We did share what we believe to be arguably the best advice to entrepreneurs this year—business models that are relevant post Covid-19! It’s your task to search for it on our Facebook Page or risk missing the train.
In our latest newsletter, we also shared the barter trade business models playing out in farming and rural areas. Got a borehole installation company and worried about demand? Rural areas are teeming with farmers with a lot of cattle but little cash. Some have moved in to install boreholes and solar irrigation systems in exchange for cattle which they rear, fatten and sell in urban areas.
We are wired to view rural areas as outposts of poverty but is it?
We covered the business model of supporting entrepreneurs and why this is the fastest growing business model across the continent with studies we carried out across the region.
- What is keeping Siyaso Entrepreneurs busy?
- What is keeping Chinese Factory shops in Joburg busy?
- What used to keep Ecocash busy?
- What is keeping Delta busy?
- What is keeping Seedco busy?
- What is keeping Vet Distributors busy?
- What is keeping network marketers busy?
- What is keeping Musina busy?
- What used to keep Roadport busy?
- What kept ZBIN busy across the region?
- What kept Zvihuta farmers busy?
What is keeping the nation busy is entrepreneurship. There are many unemployed and under employed people with some estimates putting unemployment rates at above 90%. The Covid-19 is adding more numbers each day. The small business sector becomes the biggest in the country with over 10 million people. The question becomes-how do you structure your business model so that you help support this sector and also boost your business? Selling products directly to the end consumer? Not good enough, include entrepreneurs to make money too and share the proceeds.
Selling luxury cars? Not ideal at the moment—sell money making cars!
We go on to another dimension of entrepreneurship which is fast money making ventures. Do people have enough patience? We can refer to studies on the attention span which has dropped to 7 seconds. The world is spinning at a faster rate and patience is wearing thin.
Which ventures have been trending over the past few years?
Chicken rearing , Miracle monies, Money changing, Ponzi schemes, Soccer betting, Buying and selling, Gold mining, Network marketing, Second hand car selling, Zvihuta, Mshikashikas, Sack Potato farming, Online forex trading, Bitcoins , Hybrid Paw paws, Hybrid Rabbits and others.
There are fewer takers for gumtree plantations; investment horizons have plummeted to less than a year and in most cases reduced to weeks or even days. Buy and sell forex and earn money in minutes. Give the pastor money and it’s multiplied in an instant? For this reason, all future opportunities now need to factor less investment periods.
Few are patient enough for projects that span longer than 6 months. Farm maize or buy and sell? Rear cattle or chickens?
Why less patience
After spending a lot of time at school and colleges working extremely hard to obtain degree certificates, many are fast realising that patience does not pay as there are no jobs.
The digital era is making everything fast—all spheres of life from business to religion.
The economic challenges have been with us for far too long and add Covid-19 and the situation could not be any worse.
The loss in value of pensions for many leading them to look to entrepreneurship for salvation.
The rise of those who are unscrupulous who show off their ill-gotten wealth on social media.
One for the road
For policy makers including the donor community; if you are not talking about entrepreneurship, then few will listen. If you are a newspaper editor and your newspaper does not cover opportunities then expect the number of readers and adverts to continue sliding southwards.
If you are a church and you do not cover opportunities then expect to be irrelevant in the not too distant future.
For entrepreneurs, the question is does your business model enable others to make money? If not then expect trouble in the coming months.
Lastly most of the money invested by Zimbabweans is flowing towards entrepreneurship—so follow the money!
From the book: 2019 Revised Business Opportunities for Zimbabweans.
