We have been busy registering volunteers on the forum and would like to thank everyone who contacted us inorder to register. We hope to fully use the talent at our disposal and help improve the capacity of the Small to Medium Scale businesses in Zimbabwe. We are extremely proud of some of the credentials of the volunteers with some being high calibre business executives leading blue chip companies across the globe. We extend our gratitude to every volunteer based locally and abroad. We would like to tap into the expertise and exposure that some of you are exposed to working across the globe. Zimbabwe should come out the winner at the end of the process, we hope too that volunteerism will be extended to other sectors such as the medical field.
The Story of Nyasha
The story of Nyasha which we published on Thursday went viral attracting more than 2000 viewers in less than 3 days. It became our all time best read business story to date. What is remarkable is the fact that ZBIN does not have an advertising budget to date! We only publish stories and rely on the forum to read or support posts. If it is good, folks will appreciate likewise if it is average, one can expect the same response. We accurately captured some of the issues that are happening underground and not reported on, we captured the issue faced by highly talented Zimbabweans who are not getting opportunities to showcase their skills and help organisations that they work for. When you stifle talent the result is that you disadvantage the organisation that you work for. You also disadvantage the whole country as it loses a competitive advantage against regional countries. The same talent will eventually flee and run companies that compete with Zimbabwe on exports markets!
More stories will be coming up that capture business issues that hardly get coverage and our trip in the next few weeks should capture business or opportunities in Mozambique which rarely get covered. This is the benefit that the forum is bringing to the Zimbabwean business community.
The Bad News
Bad news for the forum is that one of our best IT talents has been poached by a leading think tank. The youngster was world-class, he helped to set up the forum and was actively involved in some of our digital market initiatives. We however wish him well as joins one of the best UK headquartered organisations. We take pride in the fact that some organisations based in Zimbabwe still value talent and are ready to snatch it when they come across it. The young man will now become a volunteer assisting the SME sector in Digital Marketing whenever he is free.
What to look forward to this week
We will be covering one of our key objectives-Access to finance! We will explore the funding options available to the SME sector, how easy it is to access it and the challenges that members encounter in trying to access finance in the current environment. We also have already started discussions around the cash crisis which is worsening by the day. Do expect a detailed write up by end of week when we would have captured all of your views. The objective is not to fold our hands when we see a situation worsening and yet we have huge or unlimited potential within our ranks.
Investment Tip
Lastly we give you an investment tip. We have been making a lot of noise around tenders, why you should track tenders as they show the industry or sectors that will be developing. Tenders help investors to know where to put money as this is the sector where big funds are spend! If you would like to grow as a business then consider tenders. This is how some of the big guys in the business sector managed to make it. Studying tenders and going for them-do not limit yourself in terms of funding, find others to partner with. Dr Strive Masiyiwa did not have funds when he won the MASCOM tender in Botswana! So apart from tenders another way to grow in the business sector is through being a distributor agent. A lot of products exist in the developed world which are still to come to Zimbabwe. They include pharmaceutical products, electrical, IT and automobiles. My recent visit to an East Asian country showed more than 50 phone models…all of them can easily find a market in Zimbabwe if members have the right information. Some do not even need cash upfront if you negotiate well. We will cover more in the coming weeks.
Till next week, Mwashuma
