to appoint a section 24 manager, address unfair discrimination in the workplace, implement affirmative action measures, consult with employees, conduct an analysis, prepare, and implement an employment equity plan as well as report to the Department of Labour on an annual basis. Why choose us? Our consultants pride themselves in developing a professional bond with each client as each client is unique with different needs. Whether it is establishing an employment equity committee, facilitating quarterly committee meetings, or assisting a client with a Department of Labour Director-General Review, we have it all planned out as per your project plan. We follow all protocols and guide employers to the best of our ability to be compliant with legislation. We also recognise that no one is above the law and ensure that at LabourNet we conduct all activities strictly as per current legislative requirements and good practice. What happens if you do not comply? Your company name will be removed off the Employment Equity Public register, penalised for obstruction, undue influence and/or fraud and lastly, but definitely not the least, issued a minimum fine of R1,5 million (or 2% of your annual turnover, whichever is the greatest) by the Director-General. Noncompliance to equity can also result in losing out on business prospects with other companies and non-eligibility for tender opportunities. Who must submit reports to the Department of Labour? For employers that have become recently designated on or after the first working day of April but before the first working day of October, reports must be submitted on the first working day of October in the following year. Employers that also wish to voluntarily comply in terms of S14 of the Employment Equity Act may submit their employment equity reports. Employment equity reports can be submitted manually to the Department of Labour or electronically, however due to Covid-19 regulations we have opted and committed to submitting these reports electronically for each client before the 15th of January 2022. LabourNet is your answer to all your daily compliance needs in an employee’s life cycle in any organisation. Why? Employment Equity legislation and other employment compliance legislation can be wide-ranging and intimidating to the ordinary person, but here at LabourNet we have the best, high-performing, and professionally trained consultants, each one allocated to a specific client to service and provide the best cost-effective solutions. For more information on employment equity or any other employment legislation compliance solution, please do not hesitate to contact us. LabourNet – providing simple, effective and affordable solutions for employment legislative compliance. T: +27(0)31 266 6570 C: +27(0)82 786 7480 E: johanvd@labournet.com W: www.labournet.com #KZNbusinesssense

Having visited the Kruger National Park, and many other game reserves in southern Africa over the past 50 years, it never ceases to amaze me how wonderful these natural areas are when our minds become immersed in their reality. One can consider, yes there is a lion, or yes there is a leopard, and that we have seen them before… but each time seeing one of these majestic creatures is unique and wonderfully special. There is no such thing as repetitive or uneventful when it comes to the wild. Each moment is magnified by the presence of our natural wonders and brings forth our primitive and spontaneous thoughts and feelings. Nature has a perfect order, and this is evident as each day unfolds for each living creature; be they large mammals, tiny crawling creatures, or elegant flying and calling birds of the sky. The trees and foliage too are magnificent, and the combination of these artificer principles creates what we eco adventures like to call our special place, where we feel more real and most alive. Feeling alive and full of amazement is our true and natural state as humans, and wilderness areas help us to refresh and refocus our minds into the present. This is our most creative and most happy state and is reached naturally in wilderness areas. The Animal, Mineral and Vegetable Kingdoms combine to form the foundation of our earth, and in these kingdoms, there is the expression of our Creator’s purpose and perfect plan. Humans of course are different in that they have the capacity to reason beyond their personal experiences and instincts, and to generate subjective outcomes. The Animal, Mineral and Vegetable Kingdoms respond more to impulse and circumstances, thus making outcomes more predictable and profound. The elephants dominate the landscape. They are the biggest land mammals and through their size earn the respect of all the other animals. This is seen clearly at the waterholes, and at points where animals cross each other’s paths. Lions have the most attitude, and it is easy to see why they have been referred to as the King of the Wilderness since antiquity. Each other animal and creature too has its place in the wilderness, and no matter their size or attitude, they go about their business of living from day to day. It is amazing to see no animals nor creatures shrinking in their purpose or daily activity just because they may not be as commanding as the elephant or lion. This is part of the wonder we are all drawn to see and experience when we are in the wilderness and is the magic that draws us back. It is also where we as humanity can draw understanding of how we can better live in harmony and fulfilment on our planet. The wilderness economy is circular in every way and does not require any support from humanity to survive. People can and do destroy wilderness areas and can and do hunt and poach animals – but if people were not involved in any way in wilderness areas, these areas would continue to thrive in every way. In fact, if we had no people on earth, we would soon have a perfectly ordered world dominated by the instinctive natural kingdoms, and it would survive and flourish for eternity – or at least as long as it may take for another meteorite to penetrate the earth atmosphere and smash into the earth’s crust. In a human absent world, the Vegetable Kingdom would consume all the CO₂ we as humans have pumped into the air, and soon oxygen levels will rise, and rivers will return to their fresh and drinkable state. Plastic would disappear from our rivers and seas, and earth would return to its natural state of abundance, beauty, and harmony. The wilderness areas are essential to remind us of what is possible in terms of order and harmony, and how our earth could look if we followed nature’s instinctive and natural principles. These principles echo throughout the Animal, Mineral and Vegetable Kingdoms, as each living creature, plant and tree strives to live to express its nature within. It is a simple cycle of living, with urgency for food, shelter and socialisation guiding its actions from moment to moment. It is a sort of natural governance, where nature provides a foundation of order and purpose, and the animals and other living entities are able to rely on its abundance and consistency. The Natural Kingdoms do not reason in the way humans do and are not able to consider their united relationship with all of life on earth. They merely follow their instincts and live within their wilderness areas while seeking fulfilment through all that has been provided for them. A grasshopper does not care to be an elephant, and an elephant has no purpose nor will to show its evolved maturity to any of its co inhabitants in the wilderness. Humans have finely tuned emotional, mental and physical bodies, and live in perpetual desire to improve their status and sense of belonging. We generally do not live to express the instinctive nature within ourselves, but rather to gain as much as we can hoard in the belief that this will support our endeavours at later stages in our lives. We as humans can learn that nature is for us the same as it is for the animals and creatures in the Natural Kingdoms, with a constant flow and unfoldment of all the things we need to live a purposeful and fulfilled life. When we are not aware of our true selves and do not follow the direction guiding us through the Presence within, we become like the grasshopper trying to eat like the elephant, or the elephant trying to dominate the space of the lion. In the Natural Kingdom, the grasshopper and elephant have no interest in each other’s worlds and actions, and do not strive to be anything other than what their Creator has imposed for them – but do know instinctively that their life and path has value and purpose. Our human condition gives us dominance over all the creatures of the Natural Kingdom and allows us the ability to reason and understand cause and effect from our actions. Simply put, we have highly developed senses, and advanced ability to watch and learn from thriving communities and our environments, and to draw teachings from nature into our daily living. If we, as the Animal Kingdom does naturally, recognise our purpose and place in the world, and stay focused on enabling our sustainability without impacting on others and the environment, we too will experience the magnificence and completeness of life on earth. This may sound over simplified, and to a degree perhaps it is, but our ability to think and reason deeper on matters than creatures of the Natural Kingdom, is also what initiates and prolongs our destruction. We become emotional with greed, grief, hate and revenge, and these energies distort the natural flow of positive guides and influences, which would if not distorted, help to lead us through each day with confidence and developmental experiences. We as humans can learn from the Natural Kingdoms that through having a foundation of order and empathy for environmental and social considerations, we are able to experience the freedom and joy of living in a world of opportunity and learning. Huge benefit is thus derivable from maintaining and growing wilderness areas, as when we visit these wilderness spaces, they remind us of what the earth is like in its primal state and shows us the true foundation of our natural existence. All the problems we have on earth today, which include poverty, inequality and lost hope are all man made, and do not exist when we express our true nature as do the living creatures in the Natural Kingdoms. DRG, DRG Siyaya, and SA Chamber UK Contact David White T: +27 (0)31 767 0625 E: david@drg.co.za W: www.drg.co.za

Why are you in business? Is it because: · You were born into an entrepreneurial family? · You have a passion for entrepreneurship? · You didn’t want to work for somebody else? · You were retrenched? · You didn’t have a choice? No matter how or why you own a business the six basic fundamental steps of business will apply to all *phases of business i.e.: · Startup Phase (Concept to take off) · Established Phase 1 (Preparing for growth) · Growth Phase (Scaling your business) · Established Phase 2 (Exit strategy) So, what are the **6 basic fundamental steps of business? · Mastery (Eliminating chaos – Stability) · Marketing (Niche – Predictable cashflow) · Systems (Efficiency) · Team (Structure for growth – Time) · Synergy (Well-oiled machine – General Manager) · Results (Owner’s personal growth and new opportunities - Passive Income and/or Sale of your Business) Which phase is your business operating at and where are you currently focusing on in these six basic fundamental steps? Now that you know why and where you are in your business and which of the six steps you are currently focusing on, I’d like to share the next very important focus areas. These areas ensure that all aspects of your business are given the correct attention, so your business is profitable and sustainable. Business is supposed to be simple but not easy. Systemise the routine and humanise the exception. As business owners, we wear many hats in business simultaneously. Whilst we love the craft of what we do best, as an engineer, financial advisor, accountant, lawyer, hairdresser, technician, coach, to mention a few, we need to ensure that we focus the right amount of time on these hats. How much time do you focus on in these **9 Hats of your Business? · Marketing – Getting the phone to ring · Sales – Closing the deal · Delivery – Retaining your Client/Customer · Information Communication and Technology (ICT) – Network, applications, systems and interaction with the digital world · Human Resources – Recruiting and Training your Team · Finance – Accounting practices · Business Admin – Day to day administration · Strategic Planning – Goal Setting and Planning · Personal Development – Upskill your knowledge and maximise your full potential So what should your week look like as a business owner? Mondays are typically for your ‘Work ON your Business’ time and start with a team CheckIN, then include your fortnightly mentoring calls/meetings with your key management team as well as your regular call/meeting with your business coach/mentor. It’s also time for you to plan your week, prepare for your meetings, review finances etc. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays are production days. 60% of your week is therefore focused on client-facing time (building relationships) and income-producing activities. Initially, the bulk of that will be on marketing and sales and as your business grows more time will be geared towards production time. Fridays make great days for adhoc activities. Friday afternoons are either for wrap-up and last-minute tasks or often are available for the business owner’s own leisure time. Every quarter you should be doing a full day Quarterly Planning Workshop on the Wednesday. That gives you Monday and Tuesday to prepare and we encourage you to take the Thursday and Friday off for some re-balance time for you and your family. The full-day planning workshop also ensures your team are more focused on what needs to be done in the coming quarter and that they have a detailed plan towards which they will be focused and held accountable to. *Content kindly provided by Knowledge Brokers International **ActionCOACH Business Coaching If you want guaranteed success, implement the above and, if you need help on how to, set up a complimentary strategy session with a Business Sense Business Coach, contact me www.marlenepowell.com Facebook: @coachmarlenepowell https://www.facebook.com/coachmarlenepowell Instagram: @actioncoachmarlene https://www.instagram.com/actioncoachmarlene LinkedIN: ActionCOACH KZN Marlene Powell https://www.linkedin.com/company/actioncoach-marlene-powell

The Standard Bank KZN Top Business Women recognises phenomenal women in the province through webinars, print, social media, photography, video, and a streamed gala event. Although women often have significant challenges to face, especially considering the many roles that they are required to fulfil, there are many positives to focus on. We can find many KZN businesswomen, entrepreneurs and community workers who are provoking significant changes in businesses and society, boosting their careers, and helping to shape the future of our province. During the build up to the final event, which will be held on 18 November, the participating women will share aspects of their stories in three panel-based webinars. The goal is to provide a platform for the women to come together and offer the insights learnt from their journeys. The first webinar was held on the 2 September and was facilitated by Marlene Powell - ActionCOACH franchisee and an international certified business coach. This group of Standard Bank KZN Top Business Women participants were: • Dawn Dunn, Rugby Commentator and Businesswoman • Esay Reddy, RR Group CEO KZN Oils, Kolay, JD Telecom, Champion Healthcare • Catherine Clark – Owner and Founder, The Harvest Table • Femada Shamam – CEO, Tafta • Portio Dlamini – Founder, Emakheni Cleaning & Industrial Solutions • Judy Stuart – CEO, Future Farmers Foundation • Samantha Watt – Owner, Say Watt • Fatima Moolla – Centre Manager, SmartXchange Port Shepstone • Nozibele Sogoni – Founder and Managing Director, Nozibele Solutions Special guests were Clarissa Johnston and Laura Strugnell, who have recently returned from the Toyoko Olympic Games where they competed in the artistic swimming event as a duet. The Standard Bank representative was Portia Mthembu - Manager Distribution, Client Coverage Dolphin Coast Area, KZN. The following are some of the comments on the women’s journeys and insights. Femada Shaman : “I grew up being raised by an exceptional woman who believed that nothing in life should limit you. I think that the values that she instilled in us lived throughout our lives. She had an absolute work ethic which is captured in her words ‘If you are going to do something do it well or don’t bother at all’.” Nozibele Sogoni: “When I relaunched my business, I had to dig deep within me as to what I had to offer as Nozie, and I realised that I had this internal muscle of excellence. Another muscle says be authentic, while another says be limitless.” Judy Stuart: ‘I was born to farm. When I did start farming it was tough. I was swimming against the current.” Dawn Dunn: “Nothing worth it is ever easy… It doesn’t matter what background you come from. It doesn’t matter whether you are rich or poor, you can change the world you live in... Because we as women are good enough.” Esay Reddy: “Many people ask, how has this journey affected you as a woman in this industry? It has been very difficult to try and get in and to get the respect in a male dominated industry (energy).” Catherine Clark: “I have learnt to be brave. I have learnt to surround myself with a really strong team of women on that journey … I have learnt to walk to my own beat.” Fatima Moolla: “My journey at SmartXchange has been an absolute fantastic journey… It has brought me in to such close contact with people who want to succeed.” Samantha Watt: “ Interestingly, Say Watt wasn’t born out of this deep-seated dream to be an entrepreneur or to own my own business. It was actually born from the dream to be the best wife and mom that I could be.” Portio Dlamini: “I made a decision that instead of going up the corporate ladder as a senior manager or something like that, I would rather start a company that would not just be profitable and sustainable but a company that would empower and change people’s lives.” To watch more visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=blGi_pjUlLw&t=281s Each webinar will feature a new group of Standard Bank KZN Top Business Women. The second session is on the 7 October and the third on the 28 October. For more information contact tracy@topbusiness.co.za

Fée Halsted, one of the Standard Bank KZN Top Business Women 2021, has been recognised with a National Order 2021 award. President Cyril Ramaphosa recently bestowed the National Order awards on distinguished citizens and foreign nationals who have made a significant impact on improving the lives of South Africans. The National Orders are the highest awards that South Africa, through its president, bestows on its citizens. Fée, the founder of Ardmore and creative director of Ardmore Ceramics Studio, was awarded the South African Presidential Award ‘The Order of Ikhamanga’ in silver for her contribution to the visual arts and generous transferring of skills to others. Fée Halsted is an academic and award-winning artist, with manifest passion and tenacity. Amongst some of her awards, she and her protégé, Bonnie Ntshalintshali, jointly won the Standard Bank Young Artist Award in 1990. Fée was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in 2016 from the University of KwaZulu-Natal. Fée describes Ardmore as being “recognised by its colourful and quirky designs and is proudly South African”. She goes on to recount that “Ardmore started with one-of-a-kind ceramics and 10 years ago we developed our wonderful designs into fabrics and homeware products. We also collaborate with British wallpaper company Cole & Son and have just launched into the fashion accessories industry.” Ardmore was established in 1985 and has since grown with Fée currently mentoring approximately 50 artists. Commenting on the growth of her company Fée says, “I believe my greatest achievement is giving people, without opportunity and little education, self-worth. I have grown rural people, people with disabilities and learning disorders into people who stand tall in their community and can feed their families.” Today Ardmore is a successful international business. Ardmore’s ceramics have been acknowledged as a “modern day collectable” by prominent auction house Christies of London. Fée believes that the success of Ardmore is based on her brave pioneering spirit, her tenacity, self-belief, and her determination to strive for excellence. She, however, couples these wonderful characteristics with having a ‘heart’ in the business by acting as a ‘mother’ to her artists with a nurturing forgiveness, and sometimes with tough love. In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, and again evincing Fée’s tenacity, she goes on to recount how Ardmore adapted: “Thank goodness my children were there to assist me and adapt to the situation. We very quickly had to shift the business from an in-store sales model to an online sales model, as so many have had to do. We held online auctions and exhibitions to try and boost sales. During Covid we have created ceramic artworks that have delighted our collectors by using animals that have symbolism and meaning,” “We used the pangolin as a major theme of the pandemic. The pangolin symbolises hope. Its scaly exterior and defensive curled posture, when threated, are symbols of protection and safety,” explained Fée. “Our artists created masked monkeys teaching the rules of safety to prevent catching Covid, men pushing wheelbarrows filled with contraband and elephants sanitising monkeys’ hands. We created masks from our fabric designs and gave the proceeds to our local community food bank. These same masks were seen in British Vogue magazine and on the catwalks of New York Fashion Week in 2020.” The future for Ardmore lies in the hands of the next generation. Fée’s children Jonathan, Catherine and Megan are all passionate about the business and many of the artists' adult children have now joined the Ardmore studios and are developing into talented artists themselves. Recently Ardmore has created an Arts Trust, as art education is sadly lacking in local schools. Ardmore hopes to provide creative education for under-privileged children in the community and have partnered with Thebilithle School in Howick. Fée believes there is huge raw talent within South Africa’s local communities, simply waiting to be unleashed. Fée states that “All it takes is a little encouragement and nurturing.”

The grand finale of the Standard Bank KwaZulu-Natal Top Business Women 2021 initiative took place on 18 November at the Coastlands uMhlanga Hotel and Convention Centre. Mano Singh, Executive Head: Insurance, Asset Management & Fiduciary at Standard Bank KwaZulu-Natal said, “We are delighted to be part of the Standard Bank KwaZulu-Natal Top Business Women initiative. It serves as an invaluable platform to celebrate women in the province who are pushing boundaries, challenging new territories and in the process, creating a better life for all in KwaZulu-Natal. Portia Mthembu, Head Private Clients (Non-Metro) within Clients High Net Worth, Msunduzi Area at Standard Bank KwaZulu-Natal said, “As an organisation that strives to drive gender diversity, Standard Bank welcomes the opportunity to recognise the phenomenal female business leaders who have all made an impact on their respective communities and contributed to the economic growth of the Province of KwaZulu-Natal.” Key note speaker, Iman Rappetti, an award-winning broadcaster, media leader and communications specialist, provided a thought provoking and entertaining account of her personal life experiences, as well as much motivation to assess one’s own journey. She commented, “As a storyteller I’m very interested in the stories we tell about ourselves. Many of you have your story about who you are. Mother, wife, partner, sister, daughter, widow, divorcee, business owner, service provider. We choose our headlines, I am a survivor, I am a creator, I am a… add you own title.” The glamorous gala evening celebrated the achievements of thirty women in KwaZulu-Natal who were nominated for their achievements by employers, employees, clients, or other stakeholders. At the function, six of the women were recognised further and asked to share aspects of their journeys as well as some of their insights on stage. The interviews were a highlight of the evening and were received with much appreciation from the audience. The women who were recognised further were: 1. Nomfundo Mcoyi, CEO Icebolethu Group: The courage to realise a dream 2. Thandi Ngxongo, Thandekile Projects: Exceeding customer expectations and delivering brilliant experiences 3. Fatima Moolla, SmartXchange Centre Manager Port Shepstone: Operating effectively and productively 4. Dr Nomusa Shezi, Specialist Neurosurgeon Albert Luthuli Hospital: Fostering a culture of empowerment and diversity 5. Lindsay Hopkins, Humanitarian/ KZN operations manager SA Harvest: Making a difference in the business and community 6. Esayvanie Reddy, Group CEO RR Group: Being a woman extraordinaire: Given to a businessperson who has demonstrated exemplary business achievement, industry influence and is a is a true inspiration to others. Grant Adlam, publisher of the KZN Top Business, said, “Our theme this year has been ‘Women Inspiring Women’. Our team has been humbled by the many amazing women whose stories we have heard. These stories are about women, from many different backgrounds, who have had varied journeys to get to where they are today and have much wisdom to offer. It is hoped that this initiative and the recognition afforded will inspire other women to strive to achieve more in their own endeavours.” Each of the participating women shared many of their ups and downs, their wins and their losses. All the women have incredible insights to offer, which showcases the individual and universal strengths they have been able to draw upon as a woman. Other women need to know these stories, so they can clear the image of fairy tale lives from their minds. When other women see that the road that has been travelled is very similar to the one that they’re on, they’ll start believing they have the power to reach their own goals and be inspired to follow their own dreams and ambitions. To obtain the stories that formed the basis for the proceedings, the KZN Top Business team interviewed all the women who participated on camera. In addition, to introduce the women participating this year, three webinars were held in the build up to the event, which were facilitated by business coach, Marlene Powell. The webinars and videos are available for viewing at https://www.youtube.com/c/KZNTopBusiness/videos As attendance was limited, the glamorous gala evening was streamed. The direct link for the video is https://youtu.be/sEpNGTU0lOs Thato Moeng, programme director for the event, concluded with the latest Standard Bank brand message, “A single step can change the way you live tomorrow. Your dreams have no limits. All you have to do is take that first step. A better tomorrow starts today. How about now.”.