How to Business

Rural crime, including stock theft, can be fought or prevented by working together as a community and employing high-tech security systems. Willie Clack, vice-chairperson of the Red Meat Producers’ Organisation, and Francois van Zyl, marketing manager at Etse Electronics, spoke to Susan Marais.

It is critically important to address common problems before you get down to the business of succession planning. Addressing these challenges proactively and in a positive way will enhance a family agribusiness’s chances of enjoying continued success and prosperity, says Trevor Dickinson.

Inflation is rising steeply, jobs are scarcer than ever, and food insecurity is an increasing problem in many communities. Now is the time to create small food enterprises, says Shane Brody.

Handing a family agribusiness over to the next generation involves financial as well as personal decisions. And personal decisions with financial implications are the most difficult of all!

You’re never too experienced to learn. Roelof Bezuidenhout explains why farmers’ days and other get-togethers are such a valuable resource.

For many families, succession planning seems too treacherous a journey to undertake, so they simply opt not to set off on it. As a result, they forgo a critical opportunity to shape their future for the better.

Farming is like running any other business: you need to be realistic and practical in how you go about it. Roelof Bezuidenhout lists some crucial pointers to help you out.

Leading any business is tough. Leading a family business can be considerably more difficult. Family business leaders have to deal with relationships and emotions that simply are not present in an ordinary business set-up. And this is in addition to the normal stresses of running a company. Under these circumstances, establishing or continuing a legacy for generations to come can seem like an impossible dream, says Trevor Dickinson.

‘People-pleasers’ and ‘injustice collectors’ tend to suffer from the same basic problem: a lack of self-esteem. Trevor Dickinson explains these different personality types and how they fit into the larger family business.

A critical juncture in the life of the family agribusiness is the transition from one generation to the next. One of the reasons for this, explains Trevor Dickinson, is that the capacity of the business to pay any form of remuneration has to be balanced with the requirements of the individuals who own and operate it.

Are you going away over the festive season? Three leaders in agriculture and security explain how common sense, technology, and good relationships with neighbours can help protect your possessions.

Parent and child can work together on the farm, love each other, state their needs, be heard and learn to negotiate their differences. It starts with respect and compromise, says Trevor Dickinson.