by Pardingtone Nhundu.
Zimbabwe’s society boasts of a tremendous literacy rate. In 2009 Zimbabwe recorded a highest of 92.1% and was the highest in Africa. Amidst such celebration and jubilation the closure of industries is just but a few strides ahead. There is an intriguing paradox obscuring development in Zimbabwe and this is a high literacy rate and a low appreciation of entrepreneurial implementation. Small to medium enterprises are on the rise and that’s a fact and more than 3 billion is said to be circulating in the informal sector. And economists cry out every here and then that when we divert that amount into the formal channels Zimbabwe will never be the same again. But hey I don’t want to bore you with such debates.
My concern here is in the making of entrepreneurs and real-big time entrepreneurs. These are entrepreneurs who add value to society not by hand-outs. Entrepreneurs who share a percentage in the employment scales, improve the ordinary citizen by giving them an opportunity to express their talents and or their academic efforts, entrepreneurs who visualize and plan for their grandchildren but setting up grounds or structures that exceed them, people who have a legacy to build and sustain and lastly entrepreneurs who seek to prove a point that within them is a mighty force that can turn around tables every day.
This is just but motivational and or inspirational thoughts I am writing. To achieve that is my concern and with people proposing various means I have my own suggestion which most people have in mind. A number of people consider that:
- Entrepreneurship is a matter of changing the behavioral aspects of an individual and consequentially inculcates a new culture within them. For this I have a perfect testimony and example Empritec Zimbabwe.
- Entrepreneurship should be conducted through a learning process just like any other degree or educational process. This means experts are created in the field and the biggest assumption is these individuals would be great entrepreneurs because like a lawyer they have been equipped by the necessary skills.
- Entrepreneurs are born in families and thus they learn business operations through parent/guardian orientation. Munenzva Bus Company, Kukura Kurerwa, Boka Auction Floors and other business enterprises followed this concept. In more cases successes have been noted because among others the three institutions I have mentioned have not only been sustained but developed in one way or the other.
- Entrepreneurs are not made but just directed. This means people like Zuckerberg, Bill gates were born with a rare talent. Society just came in to shape their ideas and that was it.
- Entrepreneurs are just like experts they need to be monitored, mentored and developed from a tender age. And this is the concept used by the Chinese Tiger-Moms.
Each and every theory above has its merits and demerits while there is hot debate in which one exactly is the best and appropriate way to create and sustain entrepreneurs. What I consider to be the best way and option is one I think fits perfectly in the Zimbabwean society. The uniqueness of the society generates automatically the uniqueness of the solution even though the solution lies within the societies that surround us.
Zim-Entrepreneurs must have traits!!!
- Experience oriented
“Experience is the best teacher”; the old adage goes. The ability to be involved in ‘deep end’ moment allows one to really understand how their individual capacities operate. It’s rare to want to notice your character when in a jovial moment than a challenging situation. “Wisdom is gathered from different situations: One from which is noble, second from inspiration which is the easiest and third from experience which is bitter”. Experience builds ones character when the results of each experience are directed in the positive direction.
Steve Jobs was booted out of a company he had begun and at that moment he sat down and came back with a bang. Daniel Chingoma after making a helicopter prototype assumed the nation will rally before him but rather he was instructed never to fly that helicopter. Strive Masiiwa brought back home an intriguing idea of individual cellphones but after Parliament passed the cellphone to see it they ruled it out. Nigel Chanakira in a brink almost lost his bank which he had started by selling his own house. Tawanda Mutyebere not only challenged a big food outlet player but managed to outsmart them but was slapped with and intriguing lawsuit of copying. These and more experiences are the ones known and everyone respect these great entrepreneurs.
However my concern is on the untold stories. The small entrepreneurs around Zimbabwe starting their institutions today and are being outsmarted or abused by these big players. The untold stories I believe are the panacea to opening great doors for other upcoming entrepreneurs. The stories of those importing cars and making them taxi’s, the sudden collapse of the change money world and their current plight, the untold stories of the once “over-night diamond” rich fellas. The cross-borders who ‘pray’ that ZIMRA doesn’t work against them. The combi operators who live to give kick-backs to police so that they can operate for that day. The dubious dealers at Zimex who drive flashy cars while selling cellphones.
I believe these and more stories will build the conscience of the contemporary entrepreneurs. Most a time people can watch from a distance and believe that they can copy that business idea and do great with it. For instance, everyone rushed to the poultry project while Rabbit rearing, dog breeding, piggery and other animal projects not only demand the same start-up but have far more exceeding profit margins.
These untold stories are the very experiences that will make my young brother in Form 1 to make a clear and productive career decision than to just think he can ‘copy and paste’ someone’s life. The stories will inspire my Form 3 sister to know that she cannot only conceive a baby but far greater business ideas. The stories will impact deeply on my friend’s brother sitting this year for “O” level to know that, University is not the only way to success and a Boiler maker is no less important than a Medical Doctor. The stories will allow my tech-friend at Chinhoyi University to know that that one person who said, ‘all inventions have been made and there is nothing new’, was just but a lie. Because after that, nuclear bombs were made and now women can freeze their eggs and give birth even after the protracted menopause period. These stories will empower my mother who always wanted to start a salon and she thinks she is way past her entrepreneurial age. The stories will inform every societal member that, they are what they want to become, empower them with formidable momentum to drive their passions, inspire them to raise their hopes in the wake of troubles and tribulations and best of all strengthen them to believe in themselves completely.
- Behavior Change
Human dignity is pertinent topic in the circles of behavior and behavior change. The main debate is that: can one’s action strip off one’s dignity. This comes as a posing question to manner in which business is handled, employer – employee relation and finally employee – customer relations. I am strongly of the opinion that, Human Dignity is a sacred bearing that rests on a person by virtue of one being a human being. It does not matter whether the human being is a duche-bag or not, a murderer or pro-life, fraud or law-abiding citizen. A human being is a human being hence human dignity is characteristic that goes with the recognition of one being human.
This might sound theological because it is actually and or political because the argument is also used in death penalty arguments. Allow me to use this human dignity scenario to the stadium of Entrepreneurship and share with you the relationship thereof. Businesses are made, controlled by human beings with the sole purpose of benefiting the human person again. Hence these are the various business concepts I have seen and their preferred way of operation:
- Econet Wireless, Netone and Telecel – these are telecommunication initiatives. Among other things they have improved communication form the traditional horn blowing to the simple dial and listen on a cellphone.
- Faithwear, Avo, 263 Clothing, Afriq Media – these are design, manufacture and print companies owned and controlled mostly by emerging adults. They are targeting a certain clique in the community and giving them the 21st century swag and all.
- Boka, ZLT, CLT- these are agricultural companies but with a specific bias on Tobacco. Their manadate is to plant, harvest, sell and manufacture tobacco products. They in that matter target the optional and vulnerable addicts of smoking.
- Chicken Inn, Chicken Slice, Barvelinos, Nandos, – these are fast food outlets. They offer the most intriguing fast foods that bring together pals, build relationships, strengthen friendly bonds and also offer social comfort to those spending and enjoying life.
The list goes on and on with examples from each and every industry. The individuals behind the formation of these businesses had something in mind and that was a goal to fulfill. But they also had a common trend of behaviors that had a bearing on how they were or are supposed to sustain and develop their businesses into legacies.
Empretec Zimbabwe trains young people in Entrepreneurship. Their assumption and motto is that an entrepreneur is not foreign to the behavior of an individual. Thus one who decides to be an entrepreneur should therefore think, dream, walk, talk, write, smile, decide, take risks and act like an entrepreneur. Someone would say, guys there are so many entrepreneurial ideas and we cannot all behave the same because we come from different industrial backgrounds which require different behaviors.
It should thus be made very clear that, an entrepreneur is an entrepreneur. It does not matter which field you get into there is what I call, “Entrepreneurial Best Practise – Behavior.” The manner in which you make decisions, take risks can differ with the field of expertise but there is a best practice on how one can take not risks but calculated risks.
- Mentor-ship
- Educational background
- Research
NB: Let’s meet for the next episode on Mentor-ship.
