Most of us have experienced the scenario where we call our favorite hairdresser to make an appointment to get our braids done. We agree on a date and time; come the day and you arrive at the place and dololo! Your hairdresser is nowhere to be found! An hour later, you decide to go, and in fact, you make up your mind to never come back again, because you feel so disrespected and, in the end, you just simply find someone else.

In the small business space of black-owned businesses in South Africa, talent abounds in truckloads, however, what is often missing are the essential elements of turning that talent or skill into a successful business.

• Two of the most vital aspects to making your business successful are Customer Relations and Employee Wellness. Customer Relations, because there is no business without happy customers; and Employee Wellness, because every growing business relies on the output of its workers to maintain a happy client base and to grow the business.

Customer Relationship Management One of my Joburg friends informed me that she now goes to an upmarket hair salon in Sandton to get her relaxer retouch treatment. She pays R600 for a treatment that on average costs R120. Why? Two reasons. She is tired of the scenario mentioned above with her old hairdresser. No 2, she now has the money to pay extra to get the service she feels she deserves.

• Your customers are constantly evolving and their needs are changing. It is not just solely about the product, but the experience one creates around its product.
• Studying a Customer Relations Management Short Course helps you to think in ways that will enhance the customer’s experience and give them added value so that they keep coming back and bring in new business. Learn how to nurture and develop your relationship with your customers, design a customer database, and obtain grounding in how to create a customer-centric business.

Employee Wellness No business can be successful in the long term without employee wellness. As your business grows, you rely more and more on your employees to produce a quality product and give good customer service. It is therefore very important to make sure that your quality product is aligned with employees that are equally high performing.

• It is essential that every business understands employee wellness. The Employee Wellness Short Course will help you discover what makes a healthy organisation and enable you to explore relevant topics like employee wellness programme development, physical and psychological wellness, and occupational health and safety.

The truth is, if you are already doing your own hustle in the business world, or if you are one who has a goal to get into business; you simply can’t afford not to be in the know about Customer Relations and Employee Wellness.