Small Retail Business Owner

The purpose of this qualification is to prepare a learner to function as a Small Retail Business Owner. A Small Retail Business Owner runs a small retail business by procuring goods, marketing and selling products and services to customers; and managing small business finances to ensure growth and sustainability, in accordance with applicable industry legislative requirements. A competent learner shall demonstrate among others the following attributes: honesty, integrity, punctuality, self-motivated, responsibility, accountability, interpersonal relations, ethical behaviour, well organised, self-confidence and confidentiality. A qualified learner will be able to: • Maintain customer service in a small retail business environment. • Market and sell products and /or services to customers. • Manage, control and record small retail business financials. • Procure goods and manage stock levels. • Perform basic human resources functions within the scope of a small retail business.

Entrepreneurship and the starting of a small business remain one of the few income generation options for a large percentage of South Africans given the high unemployed figures that have prevailed in the country over the years. The wholesale and retail sector is one of the sectors in which individuals strive to set up and run own small businesses. It is for this reason that the sector initiated the process of realigning the currently registered National Certificate: Informal Small Business Practice, NQF Level 3 in accordance with the Occupations Qualification Sub-Framework (OQSF) policy requirements. The development of this national occupational qualification is aimed at providing learners with knowledge and skills that will enable them to find and retain customers, market and sell goods, manage and control finances of the small retail business, keep record of all transactions, procure goods, control stock and perform basic human resource management. It is envisaged that this qualification will capacitate small retail business owners, which operate their business, either formally or informally, within the wholesale and retail sector, to increase their chances of success and result in reduced failure rate. A similar qualification called National Certificate: Small Business Financial Management is registered in the same field as the Small Retail Business Owner qualification. The qualification is pitched at NQF Level 4. Differences between the two is that the focus of a Small Business Financial Management Certificate is on empowering small business owner-managers with essential skills and knowledge required to perform the key financial tasks involved in operating a small business. On the other hand, the Small Retail Business Owner national occupational qualification is aimed at empowering people with knowledge and skills to establish, operate, grow, and sustain a small business in the retail sector. In addition, a unit standard based Further Education and Training Certificate: New Venture Creation qualification is registered within the OQSF. Although this legacy qualification is also aimed at small businesses, its focus is on start-ups and management of a small business. Although customer relationship and management competencies are covered in this legacy qualification in the elective unit standard, in the Small Retail Business Owner national occupational qualification these competencies are covered as compulsory skills needed to successfully run a small business. The qualification is targeted at potential and existing entrepreneurs who predominantly operate small businesses in the wholesale and retail sector. These could be currently employed people confronted with the prospects of job losses, school leavers, unemployed people, current retail small business owners, or any other individuals who wish to run their own businesses. The qualification allows for career mobility in careers such Retail General Manager, Retail Store Manager, Sales Representative, Small Business Advisor, Training and Development Facilitator for Small Businesses, Marketing Advisor for Small Businesses, to name but a few, which can be practiced in any economic sector. It is well acknowledged that successful small businesses make a significant contribution towards the creation of employment opportunities, and this is especially the case in the retail sector which is predominately made up of small businesses. Society will benefit from this qualification through employment opportunities that will be created in the retail sector by the small businesses operated by qualified learners. The introduction of this qualification will provide a much-needed formalised training intervention for the small and medium sized businesses in the retail sector. The availability of qualified learners will translate into professional, ethical and reliable small businesses in the sector. There is no professional body that regulates this profession. Therefore, registration with a professional body is not a requirement.

• Coordinate activities that are aimed at maintaining customer service in a small retail business environment.
• Market and sell products and /or services to customers.
• Manage, control and record small retail business financials.
• Procure goods and manage stock levels in accordance with the specific small retail business requirements.
• Perform basic human resources functions within the scope of a small retail business.