Business Profile

Business Profile 2010

DEVELOPED BY Real Development ® Page 1 11.. SUMMARYSUMMARY

Success today does not only depend on technology, but most importantly on people. The increase in competition and the ever-changing workplace has made it almost imperative that opportunities be provided for people to continually improve their qualifications and skills. To truly become and remain competitive, organisations also need to commit to the skills development process. For this reason Real Development exists to facilitate Small Enterprise Development and to assist local and national enterprise development and BDS facilitator organisations to meet the requirements of the Skills Development and Levies Acts through meaningful, impact driven training and facilitation.

Real Development was established in October 2006 as a private training and consulting firm based in Port Elizabeth, but operating throughout Southern Africa.

The company specializes in the provision of general small business management training and mentoring programmes (SMME development and training), business linkages and business consulting for private, public and the SMME sectors.

Real Development is the brainchild of Ricardo Dames, the founder-member of the Close Corporation. He holds an associate database of seasoned SMME development practitioners, all whom are HDI’s and have specialised skills that when brought together provides an exhaustive, fruitful synergy in the management of the business and provision of quality consulting, training and mentorship.

The vision of Real Development is to become a leading facilitation, training and mentorship consultancy with a special focus in the SMME sector.

DEVELOPED BY Real Development ® Page 2 With profitability and business growth in mind our mission is to render the highest quality training and mentorship service to SMME’s within the local, provincial and national arenas and succeed in:

 Providing business training with a view at improving performance in the market place  Facilitating transition of enterprises into the primary economy  Ensure a work team of highly competent and skilled individuals  Conducting our business in accordance with the highest ethical standards with service excellence and always act as a socially responsible corporate citizen  Listening and responding to the customer’s need and expectations with the motto to continuously strive to render the highest quality service.

Real Development has in no time established itself as a professional training institution in the provision of business skills training programmes that are aligned, inter alia by the Services Education and Training Authority (SSETA – where our primary focus lies), the details of which is listed below:  Thirteen different Small Business Management Programmes o Business Awareness Workshops o Know about Business o Generate Your Business Idea o Starting a Small Business o Marketing Basics o Buying Basics o Stock Control Basics o Recordkeeping Basics o Costing Basics o Business Planning Basics o People and Productivity (HR) Basics o HIV / Aids in the Workplace o Community Workshops  JobSmart (Lifeskills)

DEVELOPED BY Real Development ® Page 3  Business Mentoring (Follow Up Methods) Through International Labour Organisation we can also, as a Master Trainer provides Training of Trainers Workshops for the following courses:  Generate your business idea (GYB)  Start your own business (SYB)  Improve your business (IYB)

In addition to the following, we offer the following services: o Assistance with Business Feasibility Studies o Assistance with Business Profiles o Loan Packaging o Fundraising Proposals o Assistance with Marketing Plans o Assistance with Business Plans o Business Mentoring/Counselling o Business Financial Planning o Business Rescue Interventions o Post Loan Aftercare and Mentoring Services o Assistance with Quality Management Systems

These services forms an integral part of the entire training path as it provides a platform during which to evaluate the impact of the programme on an individual and group basis,

The Export Promotion Training provided under the umbrella of Real Development includes: . Export Awareness Roadshow o What is exporting o Why export? o Advantages and Disadvantages of Exporting o Export Readiness Assessment o Business Diagnostic : Export Readiness

DEVELOPED BY Real Development ® Page 4 . Export Orientation (Using the ITRISA Export Orientation Manual) o Orientating enterprises towards exporting o Determining the enterprises export readiness o Technical aspects of exporting o Developing an export marketing plan o Trade Fair Preparation o Costing and Pricing o Marketing o Contracts o Trading beyond own domestic market o Linking with countries to trade with o Market entry strategies

. Pre Exhibition “Trade Fair” Training o How to get the most out of trade fairs o Planning and preparation o Choosing the most suitable trade fair/ exhibition o Designing your stand o Attracting visitors to your stand o Staff training and manning of the stand o Preparing your sales presentation o Achieving sales o Recording details of the trade fair visitor (leads) o Your enquiry sheet o Example of costing sheets o Pre – Trade Fair Checklist o Post – Trade Fair Checklist o Overview of Incoterms (Basic) o The Pro – Forma Invoice

DEVELOPED BY Real Development ® Page 5 o Types of transportation o Agency & Distributorship Agreements

With all these abilities of Real Development in mind it also is necessary to have a look at some of our previous training related to SMME development and training:

 Entrepreneurial training to emerging enterprises in Riversdale (SEDA)  Contracts from the Department of Trade and Industry Gender Empowerment Department (SAWEN) to conduct business skills training to emerging enterprises In Port Elizabeth and Queenstown  Entrepreneurial training to emerging enterprises in Southern Cape through SEDA  Do three six-monthly mentoring visits for Fair Trade that includes the following services: o To coordinate Business training activities for farmers in the Peddie district o To conduct Business training sessions, o To provide practical advice on how to start, run and manage a farming business, o To compile Business Profiles and Business Plans, o To provide on-site Mentoring to the emerging farmers

 Different types of lifeskills training for government departments and institutions

The training provided is done with various learning methods, such as classroom based theoretical and practical sessions, individual and group exercises, role-playing, case study and discussions. Facilitation and Consulting methodologies used are:  Outcomes Based  Needs based  Cost effective DEVELOPED BY Real Development ® Page 6  Step-by-step-approach  Participatory  Communicative & task based training  Case studies, role plays and simulations  Lectures and seminars The impetus for Real Development is to embrace the fact that our primary goal is to develop people (REAL DEVELOPMENT), who in turn grow their business that ultimately help to grow our economy through job creation and the alleviation of poverty.

As part of our strategic objectives we want to become the enterprise development and consulting service provider of choice in Southern Africa, gaining more market share locally and internationally.

From our S.W.O.T. analysis it is also clear that we want to have a shift in business activities to do more work in the private sector to have a more diverse and sustainable revenue base.

Through strategic alliances held, we have access to a number of well equipped training and conference venues throughout the country.

We have a freelance workforce of 12 facilitators and 8 specialist consultants with 100% of all staff being historically disadvantaged individuals.

As part of our marketing plan we have analysed the industry and found that it is a very broad based industry with various role players competing directly with one another. Accreditation with the government training bodies is the most important factor splitting all the role players in two groups. Our target market includes SMME’s and all private companies and government institutions where fulfilling of customers needs, will always be the top priority.

DEVELOPED BY Real Development ® Page 7 We have overcome most of the barriers to market entry with the bigger training and consulting companies as our competitors and have a competitive edge over other companies through our track record, lean operating system and 100% BEE status.

Real Development has just launched their new website, www.smallbusiness.co.za.

Furthermore we increased our branding and marketing programme with involvement in Community Development Programmes such as feeding schemes at indigent schools in the Northern areas of Port Elizabeth, contributions to Social Entrepreneurship research in the Nelson Mandela Metropole and a variety of other deserving charities including the Hope Foundation and Boys and Girls Town.

One of the important sales strategies that work for us, is to use our positive feedback from completed training and consulting projects to market our services to existing as well as potential other companies in need of training services.

Other strategic development plans that we have in place is to give priority attention to job creation and social development where we assist those communities which have been disadvantaged by apartheid in every possible way within our fields of expertise.

Real Development operates as a Close Corporation and is fully owned by Mr Ricardo Dames. Real Development is an affirmable professional service provider in terms of current government policies due to its ownership and management structure. It has aligned itself with other significant national partner organisations including, the Tourism Academy, African Window cc and Vuthela cc.

Real Development is a growing training and consulting business, which has the experience and capabilities to contribute to the bridging of the gap through transformation, reconstruction and sustainable development of South Africa.

The company is fully committed to providing participation, opportunities and meaningful upliftment to those who were deprived of development in the past.

DEVELOPED BY Real Development ® Page 8

22.. THETHE COMPANYCOMPANY

0.1 General Information PHYSICAL ADDRESS HEAD OFFICE PORT ELIZABETH 7 Eyre Street, Parsons Hill PORT ELIZABETH 6001

CAPE TOWN 1103 Dumbarton House C/O Church Street & Adderley Street Cape Town 8001

Postal Address: 68 Bob Price Street Hillside PORT ELIZABETH 6000

Contact Details: Cell: 083 680 4201 Fax: 086 694 1763 E-mail: [email protected] [email protected]

Contact Person: Mr. Ricardo Dames

HDI Ownership and Management: 100%

SARS Number: 9659111158

Business Sector: Training & Management Consulting

Type of Entity: Close Corporation

DEVELOPED BY Real Development ® Page 9 CK Registration: 2007/127778/23

Members: Sole member: Ricardo Dames

Branch Representation in:

Cape Town Patrick Boesack

Kimberley Kurt Peters

Durban Bonga Mhlongo

Johannesburg Jeffrey Robile

0.2 Ownership:

Real Development operates as a Close Corporation (Reg. No. 2007/127778/23) and is fully owned by Ricardo Dames.

33.. REFERENCESREFERENCES

Real Development has successfully completed a number of business skills training interventions for SEDA in the Southern Cape:

i) Denise Bredell / Lee Bailey / Paul Hoffman(SEDA) Seda Western Cape – Eden Phone: 044 - 874 4770 E-mail Address: [email protected] or [email protected]

ii) Wendy Fisher (DBSA) Cell: + 27 (0) 83 354 3134 E-mail Address: [email protected]

iii) Hylton Long (Phuhlisa Management Consultants) Associate Tel: 043 – 721 1609 Cell: 083 541 2339 Email: [email protected]

iv) Nafeesa Dinie (UDDI) Client (Consulting) Cell: 082 334 1405 Email: [email protected]