Business, Commerce and Management Studies Generic Management

Identifying Business Success Issues For Small Medium And Micro Enterprises Training

SAQA US 115816 | NQF 5 | Credits 6 | Duration 3 Days
From $967 per delegate

Description

This course is designed to equip small, medium, and micro enterprise (SMME) owners and managers with the skills to identify and address critical business success issues. Participants will learn to diagnose common challenges affecting business performance and implement strategies to enhance sustainability and growth.

Learning Outcomes

  • Analyze the key success factors and failure risks for SMMEs in the South African context.
  • Evaluate financial, operational, and market-related issues impacting business performance.
  • Apply problem-solving techniques to identify root causes of business challenges.
  • Develop action plans to address identified success issues and improve business resilience.
  • Demonstrate the ability to monitor and adjust strategies based on business performance indicators.
  • Implement record-keeping and compliance practices to support informed decision-making.

Target Audience

This course is ideal for SMME owners, managers, and aspiring entrepreneurs who seek to improve their business acumen and address key success factors in their enterprises.

Prerequisites

None — open enrollment

Course Outline

Day 1: Foundational Concepts of Business Success for SMMEs

Objectives:
• Define the concept of business success in the context of Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs).
• Identify key success factors and challenges specific to SMMEs in South Africa.
• Explain the role of the macro, market, and micro environments in influencing business success.
• Recognise the importance of a business vision, mission, and goals in driving success.

Topics:
• Introduction to SMMEs: definitions, categories, and economic significance.
• Understanding business success: profitability, sustainability, growth, and social impact.
• Environmental analysis: PESTLE, Porter's Five Forces, and SWOT frameworks.
• Identifying common barriers to SMME success: access to finance, skills shortages, regulatory compliance.
• Setting a clear business vision and mission.
• Goal setting: SMART objectives and alignment with success indicators.
• Case study: Analysis of a successful South African SMME.

Day 2: Analysing and Measuring Business Success

Objectives:
• Apply financial and non-financial tools to measure business performance.
• Analyse key performance indicators (KPIs) relevant to SMMEs.
• Assess the impact of internal operations, marketing, and human resources on success.
• Use problem-solving techniques to address identified issues.

Topics:
• Financial metrics: break-even analysis, profit margins, cash flow management.
• Non-financial metrics: customer satisfaction, employee engagement, social responsibility.
• Operational efficiency: lean processes, quality control, and technology adoption.
• Marketing effectiveness: market segmentation, value proposition, and brand awareness.
• Human resources: skills development, motivation, and retention strategies.
• Root cause analysis and problem-solving frameworks (e.g., fishbone diagram, 5 Whys).
• Group activity: Conduct a KPI audit on a sample SMME case.

Day 3: Strategic Interventions and Continuous Improvement

Objectives:
• Develop strategies to address identified business success issues.
• Create an action plan for implementing improvements.
• Monitor and evaluate the effectiveness of interventions.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement within the SMME.

Topics:
• Strategic planning: aligning resources with opportunities.
• Innovation and adaptability: responding to market changes.
• Risk management: identifying and mitigating business risks.
• Developing an action plan: prioritisation, timelines, and responsibilities.
• Monitoring and evaluation: setting up review processes and feedback loops.
• Continuous improvement models: PDCA cycle, Kaizen.
• Final assessment: Present a comprehensive improvement plan for a simulated SMME.
• Course wrap-up and reflection on applying learning to real-world contexts.

Practicals

No practicals for this training.

This course is made up of exercises and case studies delivered alongside the theory — no separate practical sessions are required to complete it.

Summatives

Each delegate is assessed continuously throughout the course and a final summative test at the end.

Daily Exercises — 30%

Every training day ends with a multiple-choice exercise scored out of 100%. The scores from each daily exercise are averaged across the duration of the course to produce a Daily Average mark, which contributes 30% to the final total.

Final Test — 70%

On the last day a final summative test is written. It is a multiple-choice paper with multiple-answer questions: each question may have more than one correct option, and a single wrong selection on a question marks the entire question wrong — no partial credit. The final test is scored out of 100% and contributes 70% to the overall mark.

Final Total
Component Out of Weight
Daily Average (multiple choice) 100% 30%
Final Test (multi-answer multiple choice) 100% 70%
Final Total 100%

All marks are recorded on the AATICD LMS and visible to each learner under their account.

Certificate

Certificate of Completion

Awarded to delegates who achieve an overall mark of 50% or higher on the Final Total (Daily Average 30% + Final Test 70%).

How it works
  • Certificates are auto-generated on the AATICD LMS as soon as the marks pass the 50% threshold.
  • Each certificate is a branded PDF with the delegate's name, the course title, the unit standard ID, NQF level, credits, and the date of issue.
  • You can download or print your certificate from your LMS dashboard at any time after issue — there's no reissue fee and no expiry date.
  • If you scored under 50% you can sit the final test again at the next scheduled session at no extra cost.
Where to find it

Sign in to the LMS, open your dashboard, and your certificates appear under My Certificates. Each entry has a View / Download button and a print option.

Training Discounts

Group discounts apply automatically — the more delegates you enrol, the greater the saving. Discounts are calculated at 3% per 5 delegates, scaling up to 40% off for 100+ delegates.

Delegates Discount
5 3% off
10 6% off
15 9% off
20 12% off
25 15% off
30 18% off
50 30% off
75 35% off
100 40% off

3% discount per 5 delegates, up to 40% off for 100+ delegates. Contact us for a custom group quote.

Upcoming Training Sessions
Online training — attend live sessions from anywhere via our virtual classroom.
Start End Delivery Season Price Action
Wed 09 Sep 2026 Fri 11 Sep 2026 Virtual Spring 2026 $967 Register
Tue 29 Sep 2026 Thu 01 Oct 2026 Virtual Spring 2026 $967 Register
Mon 19 Oct 2026 Wed 21 Oct 2026 Virtual Spring 2026 $967 Register
Wed 09 Dec 2026 Fri 11 Dec 2026 Virtual Summer 2026 $967 Register
Tue 12 Jan 2027 Thu 14 Jan 2027 Virtual Summer 2026 $967 Register
Mon 15 Feb 2027 Wed 17 Feb 2027 Virtual Summer 2026 $967 Register
Wed 03 Mar 2027 Fri 05 Mar 2027 Virtual Autumn 2027 $967 Register
Tue 09 Mar 2027 Thu 11 Mar 2027 Virtual Autumn 2027 $967 Register
Mon 15 Mar 2027 Wed 17 Mar 2027 Virtual Autumn 2027 $967 Register
Wed 09 Jun 2027 Fri 11 Jun 2027 Virtual Winter 2027 $967 Register
Tue 29 Jun 2027 Thu 01 Jul 2027 Virtual Winter 2027 $967 Register
Mon 19 Jul 2027 Wed 21 Jul 2027 Virtual Winter 2027 $967 Register
Wed 08 Sep 2027 Fri 10 Sep 2027 Virtual Spring 2027 $967 Register
Tue 28 Sep 2027 Thu 30 Sep 2027 Virtual Spring 2027 $967 Register
Mon 18 Oct 2027 Wed 20 Oct 2027 Virtual Spring 2027 $967 Register
Wed 08 Dec 2027 Fri 10 Dec 2027 Virtual Summer 2027 $967 Register
Tue 28 Dec 2027 Thu 30 Dec 2027 Virtual Summer 2027 $967 Register
Mon 17 Jan 2028 Wed 19 Jan 2028 Virtual Summer 2027 $967 Register
On-Campus training — face-to-face sessions at our training venues across Africa and beyond.
Showing all 492 sessions across 26 venues
Start End Venue Season Price Action
Mon 10 Aug 2026 Wed 12 Aug 2026 Durban, South Africa Winter 2026 $2,230 Register
Mon 10 Aug 2026 Wed 12 Aug 2026 Dubai, UAE Winter 2026 $4,552 Register
Tue 11 Aug 2026 Thu 13 Aug 2026 Pretoria, South Africa Winter 2026 $1,447 Register
Tue 11 Aug 2026 Thu 13 Aug 2026 Mauritius Winter 2026 $3,148 Register
Wed 12 Aug 2026 Fri 14 Aug 2026 Abu Dhabi, UAE Winter 2026 $4,552 Register
In-House training — we bring the trainer to your organisation, tailored to your team.
Start End Delivery Season Price Action
Mon 14 Sep 2026 Wed 16 Sep 2026 Your Premises Spring 2026 $1,258 Register
Wed 07 Oct 2026 Fri 09 Oct 2026 Your Premises Spring 2026 $1,258 Register
Tue 27 Oct 2026 Thu 29 Oct 2026 Your Premises Spring 2026 $1,258 Register
Mon 14 Dec 2026 Wed 16 Dec 2026 Your Premises Summer 2026 $1,258 Register
Wed 20 Jan 2027 Fri 22 Jan 2027 Your Premises Summer 2026 $1,258 Register
Tue 23 Feb 2027 Thu 25 Feb 2027 Your Premises Summer 2026 $1,258 Register
Mon 08 Mar 2027 Wed 10 Mar 2027 Your Premises Autumn 2027 $1,258 Register
Wed 17 Mar 2027 Fri 19 Mar 2027 Your Premises Autumn 2027 $1,258 Register
Tue 23 Mar 2027 Thu 25 Mar 2027 Your Premises Autumn 2027 $1,258 Register
Mon 14 Jun 2027 Wed 16 Jun 2027 Your Premises Winter 2027 $1,258 Register
Wed 07 Jul 2027 Fri 09 Jul 2027 Your Premises Winter 2027 $1,258 Register
Tue 27 Jul 2027 Thu 29 Jul 2027 Your Premises Winter 2027 $1,258 Register
Mon 13 Sep 2027 Wed 15 Sep 2027 Your Premises Spring 2027 $1,258 Register
Wed 06 Oct 2027 Fri 08 Oct 2027 Your Premises Spring 2027 $1,258 Register
Tue 26 Oct 2027 Thu 28 Oct 2027 Your Premises Spring 2027 $1,258 Register
Mon 13 Dec 2027 Wed 15 Dec 2027 Your Premises Summer 2027 $1,258 Register
Wed 05 Jan 2028 Fri 07 Jan 2028 Your Premises Summer 2027 $1,258 Register
Tue 25 Jan 2028 Thu 27 Jan 2028 Your Premises Summer 2027 $1,258 Register
Training Discounts
Delegates Discount
5 3% off
10 6% off
15 9% off
20 12% off
25 15% off
30 18% off
50 30% off
75 35% off
100 40% off

3% off per 5 delegates, up to 40% for 100+

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