POPIA compliance in South Africa is one of those things most small businesses avoid thinking about. Until the spam complaints roll in. Or worse, someone threatens to report you to the Information Regulator because your email signup form didn’t have a checkbox.

Here’s the truth. The POPI Act compliance requirements aren’t actually that complicated. But the jargon makes it sound like only lawyers and IT people should care. You don’t need either. You just need a straight-talking guide and a few smart fixes.

You’ve probably heard the hype. AI this, ChatGPT that. Maybe you tried it once and it called you “esteemed user” for no reason. Or your nephew swears Claude is the future and Gemini is so smart it’s creepy.

Meanwhile, you’re over here juggling stock orders, chasing invoices and trying to write a decent social post without crying into your keyboard.

No really, this is about a vet. Stick with me. Please read to the end, especially if you're local to me. I don’t want any vet heads to roll because of an analogy.

The other day, I walked into a vet with a cat that wasn’t sick but looked like it had been dragged backwards through a tumble dryer (not the first time I've dealt with a cat in a tumble dryer). I expected some advice. Maybe ointment. What I didn’t expect was a full-blown small business marketing lesson.

Running a small business in South Africa is tough. You're managing sales, admin, marketing and more, often on a tight budget.

The good news? Here are three quick wins you can do today to help your business look better, sound better and attract more local customers.

PS. Open up to read why my face is on here!

Your customer is scrolling Facebook in the queue at Pick n Pay. If your post, flyer or ad takes more than a second to understand, you’ve lost them.

No call. No message. No sale.

This happens all the time. Because most small businesses try to be clever, not clear. And that one-second pause? It’s costing you work.

So you're a plumber in Parys, a seamstress in Stutterheim, or an electrician in Empangeni. You’ve got skills, you’ve got experience, and you’ve got a name people trust. But unless folks already know you personally or drive past your bakkie, they probably have no clue you exist.

Here's the truth. Marketing in small towns isn’t the same as marketing in big cities. You don’t need fancy funnels or TikTok dances. You need visibility where it matters most: in your town, among your people, on platforms they actually use. Let’s fix that.

Think you’ve got your business sorted? Maybe. But even the best South African entrepreneurs fall into a few common traps. From load shedding disasters to dodgy contracts and overstocked storerooms, these mistakes are easy to make - and just as easy to fix. Here’s a straight-talking, no-fluff guide to help you avoid the usual headaches and keep your business moving forward. No buzzwords. No judgment. Just real advice that works.

Look. You’re juggling WhatsApp messages, email threads, last-minute reschedules and the good ol’ “When are you free?” back-and-forth. It’s chaotic, unproductive and let’s be honest… annoying. Never mind the double-bookings. As an ADHD girl, double-bookings were becoming a real problem for me and they look so unprofessional - until I found a solution that works.

If you're running a small business in South Africa, Calendly is about to be your new best friend.

So, you run a guest house or Airbnb in one of South Africa's awesome little coastal towns. The sea air is fresh, your coffee is strong, and your rooms are clean and comfy. But now you need to fill those rooms without becoming a full-time marketer. You're not trying to be the next social media influencer or learn a bunch of techie nonsense. You just want bookings. Fair enough.

Starting a business is a dream for many South Africans, a chance to create something meaningful, provide for your family, and contribute to our vibrant economy. But here’s a harsh truth: data from a 2024 Statista report shows that over 65% of SMEs in South Africa fail within their first two years.

Even more shocking is that less than 25% of these startups invest in professional market research.