Bolster 2013 booklet v4

CONTACT US 24/7 FOR Around-theclock Dedicated service PROULDY ASSOCIATED WITH ETHEKWINI MUNICIPALITY

SMALL BUSINESS 24/7 TELEPHONIC AND ONLINE SUPPORT

CALL 0861 33 60 60

www.bolsterbiz.co.za

Welcome to Bolster.

As an entrepreneur and business owner, your focus is on strategically developing and growing your business, often leaving little to no time to ensure you have the right support infrastructure in place.

end-to-end business support and assistance.

With Bolster, you can now have access to

Our service connects you with a network of experts across a broad range of disciplines including technology, marketing, sales, business management, operations, human resources, legal matters and more.

It’s this simple : 1

Call 0861

33 60 60

2

Provide your company details

3

An agent will log your request

4

An agent will ASSIST YOU IMMEDIATELY*

* or get back to you within 24hrs depending on complexity of your request.

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BUSINESS ADVICE

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With Bolster you get:

PURCHASING POWER

ACCOUNTING SYSTEM

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YOUR OWN P.A.

LEADS

“With Bolster 24/7 support I can save time & money! Plus I get a fantastic and easy to use Accounting system!”

You also get: Access to www.bolsterbiz.co.za (simple registration is required) for additional assistance such as: • Tailor-made LEGAL DOCUMENTS like employment

contracts or loan agreements • List of DISCOUNTS on travel, wheels, office

equipment and other discounted vouchers • Registering for BUSINESS LEADS • PROMOTING your products and services via our

voucher system to large databases • Topical articles and how to GUIDES on financial,

tax, IT or legal matters

Business Advice.

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Tap into a large network of brainpower through our interactive Business Advisor service - a virtual team of business experts, ready to provide professional advice and share experiences, ideas and lessons learnt.

LEGAL ADVICE • Battling with some of your customers

FINANCIAL & TAX ADVICE • Wanting to apply for funding for

owing you money and you need a demand letter drafted?

expansion of your operations?

• Needing assistance with shareholders agreements?

and unsure how to structure it?

• Planning to form a JV for tender purposes and not sure how to approach it?

• Struggling with employment contracts disciplinary hearings or dismissals or CCMA matters?

• Looking for purchase order finance

• Needing guidance in terms of your VAT or income tax returns?

• Battling with pricing for one of your tenders and needing some expert advice?

Bolster Business Advisor specialists will ensure you’re provided with the advice and information needed to make decisions with confidence at no cost to you.

For face-to-face consultations we’ve also prenegotiated reduced fees with leading professionals.

GENERAL BUSINESS ADVICE

• Needing assistance with protecting your assets?

• Wanting to expand your operations and unsure how to tackle it?

• Thinking of launching a new product or service and struggling with pricing and take to market strategy?

• Needing help with your customer retention plans?

• Wanting to get new business from other African countries and needing guidance?

INSURANCE ADVICE

• Unsure of how Directors and Officers Liability works?

• Wanting advice related to protection of your advice given under the new Customer Protection Act? • Looking for professional liability cover guidelines?

Accounting System.

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As an entrepreneur, knowing how to make money often comes naturally, whilst managing it may be more of a challenge.

SMEasy is an easy-to-use finance, business and accounting management system that is specifically designed for small businesses with limited or no accounting experience.

Use SMEasy for all your financial administration and management needs.

Call 0861 33 60 60 and our agents will assist you to set up your business account. The support team will explain to you how to use SMEasy system and are always available to respond to your queries.

Go to www.bolsterbiz.co.za, click on SMEasy Accounting icon and you will be directed to SMEasy system immediately. Note that there are educational videos guiding you every step of the way when engaging with SMEasy.

ONLINE – accessible anywhere and anytime; SECURE – your information is backed up at all times, no loss of data if your laptop is stolen or crashes;

CONVENIENT – client and supplier contacts, quotes, invoices, payroll, outstanding invoice reports, tax amounts owing - all in one easy, accessible place;

EASY TO USE – uncomplicated screens, simple system navigation, no complex menu options;

USES SIMPLE LANGUAGE – instead of words like debtors and creditors it uses customers and suppliers;

UNDERSTANDS ENTREPRENEURS – manages the mixing of your personal money and business money;

BUILDS YOUR BRAND – automatically imports your company logo onto all your quotes, invoices and payslips;

CUSTOMER COMMUNICATION – manages all your social media networks from one screen, and you can send SMSs from the system;

HELPS YOUR ACCOUNTANT – your accountant has online, easy access to financial data to compile your financials.

Leads.

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Bolster brings new business opportunities to you!

There are 3 ways how this can be done through bolster :

PROMOTING YOUR BUSINESS Access our database of over 2 million customers to run promotions and sales campaigns. If you’re looking to move old stock, introduce a new service or run a price promotion on slow-selling items, this is the perfect vehicle for you!

Go to www.bolsterbiz.co.za (Coupon Café section) and follow the easy instructions to create your coupons with your logo and product description which are displayed on our clients’ websites such as: Cell C Get it, Telkom Touch, Multichoice MLife etc.

TENDER NOTIFICATION Small companies often miss out on the many opportunities presented by the tendering process by not having access to the public databases. Make sure it’s not you!

As a member of Bolster you will get access to our free e-mail service that will notify you as soon as new tenders, relevant to your line of business, are posted. Simply call 0861 33 60 60 and tell us what industry tenders you wish to receive in the future. In the event one of the tenders catches your interest, Bolster agents will forward you more details so that you can initiate the tender process.

LEAD GENERATION Looking for new markets to expand into? Want a simple way to start new engagements and generate new business?

The Lead Generation system brings new business opportunities to you.

Register your business profile on www.bolsterbiz.co.za (Lead Generation section) or call 0861 33 60 60 and our agents will assist you!

Once registered, the system automatically matches your profile with business requests received, creating new leads and prospects.

You will be proactively notified telephonically or via email of all new opportunities as they arise.

Once you’ve successfully provided your service to one of our customers, Bolster agents will conduct a service rating with that customer, giving you even more opportunity through future referrals if your ratings are high.

“I’ve created my own coupons on the Coupon Café section and have already picked up my first client!”

Your Personal Assitant.

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Ever feel like you could do with an extra pair of hands?

With Your Own Personal Assistant, now you can enjoy the benefits of a PA without the cost of employing one.

Your BOLSTER PERSONAL ASSISTANT CAN HELP YOU WITH: • Calling service providers on your behalf so you don’t have to spend time on the phone yourself

• Sourcing tyres for your car at the best rates or making a restaurant booking for an important client meeting

• Providing you with 3 competitive quotes for your office equipment or computers

• Scheduling of appointments or Looking for contact details of a service provider or

• Finding the right documentation you need for exporting your products overseas • Chasing relevant procurement departments to give feedback on your tender submission • Finding the right service provider to assist with your website hosting or data back-up

a potential client • Office relocations including liaising with real estate agents in the area, changing address with different service providers and organising movers •

Sourcing quality service providers assisting with emergency repairs at the best rates in your area (locksmiths, electricians, plumbers, builders, etc.)

“Bolster is helping me with a Telkom problem I’ve had for 5 days. They’re keeping me updated regularly, allowing me to focus on my work.

SUCH A GREAT EXPERIENCE!”

Bolster agents will source anything at the best possible price, and in the most convenient area for you. With over 140 000 reputable suppliers across SA in our database, we’ll provide you with details of at least three suppliers including quotes.

Bolster typically secures discounts of around 15% on various items but often the ultimate value lies in saving you time and frustrations.

Our assistants are on hand 24/7 to log your enquiry and ensure a specialist responds with the information you require immediately if urgent or within 24 hours via email or fax.

Purchasing Power.

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Whatever you’re looking for, call Bolster today, whether it’s stationery, office equipment, uniforms, cellular phones, corporate gifts, IT equipment or larger ticket items like travel arrangements and used or new vehicles.

Discounts Our team has pre-negotiated discounts on many items such as: • Selected travel deals like 10% on Europcar or selected accommodation like City Hotels, Southern Sun • Up to 30% off on certain brands of tyres and other vehicle accessories like Tracker, Auto Armor • Up to 30% off on promotional items on HP Shop • Up to 50% off on selected magazine subscriptions like Engineering News, Mining Weekly, Succeed

Get up to 25% off on training programmes with training institutions Thanks to Bolster’s association with CTU, you can have access to one-day FREE Excel or Microsoft Office 365 course. To claim your free course contact 0861 33 60 60 and our agents will assist you with the booking at CTU training facility of your choice in your area.

For further information on available specials, visit www.bolsterbiz.co.za and browse through the Discount sections.

ENTERTAINMENT & WELLNESS We have a whole host of exciting tips on entertainment, wellness or team building activities available for you to take advantage of.

Whether you’re treating a customer to a

BUSINESS LUNCH Hosting an important client over a business networking lunch, or just taking time out from your busy schedule?

Pay for one meal and enjoy the cheaper meal for free (up to a maximum value of R120). Select from a wide range of more than 500 restaurants nationwide, with no limit to the number of times you use this benefit.

All bookings must be made 48 hours in advance and reservations must be for between 8:30-17:00 Monday-Thursday, and 8:30-12:00 on Friday. To view the list of participating restaurants and to make a reservation, use our interactive search engine on www.bolsterbiz.co.za.

relaxing day at the spa, planning a round of golf with your business partner or perhaps an outing to the zoo or aquarium for your best performing employee’s family, we have some amazing offers to choose from.

All events need to be booked 48 hours in advance. The deal varies depending on which entertainment or wellness experience you select, so some might be two entrance tickets for the price of one, or pay for one spa treatment and get the second, lower priced treatment for free as examples.

Visit our interactive search engine on www.bolsterbiz.co.za (go to sections “Entertainment” or “Wellness”) to view the full range of experiences on offer and take advantage of these amazing discounted deals.

Compliance.

from MON

to FRI

8am 5pm

Risk is often ignored in SMMEs as it is seen as something that affects only large organizations. But the truth of the matter is that risk permeates through all levels of business, whether it’s a small street side vendor, or a large multi-national conglomerate. Managing these risks is paramount in ensuring the continued existence of an organisation.

Risk management At Bolster we offer a holistic business health

whether your business is compliant with

check via an integrated risk management solution.

King 3 principles and whether or not the proper internal controls, systems and processes are in place.

Not only will we provide your business with an independent view on your risk profile,

Call our agents and get your free health

but also our solution will be customised to cater for your business requirements.

As a Bolster member, you will have access to a free holistic health check to evaluate

check completed so you know if your risks are adequately mitigated and if you have the necessary tools in place to improve business longevity.

“We didn’t realise that we had to register our staff with the Department of Labour! Thanks to Bolster for ‘opening our eyes’, now our business operations are compliant!”

Amazing Benefits!

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Check out these amazing value added benefits that Bolster can offer you and your business.

I.T. HELPDESK Managing an efficient IT infrastructure is often as challenging as learning a new language. The Bolster IT Help Desk provides access to qualified computer technicians telephonically or online to assist with all your computer-related issues or queries like: • Hardware and software troubleshooting; • Hardware upgrades and installations; • Queries relating to e-mail or internet • Use of computer accessories; Telephonic advice and support is free, but if you require on-site assistance, we’ve negotiated the most competitive, affordable rates for you.

small business admin easy Small Business Admin Easy is a series of short online video training programmes that equip you to setup and maintain a simple administration filing and recordkeeping system.

Visit www.boslterbiz.co.za and click on Small Business Admin Easy icon. Watch 6 tutorials, providing you step-by-step information: 1. The Entrepreneurs Reality 2. Setting up Your Record-keeping System 3. Managing Your Business Paperwork 4. Understanding Your Financial Statements 5. Managing Your Staff Records 6. Small Business Basic Legal Requirements

recruitment officer The Bolster Recruitment Officer service gives you free access to a large database of job seekers. What’s more, you can register to receive e-mail alerts whenever a newly uploaded CV fits the profile of the person you are looking for. This means Recruitment Officer can carry on doing the searching for you, while you concentrate on your business.

Get access to hundreds of CVs and find the staff you need fast, without paying expensive recruitment fees and commissions

social media Bolster brings you eSocialite - an online service that enables you to send regular updates to all your social media accounts from one central place, at the same time (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn etc.).

All you need to do is go to www.bolsterbiz. co.za, click on eSocialite icon and follow the easy set-up process. eSocialite offers you a convenient and free way to promote your service, assistance with managing your messages including image and displaying and managing your previous posts.

trauma counsellor A traumatic experience can take place in different ways; whether violent or nonviolent, trauma can have a serious affect on the way people function, work and how they relate to others.

Getting counselling is very important.

If ever you or your staff need trauma counselling to help you through a difficult experience, the Trauma Counsellor helpline is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Bolster professional counsellors are trained to help people through traumas such as robbery, assault, hijacking, child abuse and other medical emergencies.

CALL 0861 33 60 60 FOR NEW BUSINESS LEADS

24/7 PERSONAL ASSISTANCE

LEGAL & FINANCIAL ADVICE

SMEasy ACCOUNTING

PURCHASING DISCOUNTS

BUSINESS ADVICE

www.bolsterbiz.co.za 011 449 7189 • business@bolsterbiz.co.za Visit our website to read our Terms and Conditions of Membership