It is exactly 12 months before election and already the political temperatures are slowly picking up momentum. Do expect full campaigning to go full throttle in the next 2 to 3 months. It will not be business as usual for the entrepreneur because this period is usually characterised by a lot of new programmes or policies as politicians jostle for power.

An entrepreneur should not be caught unaware when planning or reviewing strategies. You need to look closely at opportunities and risks that will be presented by this period. New policies may be coming that affect your specific business sector favourably-grab them. Some policies may negatively affect your business-learn to manage them!

We encourage you to look at the previous elections in 2013, how was the business sector affected? Which new policies or directives came? How did they affect you? One is therefore advised to watch the tv closely and watch out for policy announcements, take an interest in all newspapers. You need balanced views so that you can make your own informed decision. Follow tweets from influential Zimbabweans, what are they saying? Will this affect your business? Do not miss public announcements by key people such as the Minister of Finance and the Reserve Bank Governor.

Be careful of losing influential business partners, customers or clients during this period due to your political affiliations or views. Try and keep your political views away from your business because some of your major clients may not agree with your views on politics.

As ZBIN we have always been apolitical from day 1 and this is one of our major advantages. We have a solid community that supports different parties and this is a strength which we cherish. We do not allow political messages because they will divide members and divert attention. Our core mandate is business and we will keep to that.

One alarming gap in the political scene is the absence of evidence based decision making! We hope politicians can learn from the business sector. In critical decision making one needs to back up strategic decisions by using well researched evidence. The use of statistics and researches is limited in the political landscape. Statistics or researches on voting patterns, benchmarking from similar environments which is backed by researches. A few surveys do come here and there but more should be done in this sector. Political strategists can learn from the business sector-we do not make critical decisions based on heresay! So food for thought to politicians as we mark the beginning of a 12 months political marathon.

Volunteer Programme

This initiative from the forum is going on well. A new game changer for the SME sector in Zimbabwe, we will be utilising the expertise that exists in Zimbabwe locally and abroad. We have registered the first batch of volunteers, the next stage is registering business owners in need of assistance. Researches in capacity building shows that capacity building should be demand driven. This implies that you do not go to someone and offer capacity building when they have not indicated they need it.

We have already identified a quarter of the people who need assistance in the volunteer programme. We are open for more, all you need to do is to write an email to vicmunemo@yahoo.com or contact us on +263774081808

Beira Trip Build Up

We are slowly preparing for the historic forum trip to Beira and we hope to do this in the next 2 weeks. This trip should enable the forum to explore opportunities in the that exists in Mozambique, how others are taking advantage of them and identify gaps for our team. If you are interested in the trip then get in touch with the Administrator of the ZBIN Moz Opportunities Group-Clara Mapfumo on +263 779 330 095.

We have a lot of entrepreneurs who are interested in exporting as shown by a lot of discussions on our forums. One major hurdle stands in the way  of most entrepreneurs and it is knowledge! Most people are not aware of the procedures to be followed when you want to export, what forms are involved and how much is involved.

This is an area where little has been done in terms of education, where to get information or assistance provided. An entrepreneur based in Binga could be interested in exporting handicrafts but not be knowledgeable of how to go about it. An entrepreneur based in Mutoko may be interested in exporting fresh farm produce to Mozambique but may not be knowledgeable of the procedures to be followed.

During our forum outreach in Chitungwiza we met an old lady who produces some handmade bags for sale. She previously sold them to tourists but somehow lost contact last year, there was a tourist who used to come and buy handcrafts in bulk and sell them to France. Luckily for her,  she managed to secure  a market for her baskets in Europe  and the challenge is how to export them! She does not know of the procedures to be followed, there is no ready office or institution in Chitungwiza that can assist. There is no one who can speak to her in simple terms and explain how to process paper work for the export of her handbags.

As ZBIN we feel that there is need for more investment in exports promotion, do not forget the SME sector too. Policy makers should work on simplifying the procedures of exporting. This information should be easily available and be understood by everyone-finance and non finance individuals.

Last week we featured an Export Credit Facility by Agribank, excellent initiative to promote exports, however there is need for them to go an extra mile and invest in export promotion and education! Information on how to export is a big missing gap in the SME sector and as long as it remains like that then exports from the SME sector will remain low. The same applies to the Homelink Facility for cross borders provided by the government-awesome facility to the informal sector, they should however go the extra mile and invest a small amount of the facility in enabling members to have access to a lot of resources on exports and imports regulations, taxation and general business management guidance.

Below we provide you with a download of guidance on exports and it comes from Zimtrade.

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