Things a Business Owner should do Regularly

I include this article from Business Warriors in this PetesWeekly because I have had a very challenging commuting week. My suitcase decided to play hooky in Frankfurt while I arrived in Johannesburg.
By this morning I had acquired a gentle Gorgonzola-like glow.  The suitcase arrived just in time to accompany me into some troubled weather in Cape Town, where I will be setting up office. My hosts insist that a bath is more important than some petty commercial scrivening, and frankly, I am all for it.
This article lists those things that Business Warriors think are worth doing periodically, even if they are cumbersome. This is because they show us the hidden health of our business before it becomes a crisis.

For instance, applying for a Tax Clearance Certificate each year is a pain, especially if you do not need it right now. But, it is the easiest way to confirm SARS regards you as up to date. (Sure you can ask them if you are, as many have done, but you cannot trust their answer, as many have found out when they desperately needed the certificate.) It can takes weeks/months to resolve the documents that SARS may have lost, or your payments that may have fallen into the wrong allocation, and when you urgently need the certificate to complete a tender that time is not available.

Next, try applying for some credit each year, like a credit card, even if you don’t need one. This instantly highlights whether somebody has snuck a judgment against you into the system. (Yes, they are supposed to warn you, but that warning seems to astray enough times for the rest of us to think it might be a conspiracy.)

Next, try checking your current business registration status each year at CIPC. (The Companies and Intellectual Property Commission. This used to be CIPRO, which still exists in hiding.) You search for your firm name in the lowest search block in the left hand menu.

Recovering from de-registration is a little like trying to claim for a car accident that happens the day after your bank bounces your short-term premium. (I tried it, and it was a catastrophe.)

Next, review your BBBEE status each year. The law changes often enough to make this worthwhile. And your business keeps changing as well. Just being aware of your BBBEE rating means that you will see ways to improve it. This is like standing on a scale each morning. Just knowing what your weight is prompts you to eat a little more carefully.