Diaspora Matters

Many people are not aware of the benefits of registering their companies. Whenever the subject crops up the number one fear expressed by most entrepreneurs is paying tax. Few entrepreneurs are interested in paying tax and most will do the best they can to avoid ZIMRA and NSSA. This is one of the major reasons why most would rather remain backyard and not register their businesses. The sad part though is they do not know the opportunity cost of being unregistered.

Can you imagine what would have happened to Strive Masiyiwa if he had wanted to dodge paying taxes? Would Econet be around if Masiyiwa had wanted to remain underground without attracting the attention of the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority? He formally registered Econet and attracted a lot of investors who poured in money into his business, this is how Econet grew.

So be low we will try and summarise some of the major advantages that can accrue to your business when you formally register it.

1.Separate Legal Identity and Limited Liability: A limited company has a legal existence separate from management and its members (the shareholders).The protection given by limited liability is perhaps the most important advantage of incorporation. The members’ only liability is for the amount unpaid on their shares. Since most private companies issue shares as “fully paid”, if things go wrong, a members’ only loss is the value of the shares and any loans made to the company. Personal assets are not put at risk. The protection of limited liability does not, however, apply to fraud. Company directors have a legal duty not to incur liabilities in their companies which they have reason to believe the company may not be able to pay. If creditors lose money through director fraud, the directors’ personal liability is without limit.

2.Continuity

Once formed, a company has everlasting life. Directors, management and employees act as agent of the company. If they leave, retire, die – the company remains in existence. A company can only be terminated by winding up, liquidation or other order of the courts or Registrar of Companies

3.New Shareholders and Investors can be easily introduced

The issue, transfer or sale of shares is a relatively straightforward process – although existing shareholders are protected via their “preemption” rights and by company legislation that seeks to protect the interests of minority investors.

4.Ability to access credit: Banks prefer extending credit facilities to registered companies. Your chances of getting a loan become higher when you are registered, when you can show that you company is a law abiding citizen who pays taxes and comply to all relevant local laws.

5.Access to tenders: This is is my favourite, have you ever seen tender adverts? I urge you to look closely at the requirements on adverts for tenders. The first requirement is that you should submit certifications of registration; you will be required to show tax compliance certificates. So if you would like to participate in tenders and compete against other companies then make sure that you have your ‘papers’ in order and this includes registration and tax compliance. The big monies are on tenders for the supply of goods or services and rarely do they consider applicants who are not registered.

So there you are good folks, you have more to lose by not registering your company! In the next article we will explore various options available to you for registering your company. We will provide all the resources of various service providers who assist with company registration and their costs.

So the Mining Sector is one of the richest field to venture into especially gold mining. It is unfortunately one of the riskiest fields where many new investors lose money. This is the sector with the most thieves so tread with care. Do not rush to invest simply because you have seen someone making it or have heard of rich pickings by your friends who are doing mining. Exercise caution, obtain all the relevant information, verify information before you part with a penny.

ZBIN Initiative

We would like to reduce the risk of making losses in the sector by provision of quality information. Within the group we have a number of Mining Consultants who are willing to provide information to potential investors. Consultants who are willing to provide information on getting relevant permits, pegging, access to credit, mining equipment etc These consultants are also able to provide information on trends in the mining sector, opportunities and risks.

The consultants will be willing to provide this information for a fee. So if you would like to find basic information they should be able to provide this at a nominal fee. Having information will help save your time and other resources.

Inviting Mining Consultants

The ZBIN Community is therefore inviting Mining Consultants to register by leaving their details below. We will send you a questionnaire which you have to fill. We will make follow ups with you so that we can certify you as a Mining Consultant who can provide services to our community.

We are looking forward to certifying at least 10 Mining Consultants from the ZBIN Community. Our members will be asked to continuously provide feedback on the performance of the consultants. Members would be asked to rate the consultants in terms of fees, quality of information provided and customer service.

So if you are a consultant we are asking you to provide the following details:

Name:

Email Address

Contact Phone

Location

Thank you

Last year an audit company called HLB Ruzengwe and Company was engaged by The Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA) to carry out a forensic audit on ZIMRA operations. The auditors produced a damning report which showed that some of the top employees of the authority were involved in corruption. A number of those implicated were suspended or fired and this included top management. The auditor report was widely publicised with members of public providing input on proposed corrective actions. We provided input on the need to establish a whistle blowing facility. A facility where members of public can submit evidence of ZIMRA employees engaging in corruption. A facility where you can phone, send an email or simply walk in with evidence.

The importance of this initiative being to reduce corruption through reporting. We believe that corruption should be reported and action taken against corrupt officials. Now the good news is that ZIMRA has established a Whistle Blowing facility where members of the public are invited to provide information anonymously.

ZIMRA last week started flighting an advert on local television inviting members of the public to report on any corrupt activities by ZIMRA officials- we call this excellent stuff!

Why is this Excellent News?

This means that members of public are now involved in the fight against corruption by ZIMRA Officials. This will bring accountability of all funds collected; the hope is that this will reduce corruption. Corruption by nature is difficult to eliminate but this measure will make it difficult for officials working for ZIMRA to engage in fraud because they may not know who will report them. Members of public are now empowered to report on corruption because they know where to report it!

Suggestions to ZIMRA

We feel that the Whistle Blowing Facility can be improved because only a few people have access to news. This writer has seen the advert twice but failed to get the email address of where to send concerns or information.

1. Official Launch: This important milestone should be officially launched by the Minister of Finance as this will show commitment to fighting corruption. The official launch would show that the facility receives support from ministerial level. Members of public are likely to give support when they see high level support.
2. Why Report Corruption: The Message should be clear on corruption. Why fight corruption? What happens when there is corruption? Why report corruption and how to do it? The public should understand why this is being done so that they can own the initiative. Benefits of fighting corruption should be clearly articulated.
3. Construct Bill Boards: ZIMRA should consider constructing large bill boards and place them at all border posts. The bill boards should clearly provide details of where to send information on corruption
4. Use of ZIMRA Website: The ZIMRA website www.zimra.co.zw should have details of where to report fraud
5. Facebook Page: ZRP has a Facebook Page where they engage members of the public. We would like to encourage ZIMRA to create a page where they can engage members of the public on the corruption fight
6. Radio Adverts: The current situation of only using the television to flight adverts is leaving out many people especially those in rural areas. We therefore encourage the use of radios such as Radio Zimbabwe so that the message can reach more people.
7. Radio Programmes: In addition to radio and television adverts, they engage members of the public by running radio or television programmes where they engage members of the public through phone in sessions, quiz and prizes
8. Report on Fraud: ZIMRA does an excellent job of reporting performance every quarter, they are not afraid to report on underperformance too. They can add a section on the report to report on Fraud. The number of anonymous tips received, cases reported for disciplinary action or number of employees implicated or relieved of their duties etc. This will give evidence to members of public that the whistle blowing facility is working.

We hope that ZIMRA will consider some of our recommendations because the fight against corruption involves working with everyone. The television advert is a good starting point, more should be done to sensitise and engage the public.

One of the must know business tools or techniques is the SWOT Analysis technique. SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis can help you identify and understand key issues affecting your business.

When you have a big business decision to make, one of the smartest things you can do during the planning process is conduct a SWOT analysis. It is an analytical framework that can help your company face its greatest challenges and find its most promising new markets.

SWOT analysis enables organizations to identify both internal and external influences. SWOT’s primary objective is to help organizations develop a full awareness of all the factors involved in a decision. It is impossible to accurately map out a small business’s future without first evaluating it from all angles, which includes an exhaustive look at all internal and external resources and threats.

A SWOT analysis focuses entirely on the four elements namely Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats.

Strengths and Weaknesses: These are the internal factors within an organization.

• Human resources – staff, volunteers, board members, target population
• Physical resources – your location, building, equipment
• Financial – grants, funding agencies, other sources of income
• Activities and processes – programs you run, systems you employ
• Past experiences – building blocks for learning and success, your reputation in the community
• Current processes, such as employee programs, department hierarchies and software

Opportunities and Threats: These are external factors stemming from community or societal forces.

• Future trends in your field or the culture
• The economy – local, national, or international
• Funding sources – foundations, donors, legislatures
• Demographics – changes in the age, race, gender, culture of those you serve or in your area
• The physical environment
• Legislation
• Local, national, or international events
• Market trends, like new products and technology or shifts in audience needs
• Political, environmental and economic regulations

Below is an illustration of a quick SWOT Analysis of The Zimbabwe Business Ideas and Network.

So what next after drafting a SWOT Analysis document?

Your next step should be to come up with an Action Plan which will guide you in terms of follow up strategies. For instance you may want to take advantage of your strengths or take an advantage of emerging opportunities in your environment. You can come up with top priority areas to action, who will be responsible for what  and when. Make it a practice to always review and update your document. You can even include this document whenever you are reviewing your monthly financial performance

We hope to bring you  more Management Tools and next week we tackle Financial Performance.

So ZBIN does not have a bank account, we do not have a single penny yet we are one of the richest communities in Zimbabwe? Where do the riches come from? The richness of the 28,000 strong group comes from  ‘Business Ideas and Networking’. Business discussions are going on every minute between 7:00am to 9:00pm in our various forums. 

Folks are networking, getting ideas on starting business, how to manage business, trends in business etc. Tens of business ideas are shared every day especially within our Watsapp Platforms. We do not give out loans but we can share where one can access loans. We can share how to access loans. So where we lack in terms of cash we compensate with innovative ideas for our members, we never run out of ideas to solve most of our business challenges. We have been doing this since 2015 and next month ZBIN will turn 2 years since it was established in February 2015.

We keep churning out business ideas, business innovations, business networkings. In March 2016 we went beyond business ideas exchanges-we started business tours to neighbouring countries. Mozambique-Tete was our first stop. I remember the Doctor doing my medicals asking me what I wanted to do in a poor country like Mozambique? He tried his best to discourage me from travelling to Mozambique as he termed the country backward offering no hope. I did not pay attention to his advice as all I wanted to do was to visit Mozambique and discover business opportunities if ever they existed.

I wasn’t disappointed with what I witnessed in Mozambique-there are plenty of opportunities in that country. My trip opened the doors for more follow up trips done by group members. Iam proud of the support from our members. ZBIN’s motto is to help in the development of Zimbabwe through innovation, sharing of ideas and networking. A person full of business ideas should be able to network with those with access to capital for their mutual benefit. A person with capital to invest but no idea on what to invest in should be able to identify profitable business opportunities that require funding and partnerships from the groups.

Our services are free of charge; our business innovations shared are for the benefit of our members and the country as a whole. One tenth of our members are Non Zimbabweans-they include South Africans, Indians, Zambians and Malawians. They are already benefiting from our various platforms where they get free business information and ideas. This shows that our platform is not only for Zimbabwe but we cover several countries especially those in Southern Africa.

Our top 3 priorities in 2017 include 1.Access to Capital/Finance for our members 2. Access to Markets by our members and 3. Partnerships. We hope to unlock more opportunities for our members by having better information so that they can access finance from registered financial institutions and investors. We also hope to help access to markets through networking and the use of innovative technologies. Lastly we hope to register growth through partnerships by locals and the Diaspora.

How much are we going to charge for all of this? Absolutely nothing because the ideas come from our members, the innovation comes from our members. So next month do take note of date of our first ZBIN Forum Meeting that will be held in Harare, Mainway Meadows. Do  come and participate in setting the agenda of ZBIN for 2017. More details to be shared by Catherine Shava who can be contacted on +263 776 196 313

Good Morning to you all hoping that we find you well. The rains have stopped in Harare and this comes as a relief as some of us are farmers and fields were water logged affecting crops. So this morning I bring an interesting story which is linked to Business and Leadership. Its the story of people born with extra fingures on each hand. Scientists call the condition Polydactyly. Iam not sure whether Africans have a name for the condition.

Scientific explanation of Polydactyly 

In humans/animals this condition can present itself on one or both hands. The extra digit is usually a small piece of soft tissue that can be removed. Occasionally it contains bone without joints; rarely it may be a complete functioning digit. The extra digit is most common on the ulnar (little finger) side of the hand, less common on the radial (thumb) side, and very rarely within the middle three digits. These are respectively known as postaxial (little finger), preaxial (thumb), and central (ring, middle, index fingers) polydactyly. The extra digit is most commonly an abnormal fork in an existing digit, or it may rarely originate at the wrist as a normal digit does.

The incidence of congenital deformities in newborns is approximately 2%, and 10% of these deformities involve the upper extremity. Congenital anomalies of the limb can be classified in seven categories, proposed by Frantz and O’Rahilly and modified by Swanson, based on the embryonic failure causing the clinical presentation. These categories are failure of formation of parts, failure of differentiation, duplication, overgrowth, undergrowth, congenital constriction band syndrome, and generalized skeletal abnormalities. Polydactyly belongs to the category of duplication. Because there is an association between polydactyly and several syndromes, children with a congenital upper extremity deformity should be examined by a geneticist for other congenital anomalies. This should also be done if a syndrome is suspected, or if more than two or three generations of the family are affected. Research has shown that the majority of congenital anomalies occur during the 4-week embryologic period of rapid limb development.

So why are we analysing this condition?

We are doing it  because it bas business linkages, legend has it that people born with 6 fingures are bound to be successful in life. At birth they usually cut off extra fingures so that a kid looks normal but there is a small remnant that remains. Are these necessarily successful? Are they special? Below we look at what history books and other nationalities have to say about Polydactyly.

Very interesting. I always thought that giants had six fingers in their hands and feet. It made sense if you think of the size of their feet and hands. The Sumerians used the 12 as a measure. We presently buy a dozen eggs in the stores. Why not 10 eggs? We have 5 fingers in each hand and feet. One foot equals 12 inches. Why not 10? My hypothesis is based on what we take for granted. The bible talks about the Nephelin and the Sumerians made reference in their clay tablets of Giants too. Makes you think that what we call history is quite skewed.
Andrew baille

Hi
My name is Dino (Konstantinos) and i was born with six fingers on the left hand. I am 40 years old and reside in Australia and It was cut off by doctors when i was a few days old (if i had my choice i would not have touched it) but i still have what you can clearly see is the remnants of a six finger on my left hand. As there is no history of such in my family history and the first in my whole family to be born with this mutation. It took 10 years for my parents to have me and i am an only child. The only thing i have very curious was not having a any such mutation in family blood line on both sides and how scientifically it could have happened to me. I am a very spiritual person and open minded, I’ve been told on many occasions that six fingers means good luck, compassion, generous, kind and affectionate. I therefore considerate a blessing by nature and a gift from the gods. If anyone can answer or give some inside into the genetic and DNA question of having no family history of it and and me being the first to have it that would greatly appreciate, just curious is all. All responses welcome 🙂 deantsol@hotmail.com      

General surveys of skeletal collections from Arizona for evidence of trauma and pathology led to the identification of polydactyly in two subadults. Polydactyly is a congenital condition characterised by the presence of extra digits on the hands or feet. Both affected subadults exhibit a sixth digit in the form of a branching fifth metatarsal. One of the affected individuals is an infant from the Tapia del Cerrito site exhibiting Y-shaped fifth metatarsals indicative of postaxial type A polydactyly. The second individual is a juvenile from the Nuvakwewtaqa (Chavez Pass Ruin) site exhibiting a left fifth metatarsal with a lateral branch, also diagnosed as postaxial type A polydactyly. These two cases appear to be the first examples of polydactyly from archaeological contexts identified among subadults, and bring the total number of known cases from the American Southwest to six. Discovery of so many examples of this relatively rare condition amongst the Puebloan people of the Southwest adds to the evidence that, rather than simply being an artistic motif, rock art depictions featuring hands and feet with six digits were probably inspired by observation of the condition amongst living people. Furthermore, burial treatment of the Tapia del Cerrito infant suggests that polydactyly may have conferred a special status on the bearer. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
crystal sage

Six Toes
After reading your article in nexus mag I decided to tell you about a story I know of a foot with six toes.
About ten years ago my girlfriends neighbour had a strange thing happen one night. The neighbour was woken up in the middle of the night by her son who was ten at the time rushing into her bedroom say that there was a brilliant light in his bedroom. The parents went into his bedroom to investigate what was going on but the light was gone. The strange thing was that towards the end of the boys bed was a large foot which had been burnt right through the blanket leaving a hole in the shape of a foot about 12inches long or maybe a little bigger. The strange thing was the foot had six toes.
The neighbour told my girlfriend and she told me and the neighbour invited us both over to look at it. I thought burning a hole in the blanket in the shape of a oversized foot should have set the blanket on fire but it didnt. Also you could see where the pressure marks had been like somebody had walked over the bed and burnt the imprint which was left behind.
I am not a professional person in these fields just a housewife but I didnt believe this incident to be made up. Many other strange things happened in that area an eventually most of the people who lived there moved away. This area was in northern NSW Australia.
Hope this info helps you. Reader of Nexus 16years.
Kiya

Postaxial hand polydactyly is a common isolated disorder in African black and African American children, and autosomal dominant transmission is suspected. Postaxial polydactyly is approximately 10 times more frequent in blacks than in whites and is more frequent in male children. This study showed incidence of all types of polydactyly to be 2.3 per 1000 in white males, 0.6 per 1000 in white females, 13.5 per 1000 in black males, and 11.1 per 1000 in black females

Extra Toes and Fingers
I thought your page was interesting and thought you would be interested in my family history. My mothers family has extra toes and fingers. It only seems to be passed on by the women in the family. I was born with 24 digits in all, one extra on each hand and foot. My youngest child (a boy) was born with 24 digits as well. (my older child had no extras, also a boy.) I wanted to know if you could get me in touch with the other extra toed people that have commented on your site?
Sheri

Terry,
To make a long story short polydactylism runs in my family. I have always felt in a very strange sort of a way that I do not belong here (as in on this planet). I have also felt that some sort of barrier has been placed in my mind to keep me from advancing for beyond what most people can comprehend. I am very aware of the existence of beings if you will that are just sitting around watching us like we’re lab rats of sorts. For sure, if nothing else the very elite are watching us in this manner. As humans we are all limited in vision as well as our thinking ability. Just look around at all of the educated fools there are in this world and have been throughout history. I admire your attempt to break through to find the truth but unless you get lucky you will not be able to overcome your physical limitations. Last but not least humans to me appear to be dumb but very dangerous animals almost virus like in nature. We did not come from this planet or we would be able to live in this environment without aid of clothes or SCUBA gear, etc. This is as far as I have gotten when it comes to figuring things out and I believe this is about as close to the wall as you can get without getting next to the elite that are hiding the very facts you are trying to discover which would in turn upset the whole belief system that has been created to keep man under some type of control.
john hunt                       

Hello,
My name is Velvet Rose. I was born with 6 fingers. I believe that I am precognitive amongst other things. And I want to know everything about how to handle and deal with this. I dont feel like everybody else. I know things without being told. Its uncomparable and I think it may have to do with being born with 6 fingers I dont know. Can anybody who knows something about this contact me?
Rose velvetrosem@gmail.com

Hi,
I admit that your site is interesting but some replies are borderline strange. Well, there is well documented cases of family genetics for polydacism. I had it (extra fingers removed at birth) but didn’t pass it on to my sons nor they to their children. It seems to come and go throughout our family line. We trace it back to King James and Anne Boleyn. I was told by a Indian gentleman (whose father was a medicine man) that they believe special talents can be found it people with six fingers and it wasn’t that common in their history (Plains Tribe). The cats that have it seems to dominant the area around here.
Interesting subject,
The Mulder’s

Bubba
Trevor, I believe you are correct.
Based on my own 6-finger research, this is what I’ve come up with:
Obviously having six fingers or toes points to the individual having either a genetic deformity or genetic “throwback” from something in that individuals bloodline, past.
Seeing as I do not believe it to be a one-time deformity in an individual (too consistent and wide-spread) I am forced to accept that it is genetic throwback.
When digging in, it seems that:
Back in the day, the watchers of man, appointed by God, forgot/neglected their duty and instead, lusted after the human women they were supposed to protect. Their union with human women (rape?) produced superhuman offspring. I believe there were 200 of these “watchers” who rebelled.
These offspring grew massively huge bodies, incredibly strong, durable, fast, and of course they all had six fingers and six toes. They also grew to an incredible age.
These creatures ruled over man and the planet for a long time.
They are responsible for the pyramids, Nazca lines, and all other old world monuments which we cannot explain using human-based principles.
Their hybrid children were the so-called “men of renown” as mentioned in the Bible.
They are the base of almost all mythologies. Greek, Hindu, Inca, pre-Inca, Sumer, Egyptian.
It was them who taught man about the stars, nature, science, writing etc etc.
Apparently their “hybrid policy” also extended towards the animal kingdom. ALL myths about human-animal hybrid creatures are based in fact.
Make no mistake, they were not nice guys. They ate human flesh, drunk human blood and had human sacrifices. Humans were their pets, playthings and food.
Hence our fascination with vampires today. Our fear of creatures drinking our blood is based on the fear of our ancestors.
Their knowledge of science, nature and astronomy far exceeded ours of today. Obviously, their original parents on earth were not human. IE; Not from this planet.
All of a sardine the Biblical flood makes perfect sense:
It was in order to cleanse the earth of the foreign bloodline (giants & hybrids) and start again, with a pure human bloodline. Noah and his family.
Oddly enough, all the flood stories from all over the planet feature the same character, by name, Noah.
China, the Hottentot people, Inca. Look it up.
But apparently the flood did not kill all. A guy called “Og”, the king of Bashan survived. After the flood he interbred with humans and started a race of people known as the “Annakim”. They were giants. All had six fingers and 6ix toes. The Biblical Goliath and his brothers were from the very same bloodline. These were the people the Israelites were told to destroy when they entered Canaan. They killed every one of them to the last man, woman and child. Again, the policy of keeping the homo sapiens bloodline pure. Do people read their Bibles? Obviously not.
So yes, people with 6 fingers and/or 6 toes are still born today. Same with giants.
It is merely a genetic throwback from a long time ago.
To me there is nothing strange or weird about having 6 fingers.
It is in fact a crucial reminder of our well documented but ignored past.
So consider yourself lucky. Six toes or not.
At least we’re not food anymore.
Bubba Tentoe

The Nephilim
The Nephilim were on the earth in those days-and also afterward-when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.
Genesis 6:4
We saw the Nephilim there (the descendants of Anak come from the Nephilim). We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.
Numbers 13:33
These statues are made to symbolize these giants of old, sons of angels. As you have obviously shown they were know to every culture across the world. The term Nephilim translated into Greek means Titan. Whom were also sons of the gods. These men were said to have six fingers. There is even a story in William Cody’s autobiography about an encounter with the Pawnee Indians that reads.
“While we were in the sandhills, scouting the Niobrara country, the Pawnee Indians brought into camp some very large bones, one of which the surgeon of the expedition pronounced to be the thigh bone of a human being. The Indians said the bones were those of a race of people who long ago had lived in that country. They said these people were three times the size of a man of the present day, that they were so swift and strong that they could run by the side of a buffalo, and, taking the animal in one arm, could tear off a leg and eat it as they ran.” They too had six fingers on their hands, which was why the Indians raised their hands when they greeted someone, so that they could count the fingers, for they feared the six fingered men.
Trevor

Alien Autopsy
Not so much a theory but an observation…Many civilisations from Central America to Africa and further have Gods with six fingers, we used twelve as our basic unit. Pounds Shillings and pence, and a Dozen are cases in point. The Neophilm in the Bible had 6 fingers. They were not of this earth and mated with the women of earth. These coincidences(?) must be linked. The fact the Alien Autopsy although steeped in controversy has consistently stood up to critics. Why would a hoaxer create a creature with six fingers when the creatures at Roswell are generally known to have had 4 fingers, surely you’d stick with the consensus, especially if you wanted to convince people. I feel we are looking at a non-human species from the past and present and they have perhaps evolved parallel to us but hidden, perhaps in Antartica. Many unusual projects have been based in Antartica.
Your site is very important to researchers studying the genesis of the AA. Thank you.
Orka 

Theory: Extraterrestrials
I believe that our forefathers were extra-terrestrials and that they had six fingers and toes. That is why the mathematical system of both ancient Sumer and Egypt was based on 12. They travelled the world, and we can find twelve-toed footprints on Anasazi petroglyphs in the Canyonlands of Utah, USA, and a twelve-fingered Sky Kachina in the tradition of the Laguna, Hopi and other Pueblo Indians. The Brazilian Ugha Mongulala believe their “Ancient Fathers”, who came from the stars, had “six fingers and six toes as signs of their divine origin”.

I know a woman who’s daughter was born with a small extra pinky on both hands. She had them removed when she was a baby. I also had a cat with extra toes on each paw.

According to popular superstition, extra digits in a hand is a sign of great good or evil. An extra finger on the right hand is supposed to bring good luck, ill-fortune if on the left. Six fingers on both hands indicates that its possessor will be famous or infamous in some way, like Gath, the Philistine giant mentioned in the Bible (1 Chr 20:6).

So there you have it folks, comments from across the globe posted on the website www.sydhav.no. You can visit the site and read more about this interesting topic.

This writer was also born with twelve fingures and when I was a youngster I could see visions of the outer space-a lot of things that were hard to explain happened. Iam glad it ended with time. So yes some people born with extra fingures have special talents. My small sample of people with extra fingures I have studied shows that they successful in the various fields they have chosen.

Iam a rich person? I do not think so especially when you look at my bank account. Maybe when it comes to business ideas, innovation and helping others? So help us to carry out a detailed study of people born with 6 fingures by sending your emails to vicmunemo@yahoo.com. We will send you a few questions and publish our results in a 4 weeks time.

We have provided you with costing information of raising broiler chickens and now we look at marketing your chickens. This not an easy area as most people struggle with marketing infact our research shows that raising chickens is actually easier than marketing them.

The traditional markets used by most Zimbabweans include selling to friends, workmates, neighbours and relatives. Some do take their chickens to Mbare Musika especially road runners. We have also witnessed the proliferation of bird cages with chickens for sale along major roads in the city or at shopping centres.

Now the above selling direct selling methods bring with them a lot of problems and the chief one is customers who take chickens on credit and fail to pay! This is the number one problem with the small scale poultry industry sector-availability of a reliable market.

Some have asked us about selling to big supermarkets such as OK, TM and SPAR but the major hurdle is that you need to have a constant supply of birds and the slaughter facilities have to meet high standards to be certified by their inspectors. The certification process may eat into profits of small scale farmers and sometimes they may fail to have a constant supply of chickens.

So markets-markets-markets is a common problem affecting everyone who is in this field. You can add the fact that barriers to entry are low such that it is a flooded industry and this drives down the profitability of the sector.

So what is ZBIN doing to solve the marketing problem?

We are of the view that our farmers should form one company where they supply chickens to. The company will then be able to concentrate on selling chickens in bulk to hotel chains, supermarkets and even export. Our members should coordinate their projects such that they can supply chickens on a regular basis. Farmers should therefore enjoy economies of scale in terms of marketing of their chickens. One central place, one voice for the sale of chickens from small scale farmers.

More discussions on this initiative will be done at our ZBIN Group meeting that would be held in February next month. If you are a small scale poultry farmer we encourage you to attend our meeting and contribute to the poultry marketing challenge.

So I have studied websites for a while, checking out some of the best websites on earth. I have also done a review of some of the websites that we have in Zimbabwe comparing them against the best in the world. What is my verdict? My verdict is that our websites are not good enough and this ironically includes this ZBIN websites!

Why do we have terrible websites around?

It seems anyone can develop a website in Zimbabwe which is plus because this removes barriers in the industry-there is however a downside to this- quality of websites is compromised.

Below are my top 7 reasons why we have terrible websites

1. Business sector still to appreciate the importance of websites
2. Website developers are mostly IT personnel with little understanding of business
3. No industry standards leading to poor quality
4. Clients not fully aware of what they need from websites
5. No proper training and follow ups by developers
6. Developers do not make it easy for clients to update material on websites
7. Unethical practices from some website developers

Top Qualities of a website: Consider your website as a ‘live receptionist’ someone who can talk to clients, smile to them-ask questions or reply. Someone who can answer questions promptly.

Why should people visit your website?:So in your business you have a target audience or target market? We expect your website to give them information which I can categorise in the following levels:

Level One-Basic Information:

Basic information includes who the organisation is, contact details,location, products sold and prices, pictures etc

Level Two-Interactive

Level 2 is the next stage-after getting basic knowledge about your website why should I come back? I should come back for promotions, updates, resources or for fun. I remember during my college days in Bulawayo. As students we used to frequent a popular shop called Haddon and Sly, why did we go to this shop? The reasons are many-to while up time whilst waiting for transport to the campus, the air conditioner helped in cooling off, just to check out the beautiful ladies who worked in the shop lol, to find out latest products, to check out discounts, for some it was a meeting place, for some to reduce stress. I can spend the whole day explaining why this popular shop was always full.

Now for level 2 let’s call it the Haddon and Sly Experience-you should apply it to your website. Level one is just window shopping, folks just seeing basic information and walking away. Level two is about customers getting into the Bulawayo shop and experience more benefits. At the end of the day being a win-win situation!

1. Create an Update Section: One easy way to promote your website is content marketing whereby you write articles that are helpful to customers. If it is a hardware website, I expect to see a section that updates clients of upcoming promotions, helpful tips, donations done by the company etc
2. Comments Section: The comments section allows visitors to give you important feedback, some may be customers with concerns which need to be addressed. Customers/clients need to know that there is a ‘person’ behind the website-someone with feelings, someone who can answer, someone who can talk to them. A website should not be dead!
3. Resources Centre: A friend of mine has a website for his company, the company sells mining equipment. I have asked him to put a resource centre that helps customers in with information on installing mining equipment, repairs, latest trends on mining equipment, common problems with mining equipment. Most of visitors to his website are miners so I asked him to put a price tracker of minerals, mining news etc. These resources will help visitors to have a Haddon and Sly experience and come back.
4. Website Forum: ZBIN will be creating one in future, a forum which allows us and members to post topics and responses. This should allow visitors to exchange ideas on investment and business. You can have one for your site which can help attract clients because after participation on the forum then they can visit other website areas such as your advert sections.

I have given you 4 tips but there are a lot more that you can do to attract visitors to your website. You need to move from level 1 to level 2 if you would like to reap benefits from having a website. So when reviewing a website just ask yourself which level the website is at? When engaging a website developer ask for reference of websites previously developed and check the level.

So which level is ZBIN at? The answer is that we are still at 1- embarrassing stuff but the good news is that we know it and we will be taking corrective action in the coming months as we try and develop probably the best business website in Southern Africa.

Some people just follow others when it comes to investment. You watch your neighbour making money from his trucking business and you join in. You hear others at the pub discussing about the profitability of the quail projects and you just follow.

Now the practice of following others is a risky one, some could be making money using some businesses as a cover. As witnessed in 2016, some business like the Quails Project which took Zimbabwe by storm  maybe subject to a ban. Imagine the losses encountered last year by someone who took out a loan to venture into a Quails Project?

So before investing one need to carry out a detailed study of the sector to invest in. You cannot just invest without sufficient information because this increases the risk of failure. One way to obtain information is through market survey reports.

Let’s say you would like to invest in the manufacturing of a new soft drink in Zimbabwe. The following information will be key in your investment decision

1. The state of the economy and projections for the future
2. Performance of the soft drinks sector in the country and the region
3. The size of the soft drinks market, market trends and market growth
4. Consumer preferences and change in tastes
5. The effect of changes in the economy to the profitability of the soft drinks sector
6. Competitors in the industry and level of competition
7. Current Challenges and Opportunities

The information I have given you above is just basic, I can add more if I had time. The bottom line here is that you need the above information in order to:

• Gain competitive intelligence about market leaders
• Track key industry trends, opportunities and threats
• Inform your marketing, brand, strategy and market development, sales and supply functions

This information will assist you in decision making to establish whether to pour in funds for investment into a project or not. Accountants would carry out detailed investment appraisals to determine whether the project would bring a good return on investment or not.

This is a systematic way of investment which reduces the chances of venturing into a project which may be facing a ban or is on a downward trend. You will have a helicopter view of what affects an industry, who are the key players, whether they are making money or not as well as whether an industry has room for more entrants.

So where can you get this information? One easy way is to buy market research reports. How much would it cost you? Currently pricey-it will cost you an arm and a leg. ZBIN Solution-Our solution which is coming in the next few months is that we will be providing detailed market research reports. Some of the reports will be for sale and a few available for free to our members. We hope to ensure that the reports will be available at affordable rates so that the guy in Siyaso can access them. This should save members from investing funds in projects that seem profitable on paper but loss making in reality.

By Kudakwashe Celestial

When a new season dawn, there is  more to it than just to see it as a mere new year. Every season comes with different weather behaviors and as such with different opportunities. For instance, you can’t grab the opportunity for farming in winter. In the same manner in business world seasons change. You need to be averse with what season is folding-in, what season is emerging and how you can  profit out of those opportunities.

This article is an eye opener of what is likely to be viable and make some rich in 2017 and these are worldwide opportunities. In a global community it is wise to invest in global opportunities. Its one thing to identify a viable sector, it is another to make money out of it.

All the five opportunities I have expounded below are very scalable, legit and some people are already making a killing out of them. Let’s quickly tackle them one by one.

1. Social entrepreneurship

We saw this sector emerging humbly in the past few years. Now its a business worth taking. One secret about social entrepreneurship is that you make money doing what you love. People like Jed Emerson, Deb Nelson, Ashoka and many others are making a fortune on this sector.

They’re a lot of social entrepreneurship ideas one can invest in. It only needs one to believe in self and go out to reach your vision.

2. Forex Trade

In the past years it wasn’t easy for an average person to trade on the Forex market. The restrictions would bottleneck those who could invest on Forex. This barrier have been broken due to advancement of technology. It is pleasing to learn that brokers will make sure they cushion you so that you can be able to trade on the market from as little as $10.

About 5 trillion US dollars circulate in the Forex market each day. That shows how big this sector is. Nevertheless, Forex is a Profession and you need expert traders to coach you. I know quite a number whom I can refer, myself included. You can get in touch and start your journey into investing in the growing market.

3. Cypto currrency

The use of plastic money is somewhat disturbing to others. Believe me, this is part of technological revolution. Virtual currency came to overtake the use of cash. A cashless generation is inevitable. Instead of rustling and clustering complains about it. It will be for our advantage if we grasp it before other nations.

In 2016 alone Bitcoins appreacted in value with over 1500%. Guess what? This is only the beginning of beginnings. Few years from now you will see bitcoins being accepted in Supermarkets, Banks, even by Street Vendors.

If you know the secret and benefits of being on the pioneering group then you don’t need to miss this opportunity. By just opening a bitcoin account and save your bitcoins, you are likely to get 1000% plus interest by year end from your bitcoins investment. So what are you waiting for?

4. Network Marketing

Network Marketing also known as MLM (multi level marketing) or self franchising is the fastest growing business model in 21th century. The good part about this business model is that it doesn’t emphasize on your credentials. Any average person from a humble background can start this business and become a millionaire. Donald Trump the current US President was interviewed on what he will venture in if he was to startoff all over again? He boldly responded, I will look for a good network marketing company and start doing business (paraphrased).

Network Marketing is a broad subject which I can’t exhaust in this article. I will explore more and even citing examples of good Network Marketing companies one can join in future articles.

It might also be interesting to know that Malaysia is bringing in more Foreign Currency through network marketing than anything else. The fall of schemes like MMM will see doors opening up for something legit and scalable. Like a jigsaw puzzle that is where Network Marketing fits in very well. Network Marketing is not only a 2017 deal, it is NOW and the FUTURE.

5. Appreneurship

To begin with let’s start by shading more light on what I mean by Appreneurship. Appreneurship is investing not only in developing Apps but more importantly creating systems that run an App as a business.

Now this is a virgin sector, nothing much has been done in as far as the innovative use of Apps is concerned. No doubt this industry will make the next millionnaires. Uber saw the opportunity flaring from a distance, quickly grabbed it and today Travis Kalanick the founder of Uber is a multi billionaire.

Yes, we have seen some few players in the previous years but the biggest problem I identified is lack of originality. You see – everyone investing in this sector is trying to be the Zimbabwean Uber. Its not only in transport sector where you can exploit this opportunity. Open your eyes wide and see the vast opportunities in this sector.

My advice is don’t try to create an instant messaging App. You can’t compete with WhatsApp, Viber, Zoom, Imo you name it. Those giants will kick you out of business before you even find your feet in the market.

To compress this article, these opportunities are vacant and are up for grab. Find out where your passion lies and without wasting time grab the opportunity before the market is flooded.