A new report reveals that South Africa’s small business
owners are optimistic about the future. However, a high proportion
still use spreadsheets to run their finances – making them highly
vulnerable to errors.
Released by Xero, in partnership with market researchers World Wide Worx (WWW), the ‘State of SA Small Business’ report surveyed 400 South African small businesses across 22 sectors. The results suggest that South Africa’s small businesses are optimistic about the future: 58% expect to grow in the next year, while 29% expect to stay the same and only 12% expect to shrink. The report marks Xero’s arrival in the South African market.
The research also revealed that a shocking 40% of SA’s SMEs rely on error-prone spreadsheets and paper records. Studies have shown that 88% of all spreadsheets also contain errors of some kind. Considering that the economic output of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in South Africa is estimated at 52% of GDP, that’s a potential R1 trillion of GDP at risk.
27% of small business owners cited access to funding as a major barrier to starting a business, with a large majority (83%) relying on personal savings, friends or family to start their business. Although SA’s SMEs are confident about their prospects, 86% don’t think the government does enough to support them.
“We are passionate about helping small businesses operate more efficiently, both because of the impact it makes to individuals but also for the impact we can make on the larger business community,” said Gary Turner, Xero co-founder and managing director for Xero in the Europe, Middle East and Africa region.
“Our research highlights the key challenges facing the small business community in South Africa, and we’re encouraged that while some of these challenges are particular to the region, many of them are common across other countries we operate in. This is a large and vibrant entrepreneurial community, but this research shows that significant opportunity exists for small businesses and their advisors, and Xero is perfectly placed to help.”
The report was produced by WWW, in partnership with Xero, leading cloud accounting software, to celebrate their arrival in South Africa. Xero is easy-to-use online accounting software for small businesses and their advisors, founded in New Zealand in 2006. This month, Xero announced it has passed a quarter billion annualised revenue and hit 717 000 subscribers in 180 countries, with 242,000 subscribers added in the 12 months to 31 March 2016. Xero boasts more than 500 third-party integrations, and was ranked No. 1 by Forbes as the World’s Most Innovative Growth Company in 2014 and 2015.
