Diaspora Matters

We would like to see our members winning the Anzisha Prizes. Great opportunity for innovative youngsters from Southern Africa to showcase their innovation and entepreneurial skills. I will be coming next weekend with a list of previous Anzisha prize winners projects. Time is definately  not on your side as only 18 days are available before the closure of the competition. No monies required for registration as you just need to follow instructions on the link on the link at the bottom of this page. You may also need to visit this site www.anzishaprize.org to familirise yourself with the Anzisha Competition.

As ZBIN we always advise members  to push the boundaries when it comes to business knowledge. We encourage our members to explore new territory rather than the traditional routes such as South Africa,Botswana,Namibia and Zambia. In this 2015 interview, we look at DRC Business and Job opportunities for Zimbos.

In this post we will get basic information about the Democratic Republic of Congo(DRC). Nothing much is known about business in that country. We are fortunate to have a member who is based in DRC. We will try to get basic information from her through a couple of questions below:

Question: Mdala Wa Rue ,Questions for you Rejoice …How does one travel from Zim to DRC..Are there buses? How much does it cost to travel from Zim to Kinshasa?

Response:Rejoice You get buses from Road Port that take you to Lusaka and when you get to Lusaka you board a bus that takes you to Chingola. lf you are lucky you might find a bus that takes you straight to Kasumbalesa Border Post . The fares e from zim-zambia $20, from Lusaka to the border $20. and from the border to Lubumbashi $10.So one needs $50 to get to Lubumbashi. At the moment there are no straight flights to Zimbabwe.

Question: Vannessa MuganhuDo you fly?

Response: Rejoice flying from Lubumbashi to Kinshasa is $400.

Question: Mdala Wa RueThnx for this…now the second and biggest question is Language Barrier….French vazhinji hatiizive…how does one break this barrier?

Answer: Rejoice yahhhh Language here ma1. unogona kutenderera town yese ukashaya nonzwa chirungu. here they speak French, Swahili and Lingala but Swahili is a bit like Shona. I was lucky i got a job where they only speak English but i would like to learn French nekuti zvino batsira pa CV

Question:Rodwell MaonekeWhat business opportunities  can u get there?As for me language is not much of a barrier,I speak and understand bit of Swahili and Lingala.

Answer: Rejoice A lot of Zimbas are here and most of them are big bosses and they work in different business sectors especially the mines.

Rejoice #Justice the average price for a standard lodge will be $35 a night then depending on ur taste of food sadza n chicken starts from $3 upwards and we also have chicken inn;pizza inn and Galitos)nandos) which has almost the same prices as in Zim.

Question:Tendai Bond Cash-Baroness WeMhaziAnowanikwa here mabasa acho Nothando huye anotsvakwa sei??

Answer : Rejoice Tendai opportunities are there but the main challenge is most jobs require people who are fluent in both English and French. Accommodation is reasonable but unlike in Zim where they ask for a month’s rent as deposit here they want 10 times ur months rent. for example if u get an apartment for 300$ you will pay $3000 deposit refundable 3 months prior to ur intended termination date of lease. there is no war what so ever there is peace just like in Zim.

Rejoice for those who are looking for jobs you can go to this website. its usually very reliable www.mediacongo.net

Rejoice Congo is now more or less like Zim. the middle class has been wiped out ,there is only the very rich and the average men. in relation to opening a salon it depends on ur target market. In some places it is better than Zim.in terms of infrastructure(buildings) they quiet backward.

Question:Tendai Bond Cash-Baroness WeMhaziAh hakuna hondo???? Ko vanhu vaye vatinoona vakasenga ma tswanda nezvana zviine scared traumatised looking faces zvatinoona pa tV? Yuwii. Ndoda hangu kuuya kana kuri smart smart. Saka ndave kutozvipa gore rekudzidza French ndiuye ikoko. Ndiri serious.

Question: Ad Mire Prime Makushaare there opportunities for web developers in DRC?

Response: Rejoice  there could be but like what i said earlier on most of the websites hosts are French.

PS* The interview was carried out on Zimbabwe Business Ideas and Network in 2015. Do you have up to date information about DRC? If yes then post below and update members.

Thanks

Did you know that 50% of ZBIN board members are Diasporans? We deliberately arrived at this decision because of commitment to Diaspora engagement and investment. USA is represented on the board with two board members; UK has two board members and South Africa has one representative. We will be creating an expanded ZBIN council so as to ensure that we cover all regions across the globe such as Australia, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Canada and Namibia. We would like our Diaspora Community to play an increasing role on the forum by directing Policy Design and Review. We would like ZBIN to play an increasing role in Diaspora Advocacy in terms of investment in Zimbabwe. This is why we have been covering Diaspora Engagement for the past 2 years and will continue covering it in future.

Our second article on Diaspora Engagement involves Diaspora Driven Investment (DDI) which should be a new term for most of our followers because we are used to Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).

According to Debass and Ardovino, DDI is distinct from FDI in that it relies on ‘a transnational social network made up of migrants and migrant mechanisms operating between host and home countries. The migrants are the linchpin because they have a unique knowledge of their homeland and culture. These factors make the migrants a more viable facilitator of capital acquisition and investment.

In illustrating this point Leblang provides the example that a migrant community from India residing in the US can provide US investors with a signal of the work ethic, labour quality, and business culture that exists in India. These signals enhance the quality of information that US investors have about India allowing them to make forecasts about their ability to invest in potentially profitable assets offered on the Indian market. Indeed, ‘migrant networks influence investment by facilitating the familiarity effect and by decreasing constraints imposed by information asymmetries and transactions costs.’

Companies like Yahoo, Hewlett Packard and General Electric have opened R&D centres in India largely because of the confidence engendered by the presence of many Indians working in their US operations. This points to the cognitive effects arising from the projection of a coherent, appealing, and progressive identity on the part of the diaspora which signals an image of prosperity and progress to potential investors and consumers So why do diaspora members provide direct investment in their home country? Nielsen and Riddle have conducted extensive research into answering this question and they suggest that ‘Some diaspora members are interested in investing in their homeland because they expect a financial return; others are driven by the possibility of social recognition from within their diaspora communities and organizations. The investment interest of other diaspora members may be motivated by the potential emotional satisfaction they will receive when investing in their homelands.

It is evident that, whatever the motivation may be, diaspora members are playing an increasingly important role in increasing FDI flows into their home country and determining the destination of outward direct investment from the home country. ‘Contacts and social networks (known in China as guanxi) are one of the essential ingredients for the Chinese when doing business. The presence of overseas Chinese in a certain country may therefore reduce the risks and costs associated with identifying business opportunities by Chinese companies thus favouring Chinese outward FDI.’ With many economists believing that China is on track to be the world’s largest economy by 2030, it is no surprise that FDI has been a major factor in the emergence of China as a manufacturing and trading powerhouse in the 1990s. The importance of Chinese DDI is evident from the fact that about 80 per cent of all foreign investment – some $200 billion which has poured into China since 1980 has come from overseas Chinese.50 Similarly, ‘the strong ties between the Italian diaspora and their homeland have also boosted inward FDI. In this case the mechanism at work was constituted mainly by the valuable information on business opportunities in Italy that companies managed by emigrants utilized to invest in Italy from abroad.’ Speaking on the role of investment by the Caribbean diapora, Rampersad notes that the diaspora is ‘deeply sympathetic to nation building… [and is] more inclined to invest their resources beyond the call of duty because their drive is more zealous and passionate than potential non West Indian investors.’52 Furthermore, ‘the Diaspora is amongst the best equipped to shoulder the responsibility as the sons and daughters who have proven their abilities in the global market place.

Did you know that 60% of ZBIN board members are Diasporans? We deliberately arrived at this decision because of commitment to Diaspora engagement and investment. We would like our Diaspora Community to play an increasing role on the forum by directing Policy Design and Review. We would like ZBIN to play an increasing role in Diaspora Advocacy in terms of investment in Zimbabwe. This is why we have been covering Diaspora Engagement for the past 2 years, we will continue to cover it in the future. Our second article on Diaspora Engagement involves Diaspora Driven Investment (DDI) which should be a new term for most of our followers because we are used to Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).

An interesting initiative in promoting DDI is the African Diaspora Marketplace (ADM). The ADM is a business plan competition designed to support economic development in Sub-Saharan Africa and allows the US-based African Diaspora community to directly invest in viable small and medium enterprises. In 2010, fourteen diaspora-driven businesses in seven countries were awarded matching grants ranging from $50,000 to $100,000. Winning entries ranged from a commercial plant tissue culture business that uses biotechnology to increase yield and quality of produce for Ethiopian agriculture producers, to a franchise business model that will empower female nurse entrepreneurs to improve access to healthcare and reduce the burden on government hospitals in Ghana.

The brain gainer: In many countries, talented and highly educated émigrés have returned to their home countries to tap into promising opportunities there. As these professionals return to their countries, they bring knowledge and technology as well as capital and access to advanced markets in developed countries. Furthermore, they can serve as advisors and role models to domestic businessmen and even advise government officials on effective oversight and regulatory issues.

The altrustic technologist: Diasporas are major conduits of technology and business know-how to their home countries and are prompted by altruism and a general goodwill to invest in their home countries. DDI is also superior to FDI because diaspora groups are better informed about the capabilities and technology necessary for working in their home country. Due to the diasporas cultural and socio-economic linkage with their home countries, their importation of technologies will be in tune with local realities and cultural sensitivities. Thus, they are more likely to import and implement appropriate technologies than foreign investors who have little experience doing business in the homeland.

The brave capital investor: Palestinian, Armenian and Cuban diaspora interest in homeland investment is driven by a perceived ethnic advantage and this makes these brave investors more likely to engage in DDI, given known risks. Altruism and a sense of cultural connectedness are also significant factors in such decisions. Diaspora investors’ willingness to invest and develop world-class industries in Taiwan and China, in spite of questionable fundamentals and serious business impediments, provides striking evidence of this fact in support of their superior abilities in coping with the shocks. n The catalyst: Many scholars have noted a catalytic effect of DDI on FDI. In China and Israel, diaspora investors and entrepreneurs played a critical role in attracting nonresident FDI by setting up joint ventures and promoting export for domestic companies.

The diplomat: DDI works in the interest of US commercial policy and diplomacy. First, it expands market-driven economies amenable to US economic interests. DDI can also be a powerful vehicle for commercial diplomacy. Commercial diplomacy in the form of sustaining and supplementing positive linkages between Western developed economies and the global economic system, provides a powerful foundation for many foreign policy and national security goals.

Benefits of diaspora-assisted FDI There are a number of important factors that favour diaspora-led FDI activities versus the normal investment attraction approaches.

1. Firstly, diaspora members are an excellent resource beyond pure capital. They occupy an intermediary position between the flows of capital, labour, knowledge and a host of other resources. Additionally, they assist in the transference of a variety of skills to the country of origin in the form of tacit knowledge.
2. Diaspora members not only serve as important potential investors, but can be seen as the ‘first-movers’ into a country which may act as a catalyst for further investment by nondiaspora members. In relation to the Armenian diaspora, Freinkman notes that ‘when compared to the average economic agent, diaspora businessmen and professionals face a lower risk of becoming the first movers. They benefit from a specific informational advantage: common cultural background and established social links between diaspora and local entrepreneurs help them to reduce transaction costs of new entry and building new partnerships.’
3. Emotional connections to their country of origin and feelings of duty and obligation may motivate diaspora members to invest despite unfavourable economic conditions.
4. Members of the diaspora may help to encourage FDI by providing market and operational information about the homeland to potential investors and brokering relationships with buyers, suppliers, partners, government officials and lending institutions in the homeland.
5. Beyond direct investment, diaspora members can support the Government’s investment agency’s objectives in a variety of other ways including assisting in the flows of venture capital and in the academic space by connecting to international peers and collaborators to create global innovation networks.
6. Diaspora members often have knowledge about investment opportunities, information about regulations and procedures, or familiarity with language and customs of the homeland that can decrease the transaction costs associated with cross-border investment.

ZBIN is at the forefront of championing diaspora engagement so that the nation can benefit from the hard working sons and daughters who are living and working on foreign soil. We are championing this so that there can be a win-win relationship between Zimbabwe and the ‘Second Zimbabwe’, the ‘Second Zimbabwe’ has more than 4 million citizens and the number keeps growing. The current scenario is that of the Diasporas remitting close to $1 Billion annually, money remitted to assist relatives back home and small investment projects. We believe that there is room for improvement if a Policy Framework is in place to encourage investment by our brothers and sisters in the Diaspora. Some have already finished building homes in Zimbabwe and the Diaspora and are now looking for investment opportunities in Zimbabwe. Some want to invest in farming, mining, tourism, retail sectors and transport sectors. For them to do so and contribute to the growth of our country, they need formal acknowledgement. They would like to see Policies that helps to protect their investments; they would like to see an enabling environment for them. We currently have the developments of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) under consideration-how about Diaspora Economic Zones (DEZs)?

Last time we shared with you innovative ways of transforming the diaspora remittance sector such as Diaspora Bonds, we also covered the involvement of Micro Finance Institutions and gave you an example of an organisation called Kiva which links diaspora remittances with micro-finance. We also shared with you developments in India where there are formal Government mechanisms to engage the Diaspora such as the existence of a Ministry that deals with Diaspora Issues.

Today we will look at an interesting angle of the Diaspora and Philanthropy which should help us in assessing whether this is something we can try in Zimbabwe. We have provided you with 2 examples of organisations that have been set up in other countries to support Philanthropy work. The bottom line is that there is more that the Diaspora can do to contribute to the development of their countries-there is more beyond remittances!

‘Diaspora philanthropy can be said to represent the essence of the power of diaspora engagement. What greater privilege is there in life than giving back to your family – whether it’s one’s immediate or transnational family? Philanthropy is often equated to money, but its true definition of ‘caring for humankind’ extends far beyond this and the legacy generated by diaspora philanthropy will ensure that the diasporas engagement will have a lasting effect on the future of the homeland. Indeed, ‘Real generosity toward the future lies in giving all to the present.’ Albert Camus

The diaspora can help the development of philanthropy in the homeland in a number of ways:

• By making outright gifts of cash, stock or property and visiting projects.
• By making wills and bequests and other ‘planned giving’ products.
• By adopting specific philanthropic projects in the homeland and acting as mentors to them.
• By encouraging the Government in the homeland to create more conducive conditions for giving, particularly in relation to the taxation environment.
• By investing in capacity building in homeland nonprofit organisations. One practical example of that would be offering to facilitate internships and exchanges of key personnel in the nonprofit organisations they support in their own country.
• By helping the non-profit sector develop best practice in new emerging areas such as venture philanthropy, social entrepreneurship, philanthrocapitalism, etc.

Relief and aid from diaspora members Diaspora members often engage with the homeland through relief and aid efforts in the aftermaths of natural disasters in the homeland. To harness the generosity of the diaspora in relation to relief efforts, a number of organizations have been established:

Fund for Armenian Relief: The Fund for Armenian Relief (FAR) was founded in 1988 in response to a devastating earthquake. FAR provides short-term emergency relief and implements long-term programs for the economic growth and social development of Armenia. It helps the most vulnerable segments of the population – children and the elderly – and prepares the youth and professionals to drive the country’s new democratic state. FAR implements a wide range of programs in Armenia and Karabagh: from emergency relief to construction to education, medical aid, and economic development. Since its inception, FAR has channelled more than $265 million in humanitarian assistance to Armenia. Headquartered in New York City, it also has offices in Armenia and in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan. Its diverse programs include a Homeless Children’s Center, an Information Technology Centre, educational scholarship programs, a Medical Education Program, soup kitchens, and senior centers.

The Haitian Diaspora Federation: The mission of the Haitian Diaspora Federation (HDF) is to help create a stronger and more prosperous and equitable Haiti by mobilizing the Haitian diaspora resources to address the reconstruction, and sustained economic growth and development of Haiti. The Haitian Diaspora Federation (HDF) is a broad-based alliance of Nonprofit Organizations (NPOs) under one umbrella to amplify the voice of the Haitian Diaspora. In partnership with the international community, the Government of Haiti and other sectors, HDF will focus the Diaspora’s energy and resources on the ongoing relief and the longer term reconstruction efforts to rebuild a stronger, more vibrant and socially just Haiti. The Federation seeks to harness resources for the Haitian Diaspora organizations and ensure their active integration and participation, along with the international donors’ aid, in the delivery of an integrated plan of relief, restoration and local capacity building for the short and long-term welfare of the victims within Haiti’s long-term comprehensive reconstruction and sustainable development. The sense of duty to assist in the rebuilding efforts, to reach out to those in the homeland, to connect as a global community are often major catalysts in the diaspora becoming fundamental players in relief efforts.

We are always encouraging our members to be formally registered entities that comply with all national and local laws and regulations. One area that we really encourage our members to comply with is the payment of taxes. Others see the payment of taxes as an expense but to us we see it as an investment! Paying taxes and being compliant means that you can qualify for many tenders, many government programmes and also access credit. A bank is likely to give loan to someone who is tax compliant than one who is running away from tax authorities. Running away from tax authorities shows that you are ‘suspect’ and therefore your risk profile is very high!

So be tax compliant and the trick from most people entering the business sector is that make sure you pay tax from day 1. Do not wait to operate for a long period of time before deciding to be tax compliant because if you delay then its going to be difficult to adjust-so adjust from day 1. When we introduce the Diaspora Linkages Partnership programme, the first requirement is are you formally registered? If Yes then here is the bonus question, are you tax compliant? If you answer yes to the bonus question then you automatically qualify to be on our database. Paying tax is the first stage in showing that you are trust worthy but when you are operating below the radar, hiding operations and evidence of your income-then who can trust you with funds that do not belong to you? Chances are very high that you will just run away with investors funds.

Anyway this evening allow us to share with you Tax and Customs Requirements for New Businesses.You can find this information on www.zimra.co.zw.

ZBIN is an innovation driven business forum which supports all forms of innovations from our community. We are always brainstorming on new ways of solving our business problems especially in the areas of Access to Markets( Objective 2) and Access to Capital (Objective 3). Now there is a downside to innovation and it is failure! Innovation and failure goes hand in hand and at  ZBIN we do not celebrate failure -we also do not hide it! After every failure of an innovation or initiative, we go to the drawing board and find out why we failed and then put the initiative on hold and retry at a later time. Sometimes enterprising youngsters from the forum do take up the  failed projects and introduce amazing innovations such as the recent App on Poultry Marketing.

The good thing about these innovations is that they do no cost money, we are not sinking anyone’s funds into these projects. So what are the failures that have been recorded by ZBIN to date?

Poultry Website: In March the forum created the first ZBIN website whose address was www.zbinchickens.co.zw. What a wonderful site-the site was supposed to help our community with access to markets by hosting free poultry adverts. We also had a Market Linkage section that allowed farmers and buyers to register and negotiate prices. We profiled farmers on a weekly basis so that they could help inspire others with their success stories and tips. The site had an excellent resources center with a lot of downloadable materials and resources such as Poultry Diseases, Poultry Business Plans and other resources. We had included a Price Tracker of all Poultry Products so as to help farmers track latest prices across the country and make informed decisions. We had included a Discussion forum to help members in discussing poultry issues. We also had plans to open a Poultry Online Shop to help in marketing poultry products. Then one day the unthinkable happened-our wonderful forum disappeared! We tried to get in touch with the website developer but he was not reachable…What a Shocker! Disappointed, we discarded the concept of resuscitating the forum because we had exhausted all energy in developing the site. There simply was no energy to redo the job and up to now we have no interest in developing another poultry site. We had developed what we feel was probably the best poultry site on earth because we had done extensive researches of all the sites in the world and also took into consideration the needs of our community.

Portuguese Learning on WhatsApp Group: We formed a group so as to equip members interested in touring Mozambique with Portuguese Speaking and Writing skills. Teaching members on the forum did not work as anticipated. We realized that the best way for members to learn was through engaging paid experts of use of Portuguese Learning Apps.

Buyers and Sellers Linkage: An initiative meant to help members struggling to sell goods or services, we linked up sellers and buyers-created a group for the members but it never worked. Credit goes to the developer of the Poultry App and we hope that he will extend the app to general products and services

Car hire linkage: launched in December 2016, this initiative modelled along the Uber service was meant to help locals with cars for hire to link up with tourists and Diasporans. This would eliminate car rental firms who are often expensive. The innovation had no takers, We will relaunch this initiative in June 2017 after carrying out detailed surveys and studies.

Online Forex Trading: It started on a promising note with a lot of members showing interest. We provided free training and resources on online forex trading. Where there are profits, Fraudsters are bound to be found. The founding Admin of the group decided to open a separate account where he started trading on behalf of members which was against the Forum Policy. The scheme never worked as had his own interests of quick riches despite repeated warnings. As advertised, we will be relaunching Online Forex Trading and this time we will work with members who know the basics. We will equip our members with simple online trading tips for free and members are supposed to invest their time in researching and practice. We will weed out those who try to create separate groups that promises quick returns or online forex traders who stay in hotels. Members will start with very low sums of startup capital where they will make a $1 profit or $1 loss but learning during the process. So the initial failure has not distracted us, we will relaunch on 1 May 2017.

Mozambique Business Tours: We realized that Mozambique has a lot of untapped business opportunities and decided to tap into these opportunities. The first activity in taking advantage of these opportunities was to visit the country. In March 2016, we carried out our first tour of the city of Tete which is located about 350 kilometers from Harare. This was a successful trip that opened our eyes to a lot of opportunities that abound in Mozambique. We discovered the presence of foreign nationals such as Filipinos, Mexicans and South Africans. It did not make sense why Zimbabweans were not benefiting by setting up businesses there. Two more trips were carried out with one in April and another in November 2016. We did not want mere trips but setting up of businesses by our members in Mozambique, establishment of partnerships by Zimbabweans and Mozambicans. To date only a few have benefited and for the rest there is little to show for the investment in the 3 tours in 2016. As a follow up, we hope to create a database of opportunities and also provide information such as registrations, rentals and local bye laws. Our members should go to Mozambique with ready information on investment, ready to register, open bank accounts and start operations. This is a more efficient and effective way of using resources than just visiting Mozambique for sight-seeing. We hope to have this database by June 2017.

So we are not hiding our failures, we are not celebrating either but are highlighting them so that we can learn and improve. We are going to keep on innovating and promote innovations from our members. We are not going to be afraid of failure but will learn from them rather than hide or stopping new initiatives because ZBIN is an innovation driven organization. They say Failure is Success if you can learn from it.

ZBIN is the pioneer business group in Zim in terms of OnlineForex Trading. We started on a good note before one of the founding admin decided to trade on behalf of members. The scheme never succeeded because the objective of the group was for members to get information about online forex trading and trade on their own. You get elementary information and then try on your own. A lot of practice required on a dummy account where you are supposed to master the basics.

We have had a lot of dubious trainers who train people and after training they then ask members if they are interested in having funds invested on their behalf-this never works as Online Forex Trading is a high risk area. There are no success stories of people who benefited from such arrangements. In forex trading, the rule is that you have to carry your own cross-trade on your own!

So what are we proposing this time around?

We will be relaunching Online Forex Trading on 1 May 2017 which is 2 months away. We will develop a strong and closely knit family of online forex traders, who can share information and resources. Everythin being conducted in a transparent manner. We would like to have a closely knit family that regularly meets and discuss on strategies, what is working and what is not.

So who can join?

We have learnt in the past, if you are not good with Mathematics then you are going to struggle, so allow me to exclude this group for now. We are inviting folks who are very good with their Maths, fast learners and willing to research and learn from others. We currently have 2 groups- the first one for Online Forex Traders in Zimbabwe and the other one for SA citizens.

Quick Riches?

People will learn slowly on their own-we hope to take advantage of the presence of seasoned traders on the forum in terms of resource sharing. This is not a get rich quick scheme-you have to put in a lot of hours trading small amount such as $5, making profits of say 50 cents till you are comfortable. If you are looking forward to making instant riches, then this programme is not for you.

What to do between now and May 2017?

Make this website your favourite site www.babypips.com. All the resources you need are found there. We also urge you to open a dummy Meta Trader Account and familiarise yourself with the tool. You can access a lot of videos on Online Forex Trading from Youtube.

Wishing you the best

Did you know that in 2003 a houses in High Density Suburbs in Harare had a price range of US$8,000-10,000? Houses in Mabelreign $30,000-$40,000. A 1 bedroomed flat in the City Centre had a price range of $6,000-$12,000. A 2000 square metres residential stand in Ruwa was going for US$2,000. This is the time where those who had emigrated to UK simply took loans or montages of 10,000 Pounds and buy a home in the medium density surbubs. Fourteen years down the line the situation is totally different with $8,000 only buying you a 240 square metres residential stand in Glenview 7!

Anyway today we are not comparing prices but just giving you information for decision making. If you are thinking of buying a residential stand in the low density areas, the leafy surbubs of Harare-how much do you need for budgeting purposes?

Rolf Valley $135k for a 4,000 sqm stand

Gletwin $45k for a 2,000 sqm stand

Shawasha $85k for a 4,230 sqm stand

Glenlorne $75k for a 2,100 sqm stand

Glenlorne $53k for a 2,000 sqm stand

Borrowdale Brook $140k for a 4,000 sqm stand

Borrowdale $60k for a 1,000 sqm stand

Borrowdale $140k for a 1,384 sqm stand

Philadelphia $60k for a 2,000 sqm stand

Mt Pleasant $100k for a 4,000 sqm stand

Mt Pleasant $50k for a 2,000 sqm stand

Mt Pleasant Height $25k for a 1,000 sqm stand

We obtained the above information from newspaper adverts and the site www.classifieds.co.zw. So on average one needs at least $50k to obtain a residential stand in the leafy suburbs of Harare. Prices can be negotiated downwards if you have cash-we urge our followers to be careful of cash purchases though as chances of getting duped are extremely high when cash is involved. Another caution to our community is to avoid infill stands at all costs-200% of them are dubious properties.

In future we hope to give you more trends such as the cost of building homes, new residential projects, real estate fraud trends and many more. We are also looking forward to covering Melfort in the next instalment.

Objective Number 2 of ZBIN is Access to Markets. We would like our members to have easy access to markets so that they can concentrate on what they do best-farming! Our farmers should spend more time running around trying to ensure that they produce the best agricultural produce and not worry about who will buy their products. Access to Markets is our biggest challenge and this is why 2 weeks ago I had to spend the greater part of my day with a team from  ZBIN Poutry Members trying to brainstorm on how to solve the Access to Markets Puzzle. One solution we came up with is having a Poultry Company that buys poultry from our members and sell in bulk to retailers. Some time back we had initiated a programme called Market Linkages of linking Poultry Farmers and Buyers-the scheme never took off because our Poultry website, www.zbinchickens.co.zw was mysteriously pulled down. So one of our members has revived the dream of market linkages and we are extremely proud of this development.

This is  fabulous news for the ZBIN community-we have an innovative solution to the Markets Hurdle. A new App has been developed that links farmers and buyers. Developed by Mathew Rhuhwaya, the App is called Poultry Market Room (PMR). Details of the new app are listed below:

POULTRY MARKET ROOM’ (PMR) is a mobile marketing business tool designed to revolutionise the poultry market.
PMR deals with all types of poultry from chickens and quail to guinea fowl and turkeys so all niche markets are included. Registration on the platform is a simple process where all one needs is an internet connection and a registered mobile number.
PMR brings ease of access, scalability and efficiency by establishing a self regulating poultry market that benefits all parties involved. PMR has an easy to use interface and takes a minimalist approach in its design.
By offering a platform where buyers and sellers in poultry can meet in a single dedicated poultry marketplace PMR provides a unique competitive advantage to its users:
• Secure, mobile and on demand
• Run customized searches
• Exponentially increased market accessibility
• Creative and innovative ecosystems of poultry dealers
• Provide real time interface with an active market
• Simultaneous negotiations with multiple dealers
• Electronic payment options
• Peer to peer rating system
• Scale and growth in the volume of poultry trade
Buyers and Sellers post customizable deals and negotiate anonymously with each other. They assess each other through the use of a ‘peer to peer’ rating system thus ensuring a self regulating platform that automatically maintains high standards. Thus buyers can maximize their ratings by making reliable and prompt payments, while sellers can ensure high ratings by supplying superior quality produce on time. This all encourages a healthy scalable and competitive marketing ecosystem.
Access the poultry market at your convenience anytime, anywhere through your smart phone device.

You can access the App on the link below:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.pmr.poultrymarketroom

Imagine yourself helping a friend who has found commercial space at Makoni Shopping Centre. This friend would like to open a new pub at this popular business centre in Chitungwiza.

There are more than 30 bottle stores and pubs at this busy centre. So the question to ask is how are you going to compete with 30 or more competitors selling the same product? Is he going to reduce the price of beer? This is not feasible as the price of beer from the major beer price, Delta is the same. Selling at a lower price in order to attract customers is not feasible at all. So what are the options available to him? In the past a few club owners had DSTV sports that helped them to attract revellers interested in watching their favourite soccer teams in action. This competitive advantage over rivals did not last long as everyone soon followed. So given the few options available to gain a competitive advantage over competitors, what can this friend do to compete against others?

He can spruce up the place so that it looks fresh-one strategy to compete against others maybe service-the quality of service that he gives to clients.

He may consider hosting sporting tournaments such as Pool at his bar, this may help attract

Introduce Mbira Concerts, few pubs host Mbira Music and yet it is popular and does not require a lot of capital to attract bands. A case in mind is that of the hugely Mbira dze Dzimbahwe in Budiriro or the former Beer Engineer Mbira group-Samaita who used to fill the venue before relocation to USA.

If you ask me to go and open a pub at Makoni Shopping Centre, I would think again because there are just too many pubs/bottlestores at the place making profitability a challenge. This has led business people to look elsewhere for entertainment business and one such place is Tanza Centre.

The example above was just giving you an example of the decision making that an Entrepreneur goes through when deciding to set up a business-competition analysis! How you are going to compete will either break or make your business.

In 1985, Harvard Business School professor Michael Porter wrote Competitive Advantage. He outlined the three primary ways companies achieve a sustainable advantage. They are cost leadership, differentiation, and focus.

Cost leadership means you provide reasonable value at a lower price. Companies do this by continuously improving operational efficiency. That means usually pay their workers less. Some compensate by offering intangible benefits such as stock options, benefits, or promotional opportunities. Others take advantage of unskilled labour surpluses.

Differentiation means you deliver benefits better than anyone else. A company can achieve differentiation by providing a unique or high-quality product. Another method is to deliver it faster. A third is to market in a way that reaches customers better. A company with a differentiation strategy can charge a premium price. That means it usually has a higher profit margin.

Focus means you understand and service your target market better than anyone else. You can use either a cost leadership or differentiation strategy. The key is to focus it on one specific target market. Often it’s a tiny niche that larger companies don’t serve. For example, community banks use a focus strategy to gain sustainable competitive advantage. They target local small or high net worth individuals. Their target audience enjoys the personal touch that big banks may not be able to give. They are willing to pay a little more in fees for this service. These banks are using a differentiation form of the focus strategy.

So we have given you 3 strategies for competing, going back to my friend at Makoni Centre, he cannot use the cost strategy because of the reasons I explained before. This leaves him with differentiation or focus. Focus remains a viable option if he focuses on Mbira Music Lovers.

We can also analyse how ZBIN was formed. We realised there was no platform for business discussions on Social Media especially Facebook. All Zimbabwean business pages were formed for adverts. A total of 10 groups existed at the time when we formed ZBIN. We decided to focus on business discussions and business exchange of ideas. This became our focus and identity. We do host a couple of limited adverts but this area is not our key strength, we have concentrated on what we do best-business discussions!

So you too can analyse your current business set up. Remember that you cannot do everything-rather concentrate on what you are good at, what provides you with a competitive advantage sustainably.