There’s an infinite amount of skill that goes into building a successful business, but there’s also a great deal of luck.

History is littered with examples of people being in the right place at the right time, and how they came to be stinkin’ rich thanks to a few strokes of good fortune.

The most surefire way to crack the big time is to find a need and solve it, which often involves importing something into the country. Sounds simple enough, but if you ask the experts there’s an art form to that, too.

Dr Greg Cline, an imports expert, has outlined some of these factors on Bizcommunity. Once again, timing is key:

Even though demand in South Africa for imported goods (think oil, vehicles, and equipment) are high regardless of price, common sense indicates that when the currency is stronger, it becomes cheaper to do so. But is there really a right time to import?

Even before one should consider the best-suited market conditions for importing, attention needs to be paid to the complex process involved. SARS defines approximately 90 000 product tariff codes that are strictly enforced on all imports. There is also a plethora of requirements for all shipments to the country. This means any organisation irrespective of its size needs to ensure that every single detail on imported goods are accurate and as detailed as possible.

That’s where the alarm bells start to go off. Dealing with SARS, figuring out how to satisfy all the red tape, and the thousands of other headaches that come with playing this game.

No thanks – hand over to Berry & Donaldson, and let them take care of every aspect of shipping and freight logistics. Airlines, shipping, customs-related processes, warehousing, insurance, cargo deliveries and more – breathe a sigh of relief, you’re in good hands.

Oh, there’s also that whole pirate thing to contend with:

A general issue around imports is getting the value of the insurance for the cargo shipment wrong. From piracy to weather conditions, companies should remain cognisant of the extraneous conditions around shipping lanes during certain times of year.

Often determining the best month for importing goods might be better governed by these elements than currency forecasting.

Again, you let the experts handle those worries, because you’ve got enough on your plate without having to factor in rogue pirates.

I don’t know what the next idea to strike it big will be, and if I did I wouldn’t be doing this job, but here’s wishing you luck in cracking the import / export game.

We knew you before you went mainstream.

[source:bizcommunity]