Free tools · South Africa
Run the numbers before you commit
Practical tools for South Africans starting, buying, and running a business. A programme that builds real readiness over seven weeks. A bank account finder that compares your actual monthly cost across six South African banks. Calculators that work backwards from what you want to take home, through tax, market benchmarks, and the costs most people underestimate. And tools for once you are trading, covering cash runway, how you pay yourself, what a hire really costs, and the SARS deadlines that are easy to miss.
No signup required. No generic assumptions.
Flagship · Seven-week programme
Preparation Programme
A structured, twenty-hour programme for corporate professionals who are seriously weighing starting a business. Builds real readiness through guided exercises and a genuine experiment you design and run, over seven modules.
Explore the programme →
Compare banks
Six banks compared · Updated January 2026
Business Bank Account Finder
Tell us how your business actually moves money — cash, card, EFT, salaries. See the real monthly cost across FNB, Standard Bank, Absa, Nedbank, Capitec, and Bank Zero, with a full breakdown of where the cost comes from, not just a winner.
Ranked by real monthly cost · Not financial advice
Buying a business
Three years of financials · Full evaluation report
The Fair Price Evaluator
Buying an existing business? Enter three years of the seller's financials and get an indicative fair value range, a health check across seven dimensions, and the exact questions to put to the seller before you make an offer.
Fair value range · Seller questions · Not a formal valuation
Running the business
Cash flow
Runway Calculator
Enter your cash on hand, monthly revenue, and monthly costs. See how many months before the cash runs out at your current burn rate, and whether growth gets you to break-even first.
Months of runway · Break-even projection
Directors
Salary vs Dividends Calculator
Enter your company profit, adjust the split between salary and dividends, and see the tax-efficient mix that leaves you with the most money in your pocket.
Net take-home · Tax-efficient split
Hiring
Hiring Cost Calculator
Enter the salary you are planning to offer. See the true monthly cost once UIF, the Skills Development Levy, COIDA, and any benefits are added. It is the number most first-time employers do not see coming.
True monthly cost · First-year total
Email reminders
Tax and Company Deadline Reminders
Tell us which deadlines apply to your business: provisional tax, PAYE, EMP501, VAT201, company tax returns, CIPC annual returns. Get an email 3 days before each one is due.
SARS and CIPC calendar · Unsubscribe any time
Calculators
Consulting & Freelance
Consulting Rate Calculator
Work out what you need to charge per day or per hour to hit your take-home target — after tax and expenses. Includes a first-six-months reality check.
Daily rate · Hourly rate
Product & Retail
Break-Even Calculator
Enter your fixed costs, selling price, and unit cost. See exactly how many units you need to sell each day to cover your costs — and how much cash you need in stock before you open.
Units per month · Units per day
Franchise
Franchise Viability Calculator
Start with what you want to take home. See what turnover the business must generate after royalties, food cost, staff, and rent. Adjust any percentage and watch the model update.
Required turnover · Royalty stack
These tools give you a planning estimate, not a business plan. When the numbers start to make sense, the next step is to stress-test the full idea. See how Launchworks works.