These are the words of Brendan Jacobs, head of Standard Bank's client coverage business clients in the Free State and Northern Cape, who chatted to the OFM Business Hour about the macroeconomic challenges hindering businesses in central South Africa.

Jacobs stresses that “it doesn’t matter what sector and business you’re in, it’s about what approach you take and what you focus on during periods of difficulty, that will dictate if you’re successful or not”.

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He illustrates this point by referencing how guesthouses and the like dealt with the Covid-19 pandemic. While many guesthouses were forced to close due to travel restrictions, innovative establishments took advantage of the situation and made the most of it. "Those guesthouses are thriving as a result of being proactive." 

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Jacobs does acknowledge that the odds are against South African businesses in the form of the upward interest rate cycle; the hike in input costs, particularly in the agriculture sector in the form of fertiliser and diesel costs; as well as the pressure on disposable incomes in the retail sector.

However, he urges businesses to remain productive, promising that this will lead to business growth in the face of challenges.

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His sentiments are echoed by business thought leader, strategist, author and founder of At that Point, Juanita Vorster, who explains in her sit-down with the OFM Business Hour that robustness is one step beyond the disruption that change brings. 

OFM Business