Cape Town
Observatory launch week
Splice Studio, a three-person video-editing startup, needed to go from zero to trading legally and online in one Cape Town launch week.
Meet the client: Splice Studio
Splice Studio is a small but ambitious video-editing outfit in Observatory, Cape Town. Founded by Thabo Mthembu and two former agency colleagues, their trade is short-form edits for educational brands, estate agents and local artists. With just three people on payroll and a tight setup budget of under R45,000, Splice planned to book their first client before the month-end payday rush. No systems, no SARS number, no bank account, just a shared laptop and a dream to move fast without tripping over missing documents. They'd seen too many small businesses in Klerksdorp trip at the first VAT hurdle and wanted something less painful.
How things looked before launch
Before contacting us, Splice had no registered name, no city trading permit, and no formal supplier shortlist. They’d heard horror stories about slow SARS eFiling profile setups, and needed CIPC certificates, B-BBEE affidavits, and municipal accounts sorted out, fast. They worried about timing too, with a tenant’s meeting and load-shedding stage 4 both hitting that week. The team nearly gave up when FNB asked for a full FICA pack, including a lease agreement, before even opening a business cheque account. They were balancing school runs and late-night WhatsApp chats, and they didn’t even have a basic invoice template.
What we did in five working days
Getting Splice trading took five tight but practical steps. Each day had its own focus, and everyone chipped in. Here’s exactly what happened:
- Day 1: Registered Splice Studio (Pty) Ltd with CIPC and reserved a business name. Filed the required paperwork by 10am and uploaded supporting ID documents.
- Day 2: Set up a SARS eFiling profile, booked a virtual appointment (since Studio couldn't spare anyone to queue at Foreshore offices), and requested tax registration confirmation.
- Day 3: Pulled together a supplier shortlist with three Cape Town print shops and two audio freelancers, using guides from our resource hub. Sent out template supplier contracts and checked all five for VAT status.
- Day 4: Helped Splice open a business bank account by prepping the FICA pack (utility bill, B-BBEE affidavit, CIPC certificate, proof of address letter signed by the manager of Observatory Studio). Sent scanned copies to FNB’s business centre.
- Day 5: Rolled out Digital Spark basics: a branded invoice template, a month-end cashflow tracker, and an SOP checklist for uploading files to WeTransfer and Google Drive. Registered all three staff for UIF using a quick guide from support.
Measured results, fast outcomes
By Friday, Splice Studio had a CIPC company number, a VAT201 login code, and their first R7,900 job confirmed with an Observatory music label. They sent out their branded invoice template on the same day and had FNB confirm their account was live before lunch. Five signed supplier contracts in a Google folder meant no more WhatsApp scrambles at month-end. Zero missed deadlines despite two hours extra loadshedding. Most impressive? Thabo saved at least six Uber trips by handling SARS and FNB paperwork online (and probably burnt less data, too). Team morale shot up, and there was an actual fistbump when the first VAT invoice went out. Splice also started using Launch Deck notes to track weekly progress and catch admin gaps before payroll.
Three months later: keeping up the momentum
Now, three months down the line, Splice still runs their Friday cash calendar ritual (with reminders from our ops rituals list) and sticks to the SOP for onboarding new video gigs. Two suppliers just renewed terms, and new jobs are coming in from Woodstock and even Stellenbosch. The Digital Spark tools became part of their normal routine, and the POPI checklist means they haven’t had any client data slip-ups. Every invoice and supplier doc gets filed in the same shared Google folder like clockwork, though someone did forget its password once. They’re already planning to join the next supplier shortlist at our Woodstock hub to keep ahead on print and audio projects.
