A case study on the critical success factors of two small businesses in Kwa-Zulu Natal.

Abstract

In a country that has an economy that is not performing, growth of Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs) is often vital so as to allow the prosperity of a business. The high failure rate of small businesses in South Africa suggests that there is something wrong and overall in South Africa there is a low level of research about SMMEs (Burger, 2016). The purpose of this study is to explore the critical success factors for two small businesses in Kwa-Zulu Natal. The research applied a qualitative approach and a case study methodology as its research design. By utilizing the method of semi-structured interviews, the researcher gathered data from a sample of two entrepreneurs. Through the exploratory study of the two businesses, some common factors were found to be important for their successes, such as leadership and relationship management, quality and management of finance. However, there was a difference found between the ways they marketed their businesses. This study might give an insight into what two local entrepreneurs found to be success factors in their businesses.