Before you start an egg laying business, you have to decide how many layers you want to keep, where you are going keep them, and your target market. The number of birds you keep will depend on the amount of land and capital you have, and also the size of your target market. You should always carry out a feasibility study, market research and write a business plan before you venture into any business.
Do not make the mistake of starting a layer business or any other business just because someone is doing it and he/she says it’s profitable.

*What you need:*

*Land, Housing and Equipment*
This is a very important factor to consider. It will determine whether you succeed or not in the layer business. The kind of housing you need and the size of the land will depend on the size of your layer project. An ideal poultry farm should be sited where there’s a large availability of cheap land and at the same time should be close to your market. Chicken layers cannot adjust well to temperature extremes, so it is very important that chickens be housed, cared and provided with an environment that will enable them to maintain their thermal balance. The right housing should have proper ventilation and the right lighting. Ventilation is necessary so that adequate air exchange can take place. Lighting stimulates hens to lay eggs. If you want to produce eggs year-round, you will need to install adequate lighting in your facility.
Layers need a certain minimum space and convenient place to grow well, otherwise if the space is not enough they may suffocate to death, which will be a great loss to your business. You should allow at least 0.15 square metres per bird, which may be covered with clean straw, wood shavings, or sawdust. Your housing can be barns, layer cages, chicken runs or hutches. The cost of construction depends on the size. You should have equipment including feeders, drinkers, lighting system and waste disposal system. You will also need chicken layer nests for the layers to lay eggs. If you purchase layer cages as housing for your layers, the layer cages will already have the laying nests, feeders etc.

*Point of lay chickens/Layer chicks*
Chicken Layers start to lay eggs at about 19 weeks of age. You can buy layer chicks and feed them till they are 19 weeks, or the more popular option of buying them when they are at the point of lay i.e. at 19 weeks of age. It is very important to buy high quality point of layer chicks, which are vaccinated; otherwise your layers will have a low rate of egg production and a high mortality rate. It is recommended to buy layers from well established companies like Novatek and Irvines. The average price of each point of lay layer is $11.

*Layer feeds*
It is very important to give the layers the right feeds, and the right quantities, so that they grow well and have a high egg production rate. The type of feeds you choose will determine the success of your business. It is recommended to use the feeds which are sold by the company where you bought the point of lay chickens from. You will have to feed the birds according to the specific instructions on the packet of the feed. The type of feed also depends on the housing, season and age of the layers.
Management and

*Labour*
The number of staff you will need depends on the size of your poultry project. If you are keeping 50 birds at the back of your house you may not need an employee as you and your family will take care of the birds. On the other hand, if you have a poultry farm you will need dedicated staff to look after the birds, and to manage the business. You need good management skills and technical knowledge of layer rearing techniques if you want to be profitable. Do your research, and train those who are working for you.

*Capital*
The amount of capital you need will depend on the scale of your project, location of your farm, and the type of management technology you are using. A small scale being production being run behind your house may require a capital of between $700 and $2000. A medium scale farm may require between $2000 and $10 000, while a large scale egg production business will require a startup capital of more than $10 000. Some companies like Novatek will give you everything you require to start the layers business on credit, with 0% deposit if you are a civil servant.

*Market*
Before you start the egg laying business, you should define the market you are targeting. For small scale production, you can sell to those in your neighborhood, by simply putting a “Eggs for Sale” sign at your gate. The market price for eggs in Zimbabwe is $1 for 6. For medium to large scale production you can supply to supermarkets, tuckshops, schools, vendors etc. If you have good networking skills it will be very easy for you to market your eggs.

~_For similar articles on how you can start cattle fattening,piggery,roadrunners,peanut butter making,reselling of cattle, broilers and also some unlimited farmhand books on all livestock,poultry,crops,fruit trees and a lot whole other farming staff …simply log in at farmhandbooks@gmail.com

Abigail Tendai Moyo Mdala waRue you are a blessing to this group, your posts are informative and very helpful.thank you we appreciate all your hard work.

Rejoice Moyo How much is a layer cage?

Claris Takawira Layer cages $350 for 96 birds and $180 for 48 birds.

Claris Takawira Opherclem ,Willowvale,Harare near Eaglesvale School.

Ngonidzashe Rumhungwe where can l get the cages

Claris Takawira Phone 0772867140 thus the company.

Claris Takawira No l bought my cages there.

Ngonidzashe Rumhungwe ok And how is it going

Claris Takawira Good

Did you know that when you visit in Mutoko the hosts will offer you drinking water? As a visitor you are supposed to drink the water and not turn down the offer. Turning down is a sure way of being rude. Culturally you are expected to drink the water.

Akomana here, this practice has lived for hundreds of years and  has been successfully passed on from generation to generation. Unfortunately it has not been captured in business books. Fabulous business lesson from Mtoko and its wonderful people.

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So we continue with our programme of unlocking business opportunities for our members. ZBIN does not promise anyone any monetary returns, we however promise you detailed business information that will help you in decision making. This morning we talk to one of our Business Admin, She as an active Watsapp Admin for our various business groups such as Baking, Human Resources and the Mozambique Business Opportunities groups.

Below are some of the questions that I posed to her and her responses.

How long have you been living in Canada?

I have been in North America for 17 years. Six of those where in the USA. But only three months in Europe, Germany, on a scholarship.

How is the weather in Canada, have heard that its extremely cold?

Canada has 4 seasons but three predominant ones. Coast to coast has different weather patterns/ The summer can get quite hot with temperatures going up to 36 or 39Degrees Celsius. Winters are also cold depending on the region. In the northern territories winter temperatures, can get to -50Degrees Celsius. But on average winter temperatures are anywhere between -15Degrees Celsius to 10 Degrees Celsius.

Coast to coast winters are characterised with snow, ice and rain. Snow levels can reach 5- 10 metres in some cases. In winter the sun goes down around 4 pm and comes out around 8pm.

However, while this might sound scary, Canada has some of the best winter clothing worldwide. If you dressed correctly for the outside you will hardly feel anything. Indoors houses are heated so the chances of feeling cold are minimal. The body has a remarkable capacity to adjust to the weather.

Zim Community, is there a big Zim community in Canada?

Yes there is a big Zimbabwean community spread out in popular provinces where there are jobs such as Alberta and Ontario. The most popular cities being Toronto or Edmonton. However more Zimbabweans are venturing out to the Northern remote parts of Canada

Tell us about education for kids, is it expensive?

Canada has an excellent public education system. The Prime Minister’s children go to public schools. Education is very free and state of the art with smart board, smart pads etc. Kids receive homework online and all kids have school email accounts. They have virtual classrooms with their teachers for homework and revision. College and university is not free but each province has different rates. The students have access to grants and loans and these are available until they complete whatever level of education they want. A Canadian education is acceptable anywhere in the world.

Cost of living, how is it?

Canada is a bit more expensive than the USA but cheaper than the UK in terms of housing. Plus, our standard of living is higher than the UK and US. Canadians have good work times and hours. Parents have maternity vacations for both husband and wives. Pensions and retirement plans are available.

Healthcare is free from maternity to cancer surgeries or treatments. Name the issues you get treaed for free. Jobs for professionals are highly rewarding with popular jobs being in teaching, nursing and social work. Finance jobs are also popular as well as energy jobs. Artisan jobs are indeed very popular. Economic resistant jobs are in the social and nursing fields and if you want to go out to serve the remote communities you get very good packages. The remote communities being NorthWest Territories, Yukon and Nunavut.

Which other African communities dominate the immigrant communities in Canada?

Anywhere you go in the UK, US, and Australia perhaps, the biggest African communities are West African and Eastern African namely Nigerian, Ghanaian and Kenyans, Somalians and Ethopians.

Which cities do you recommend for first time immigrants?

Toronto, Montreal and Edmonton

Five good things you like about Canada?

1.Safe. Can sleep with door unlocked and keys in the car. I am speaking from experience!. 2.Family friendly. There are plenty of vacation and holiday spots that are affordable. Plus work schedules are not horrible like the UK and US.

2.Family friendly. There are plenty of vacation and holiday spots that are affordable. Plus work schedules are not horrible like the UK and US

3. Education opportunities: you can advance as far and as wide as you want to go

4.Business and work opportunities: when you think outside the box, the sky is the limit

5.Strong economy and policies. Canada is safe foe everyone 51/2. Friendly people and not too much race issues

So there you are forumites, our Forum Admin is one helpful and friendly person feel free to add more questions and she will answer respond when free.

Twalumba

A website provides an instant visual presentation:

Not every organization can afford television advertising, but a website provides a visualization element and is always available to anyone with Internet access. If a customer has questions that can be better answered on a website than over the phone, this is a valuable asset to your marketing mix.

A website can be found through search engines:

There is a good possibility that you found this website through a search engine such as Google. Between 80-95 percent of all website traffic usually comes from search engines. You can target visitors who are actively looking for you, your product, your service, or your information. A website is an extremely cost effective way to advertise to those who are already interested in what you have to offer.

A website is always available:

No other medium for being available 24/7/365 even compares to a website. With the modest cost of developing a website and putting it online, there is nothing even close to being as cost effective. Printed materials are easily misplaced. TV and radio commercials air at preset times. A website can be visited at a time that is convenient for the visitor, and it is more engaging when designed correctly.

A website is interactive:

Even just a few years ago, most websites were nothing more than an electronic brochure. Their real potential was not being realized. That has now changed dramatically. Website visitors have the ability to control and interact with a well designed website. You can take a virtual tour, spin an object around to see all sides, provide direct feedback, and much more.

A website can target each visitor specifically:

Every visitor’s needs are met with an effective website design. With proper targeting, you have their attention because they are already interested. By strategically planning your website, you can customize each area to the type of website visitor who can benefit from it. It is even possible to customize web pages to individual users for added convenience.

A website is easily updated:

Unlike printed materials, websites can be changed on a minute by minute basis if needed. The expensive production costs of video, and the editing time needed for a good advertisement, make websites even more attractive. Plus, video can be provided on a website, and printed materials can be made available for instant download on a website.

A website saves on printing and mailing costs:

By making printed materials available on a website, it benefits both you and your website visitors. They have instant access so they do not have to wait for your mail to arrive, and you save on printing and mailing. Your website can have even more impact because you can illustrate things such as movements and animation that printed materials alone cannot show.

A website improves customer relations:

Aside from the fact that when a customer asks you for your website address, they expect you to have one, there are numerous benefits a website can offer to your customer relations. These are only a few:

• Customers can make an informed buying decision. If they are deciding between you and a competitor, your website could mean the difference between who gets the business.
• It also provides a way for customers to benefit after a sale. If you provide information or support through a website that makes them happier about buying from you, it strengthens your business.
• By providing an opt-in mailing list, your customers and website visitors will give you permission to contact them about special offers or additional things they may be interested in purchasing from you.

Credit to :http://cbscreative.com

zǎo ān – 早安.-Good Morning Dear forumites, 你好吗,  I hope find you well. Ok this morning we are going to discuss about 业务 (business) opportunities in China. We will bring an old post from our wonderful forum and please feel free to edit  or comment.

Linda Tandi Makini I buy lights and Toys 2dollars box

Ma Bla Kiva see wat I mean $2 a box,now wen selling in Africa one toy is $1 minimum

Ma Bla Kiva China is all about buying things for resale at home,to do business while you are based there requires a lot of capital and hard work,that’s why you find that the Chinese themselves rush to Africa coz there is a ready market for virtually anything that you can source from China ,given that you find the products very cheap there

Ad Mire Prime Makusha Harare to Guangzhou (Ethiopian, KLM, Egyptair, Air France, Emirates, Kenya) $643 Harare to Shanghai( Kenya, KLM, Air France, Emirates, Etihad )$986 Harare to Beijing ( Emirates, Air France, Egyptair, Etihad, South African, KLM, Ethiopian )$991.

Praise Chabona My friend goes to China every other month. She brings clothes, shoes, hand bags and travel bags…she doesnt have a shop or a flea market. Shop yake ibag rake

Miriam Biza Muringai Depending with when you book you can get a ticket to Gunazhou up to $900 or $1,400. you need to plan in advance. It is good to decide to know what you want to buy in advance so that you buy excess luggage in adavnce. If you do not doso you will be stuck because things in China are very cheap. You can find cheap hotels from abut $20 going up. Be very careful when changing your US you can get fake yuan. If its first time you need tow ork with about 7 days at least. Remember its just about 2 days going there and another 2 days coming back. There are so many markets you need time to compare prices and look around. Dont allow anyone to give you parcels at the airport on your way back you can be given drugs and the Chinese have very had laws if you are found in possession of drugs.

Tanya Sibanda Thanks for the info. What’s the minimum amount to carry if one wants to order beauty accessories?

Elizabeth Maziveyi there is also a good market for wood carvings (curios), African print material etc which can be sold at fairs. information about these fairs can be found on Chinese tourism website. good profit and very little hustle. gives u exposure as well to other markets that have goods at cheaper prices than shops. so u will be buying in zim and selling in China and buying in China and selling in zim. feel free to contact me for more info

Originally posted on Zimbabwe Business Ideas and Network Facebook Page in October 2015. Do you have up to date information about business opportunities in China? Then fee free to comment in the comments section below

A sister has inboxed ZBIN and she is selling the Famous Kilombero Rice (Malawi Rice) for the Festive Season. She has promised to share with us various Kilombero Rice Recipes on a weekly basis till Christmas Day

Contact Name: Melelyn

Contact Number :+263 739 888 270

MIKE TAYLOR

Have you ever stopped to wonder why you buy some products and leave others sitting on the shelf? How do we decide between all the options we have every single day, when the majority of the time we have little to no first-hand experience with the products we’re deciding between?

What makes you finally decide to try a new restaurant, use a new toothpaste or switch to a new piece of software? The answer lies largely in the types of words used to sell the product or service.

Maybe you’ve never realized it, but words play a huge role in helping our brains decide which products to buy. There are tons of variables, but one thing has been proven time and time again — certain words sell better. They just do.

So here you go, here are 10 words customers love to hear when making a decision:

1. Free.
If you think “free” is sleazy and overused, think again. People love free, plain and simple. You can give practically anything away for free, no matter how small, and you’ll grab people’s attention.

Gregory Ciotti of Help Scout points this out using a study where the researchers asked people to choose between a Lindt truffle for $0.15 — which is a heck of a deal — or a Hershey Kiss for $0.01. An amazing 73 percent chose the Lindt truffle.

Then they asked another group to choose between a Lindt truffle for $0.14 — again, a heck of a deal) — or a Hershey Kiss for free. This time, 69 percent wanted the Hershey Kiss. Why? Because everyone loves free stuff.

2. Exclusive.
Everyone want to be in the “in” crowd. When you make your product exclusive — only available to a select group — you make people want it even more. You can exchange the word exclusive with other words or phrases — members only, invitation only, first, insider — everyone will still want in.

3. Easy.
As sad as it is, Mayberry doesn’t exist anymore, at least in most parts of the world. Life is complicated, and we also might be just a smidgen on the lazy side. So anytime we hear that something is simple or easy to do, we’re drawn to it.

I’ve helped conduct surveys where customers were asked what their top purchase factors were in buying a piece of software, and “easy-to-use” was in the top three. When in doubt, don’t flex the complexity muscle. Features are good, but not when they sacrifice simplicity.

4. Limited.
Oh, how we hate missing out. It can be as simple as bobble heads at a local minor league baseball game, and if they say the first 100 people get one free, suddenly those bobble heads are more appealing. I mean, what are you even going to do with a bobble head? Who cares. It’s a great deal, and you have to make a decision now before it’s too late, so you’re in.

5. Get.
HubSpot cites a test conducted by Encyclopedia Brittanica where they replaced a headline that was a question with a headline that started with the word “get.” Conversions doubled.

I don’t have a research-backed explanation for this, but I would say it’s because get is an action word that psychologically puts the reader in charge and prepares them for action. Get is also typically followed by a benefit. Get a flat stomach in six weeks. Get better grades with less studying. Get the freshest, cleanest haircut in town. You get the picture.

You can also use other verbs like claim, start, try, grab or give.

6. Guaranteed.
With so much fraud in the world today, authenticity is a legitimate concern your customers have. Using the right words can give them the reassurance they need to pull the trigger.

You’ve likely seen this everywhere — because it works. The key, though, is to actually be able to back up your guarantee. If your product doesn’t have a guarantee, returns aren’t hassle-free, or your results aren’t proven, don’t say it. It may work in the short-term, but it’ll bite you down the road. That said, if you don’t offer a guarantee, maybe it’s time to do so.

Other words you can use to provide assurance are proven, results, no obligation, risk-free, hassle-free and secure.

7. You.
When you’re writing sales copy, or anything intended to persuade, use first-person language. It makes the reader’s, or listener’s, ears perk up a bit. And — on an unconscious level — it makes them feel special.

Using “you” makes your writing conversational, and it brings your voice down to a friendly level where you can actually make a connection.

8. Because.
This one’s interesting. Gregory Ciotti cites studies in the book Influence by Robert Cialdini by using interesting scenarios. One that sticks out is where different phrases were tested to see which one would make people most inclined to allow someone to break in line at the copy machine.

“Excuse me, I have 5 pages. May I use the Xerox machine?” — 60 percent allowed the person to cut in line.
“I have 5 pages. May I use the Xerox machine, because I am in a rush?” — 94 percent allowed the person to cut in line.
“Excuse me, I have 5 pages. May I use the Xerox machine because I have to make copies?” — 93 percent allowed the person to cut in line.

Notice that by simply hearing a “because,” followed by a reason, nearly everyone decided the person could get in front of them in line. The reasons given weren’t even legitimate reasons. Because I have to make copies? Everyone in line had to make copies — that’s why they were there.

The thing to remember is that human brains love explanations. We need to know why. Why do I need that feature? Because it will help me get ____.

Tie your product, features and the actions you want people to take in with a reason, and people will be more compelled to take action.

9. Best.
Which sounds better? “How to Change a Flat Tire” or “The Best Way the Change a Flat Tire.”

It’s a no-brainer, really. Think about how many times you’ve Googled something, only to get frustrated during the search, so you go back and add the word “best” in front of your search. Maybe it’s just me, but I have a feeling I’m not the only one.

It’s as if “best” is a sacred word that’s only awarded to the truly great, so you can count on anything labeled as the best. We all know that’s not true, but to call something the best implies that at some point there was a comparison, and this one came out on top.

But please, don’t be deceptive with this. If you’re not truly the best, or you can’t get people to call you the best without coercion, keep working to actually be the best at what you do. Don’t just slap that label on yourself without validation.

10. Compare.
With social media and as many review sites and blogs as there are today, practically everyone makes comparisons before making a decision.

Ford vs. Chevrolet
Pampers vs. Huggies
Charmin vs Cottonelle
Hubspot vs. Marketo

We want to know who the top players are, and then we want to see them side-by-side. Use that to your advantage by telling your readers to compare your quality, ease of use, price, etc., to your competitor’s. Even better, make it easy on them by doing the comparison yourself.

When you openly show them the difference between your product and your competitors, you take that work off of them, and they’ll be grateful for that.

Did u know that registering your business is one of the best things you can ever do as an Entrepreneur? Paying your taxes and all relevant rates is extremely important. There are a lot of advantages that come from registering your business and they include ability to access funding and access to big projects and tenders.

As ZBIN we are encouraging our members to formally register and this is good for you. On this post we discuss the process of company registration, the problems encountered by members and the proposed solutions.

Responses from ZBIN Members

Catherine Shava tru mdara kana.uine registered company mabasa hobho kunyanya.matender u bid with confidence kani

Moreblessing Tsungai at tyms we consider how small my business is the kuzoregister and taxes but it pains looking at tenders

Ad Mire Prime Makusha anyone who does company registration

Mlaleli Mcgreager Mhlanga in byo have a friend at Tradgold his terms are better

Hannah H. Tarindwa Can you register a cc in Zim?

Nyasha Nguwo so like here is my case I have an idea to start something but should I just register my company with what I want to do without having the things on the ground?

Mdala Wa Rue Anyone with figures? How much are companies charging to register?

Ishmael Sithole I would prefer registering a PBC but wont bid for public tenders

Ad Mire Prime Makusha i agree with you Ishmael a PBC is easier for the entreprenure

Mlaleli Mcgreager Mhlanga from $250 up

Brett Tamsanqa Dube whats a CC OR PBC

Ad Mire Prime Makusha Public Business Corperation

Hannah H. Tarindwa CC is Closed Corporate its very effective for starting a sme

Hannah H. Tarindwa Nyasha test run your biz before registering if possible. Some businesses that’s easy but some will need a registration esp if you are going to need clients of big companies

Praise Chabona Kungofunga registrar of companies chete unotonzwa kuneta. Wen u are still small one might think kuregister ega without using the so called consultants but ey marwadzo kwaregistar kwacho. So one will end up shelving it achiti ambotsvaga mari $350 yacho iyi

Hannah H. Tarindwa $350 yakawanda hama dzadiwa. Kuno its abour N $300 but for 6 months kana uchida 24hrs N $1000 which about Us$110

Tori Elles Mum Whatever business u want to do just register guys. The Memorandum and Articles of association covers I believe all kinds of businesses unless its a business that requires licencing like MCAZ for pharmaceutical supplies. I registered my company last year October at 250 but a shelf company is cheaper. I wouldn’t advise on a shelf company tho as I was enlightened to some aspects I overlooked in my previous company which was a shelf company. I thot having a CR 6 showing change of directors was good enough yet I didn’t know that when the company does well those former directors could come claim a certain percentage. There was need for another document which these consultants don’t mention that deals with that aspect. I’m being vague coz I can’t remember exactly wat I was told by this banker coz it didn’t affect me. My company was new.

Tori Elles Mum U can go wega kuregistrar of companies. It must be around 50bux if u are not in a hurry to have your certificate coz it takes forever.

Tori Elles Mum After registering then u go kuZimra get a bank tax clearance certificate that will help u open a company bank account then u can register for tax and get a tax clearance certificate.

Tori Elles Mum Whatever business u are into, please legitimize it. U never know wat happens tomorrow and Mdala gave a good example kuti a company registered 2013 has greater advantage over a company registered in 2015. Sedco was/is giving loans and unlike in the past where u could just go with your proposal now one of the requirements is that u have a registered company that’s also registered with ZIMRA.

Ishmael Sithole Personally I feel a lot of things in Zim are tilted in favour of urburnites especially Hararenites. Imagine a rural entrepreneur in rural Chipinge like myself having to travel multiple times to Harare to register a business entity that is yet to perform well. Since we are in the IT age I strongly feel company registration should be done at provincial or even district levels.

Rose Magorokosho Ndakambo vharwa mari yangu nevaiti vanogona kundi register. Ndikazoedza ndega zvikapedza makore zvinonetesa. Vakavimbika varipivanobatsira kuregister company

Mdala Wa Rue Register…Register n it’s for your own good..comply with all relevant laws of the country and it pays off in the long run..Wa Mdala will be registering his company for the first time and I will share my experience when done…Yeah. .registration inongonzwisa nungo..its a pity those who advertise on the forum about company registrations are not willing to share…anyway infor obtained by those who responded is still very important

Mdala Wa Rue Mukoma Ishmael..now this is inconvenient! So you cannot register your company in Chipinge?We are hoping that in future the registration will be decentralised or computerised

Tori Elles Mum Rose ini it was supposed to take 2 weeks but it took a month and one of the reasons for the delay was mazita andaiendesa for name search. The person I dealt with has a very good reputation but is not on fb. I paid 250 while others had charged me 300+. If u are interested and when u are ready let me know ndimubvunze if I can give u his number.

Ishmael Sithole @Hannah H Tarindwa, what I am saying is that we are aware of the vast benefits registering a business entity can usher one into, but the process of registering a business entity is Zimbabwe is not simple and fast. Its vailed in obscurity and unnecessarily too centralized. Since we now have computers why not decentralise it to privincial levels since we have government complexs in all provinces and some districts? That will make the process accessible to most intrested people and our government will benefit emensely from formaly operating entities through taxes and all. Personally I desire to register my business but the process is not as easy and simple as it OUGHT to be.

Judith Zimunya and the money like the one i and my frend wanted to register wanted $500 yet it might be small to some ,,bt to us haa it was a draw back

Kava Matemai Chikore It takes seven working days from name search to the final registration. Please inbox or whatsapp on 0772347279 and we will take it up from there

Kava Matemai Chikore Rodwell Maoneke first one has to come up with the main objectives of the company to be registered (meaning what the company will be doing when registered). Secondly one has to have at least six names from which the Register of Companies will approve one name for registration. After name search, at least two share holders and two directors will be required. In normal circumstances the two share holders automatical will be the directors. Then a document called memorandum and articles of association is prepared which is submitted again to the Register of Companies for final registration

Hannah H. Tarindwa Ishmael I was surprised that it’s still centralised… sorry shuwa!

Praise Chabona I read in the Sunday Mail that company registration can now be done online

Ishmael Sithole I am pleased to inform you all that I managed to register my business MacJohnson Apiaries. I registered it via the ministry of SMECD. The process took me 3 months ie August2015 to October 2015. The saame month we got incoperated ie October 2015, MacJohnson Apiaries scooped 5 awards at the Manicaland Agricultural Show and emerged as the best business in Apiculture/Beekeeping. We produce and retail the best honey, beeswax, hives, honey processing equipments etc in Manicaland(and some say the best honey in Zimbabwe comes from Manicaland). I overcame all excuses and so should you. Go ahead and register. We also offer beekeeping training and consulting services, swarm removal and relocation services. You may like our facebook MacJohnson Apiaries. We are also on linked in. We are working on our website and on how to penetrate the Harare market and supply the best honey out of Manicaland. If a rural 31 year old like myself can do it, so should you!

Tapiwa Mubonderi The PBC is the equivalent of the CC it has got the same rights as a private company and can do the same things. Its simpler to register as it has less documentation, costs less and doesn’t need annual returns. Its drawback is some bigger entities won’t want to deal with it as it seen as a one man band. Some bigger contracts or import or export trade would need a private company and its difficult to get loans. Our advice is to use for simple businesses especially trading. It can be converted to a private company, but a private company cannot be converted to a PBC.

Tapiwa Mubonderi If you are interested in business its advisable to register a company beforehand and keep it compliant in case you may wish to use.

Tapiwa Mubonderi The Company’s Office is a bit bureaucratic and delays do occur because they handle a huge volume of documents. It’s advisable to deal with a competent consultancy firm there are over 200 such firms in the market. The drafting of memos and articles are a challenge to a lot of untrained people , this may delay your registration.

Post initially appeared on the Zimbabwe Business  Ideas and Network Facebook Page in May 2015. One of our main tasks in 2017 will be to encourage our members to register their businesses, our target is to help register 5,000 companies by end of 2018.

What you can learn from how Breva founder got her product on major retailers’ shelves

Beverage entrepreneur on building relationships, getting the right retailer product fit and the importance of mastering your systems and processes

By Lebohang Thulo

Breva founder, Gladys Mawoneke

When it was time to get Breva, a range of alcohol-free malt beverages, out to market in 2014, Gladys Mawoneke knew she would have to find a way to get her foot into the proverbial door.

Despite being a relative newcomer in the highly competitive drinks market she managed to do just that, and got Breva onto the shelves of some of the biggest retailers in the country.

Breva beverages can be found at Woolworths, Pick n Pay, Shoprite, and select Checkers Liquor and Spar Western Cape outlets. The brand has also made inroads in hotels. It is available in select Tsogo Sun four and five star hotels.

Before entering the drinks sector Mawoneke, a former lawyer, was in the produce sector and had prior experience supplying fruit and vegetables to some of the same major retailers.

Market and mission

Mawoneke founded Bumi Hills Group, the holding company in 2009. Breva was launched into retail three years later following years of research and development, she says.

The craft soft beverage is manufactured and bottled in the small town of Wellington, Cape Town and comes in a variety of flavours including passion fruit, apple, peach, and pineapple.

With their beverages Breva is targeting the country’s growing emerging middle class that does not drink alcohol.

“The high number of people who do not drink alcohol and yet are looking for a brand that speaks to their image,” says Mawoneke. This growing market presents growth opportunities both in South Africa and internationally, she adds.

“When systems and processes are in place an SME can enjoy the high volumes that come with selling to big retailers”

The process was not without its challenges and certainly was not overnight, says Mawoneke, but it is worth getting right, she insists.

Mawoneke shares the biggest lessons she has learnt from selling to big retailers and what other SMEs can learn about building relationships, getting the right retailer product fit and mastering their systems and processes

The Breva range of alcohol-free malt beverages.

Having a good product is non-negotiable and is very important for retailers
Retailers want a product that will sell. Equally important is the ability of the SME to support the sale of the product once it’s on the shelf. The retailers provide space and the SME must make sure that the product gets from shelf into the consumer’s basket. This is what can make or break a small business.

Breva is a great product. To get it off the shelf we conduct in-store demonstrations and tastings so that the customer interacts with the brand. We also give sample stock to our customers among others so that they can conduct promotions using the free stock.

There will be systems and processes you will have to follow
The big retailers require suppliers to follow specific systems and processes. By way of example, they prescribe the way the product must be delivered, merchandising needs, managing returns and so forth. While all these processes make the supply chain manageable, the processes come at a cost. It is therefore imperative for SMEs to fully comprehend the requirements of the big chains and be able to put in place systems and processes to support these requirements and to ensure that they have the requisite cash flow.

When these systems and processes are in place an SME can enjoy the high volumes that come with selling to big retailers.

“Rather than focusing on what the competitors are doing, we listen to consumers and we become innovative in response to their needs”

Don’t rush the process
The first client secured for Breva was Pick n Pay in 2013. The entire process from meeting with their small supplier development department to eventually signing a terms of agreement took nine months.

Similarly, although the listing at Woolworths took place in 2014, the conversations had started a year before.

Your product needs to fit into a retailer’s overall strategy
The buyers assessed the commercial viability of the brand against their strategy before listing us. They also assess the product against their beverage strategy to determine if it was a fit and assessed the quality of the product.

In all instances we had to negotiate and enter into trading agreements and receive account numbers to complete the listing process.

Getting on retail shelves is not everything
These four retailers (Woolworths, Spar, Pick n Pay, Shoprite/Checkers) do not represent all the shelf space in the country. We are not represented in hotels, restaurants and catering (HORECA) by a long shot.

We struggle to get the audience of several other retailer buyers because some of them are not familiar with the malt category and others because they prefer imported brands.

“High inflation and slow growth means that our sales are marginally suppressed so a combination of suppressed sales and low margins are real production challenges”

Focus more your consumer than your competition
Competition is good because it keeps you on your toes. While it is important for us to keep an eye on competition, it is more important to follow our consumer focused strategy and on achieving our results. Focusing too much on the competition can be distracting and paralysing.

Rather than focusing on what the competitors are doing, we listen to consumers and we become innovative in response to their needs. Our core business is coming up with innovative solutions for the non-alcoholic consumer and these solutions come from the consumer and not from the competitors.

You will have find balance
For a growing business the challenges we face relate to the delicate balance of growth and available resources. To grow our company faster we need scale, resources and efficiencies. However, our resources are often limited thus restraining our pace of growth.

You will still be vulnerable to market forces
The current weak exchange rate and slow growth make production difficult. We import some of the raw materials and the volatile exchange rate results in high production costs. Often we are not able to pass these costs to the consumers and so we absorb them and end up with low margins. High inflation and slow growth means that our sales are marginally suppressed so a combination of suppressed sales and low margins are real production challenges.

BY ANDREA WHITMER

Very important information: This is why you should have your own website.

Whether you’ve been blogging for five minutes or five years, monetizing is one of those topics that almost always comes up. Should I try to make money from blogging? Can people really make a living online? How should I try to make money from my blog?

Google AdSense is one of the most common ways to monetize, though I’ll warn you now: AdSense is NOT a get rick quick scheme. In fact, it can take a long time to make more than a few pennies. But it can also pay off big in the long run.

What is AdSense?
AdSense is a program that allows bloggers and website owners to make money by displaying Google ads. You’ve probably seen the ads all over the place, including in Google search results. Basically, Google gets the largest cut and you get a small percentage. There are two ways to make money from AdSense:

Impressions – this is based on the number of pageviews of pages or posts with ads
Clicks – this is based on how many people click on the ads (don’t EVER click your own – more on this later)
To make it as basic as possible, you sign up for an AdSense account and add the code to your blog or website. You can choose how your ads look, where they show up, and even what kind of ads you’ll accept. Once you get to a minimum threshold of $100, Google will either send you a paper check or make a direct deposit into your bank account.

Who’s Eligible?
If you use Blogger, you can use the Monetize tab to set up and manage an AdSense account.

If you use self-hosted WordPress, you can visit the AdSense website and apply for an account. You’ll receive a code that you can place wherever you’d like, or you can use a plugin to help with placement.

*If you use free WordPress, you cannot use AdSense, but you can use WordAds if you have your own custom domain. (Just another reason why self-hosted WordPress is better.)

How Much Can I Make?
As I told you before, you will not get rich quick using AdSense. It took me 9 months to make $2 (yes, two dollars) on my personal blog. However, I made $81 last month. That’s still pathetic compared to many blogs – some people can earn a full-time income from AdSense alone. But it takes a LONG time to get there, and you have to have a ton of traffic.

Some ads are worth more money per click than others. This is also affected by the amount of traffic you get, the keywords the person searched for, the percentage of visitors who click on a particular ad, etc. There are a LOT of factors that determine how much you’ll make, but a rule of thumb is that newer blogs simply won’t make as much money.

My personal blog is about 14 months old. Some days, I don’t get any ad clicks at all and I might still make 10 cents or so just from impressions. Sometimes every click is worth $2 or more. Yesterday the clicks were worth a whopping 26 cents each.

Many people get impatient when they’ve had the code up for a month or two and haven’t made more than a few pennies. If you’re looking for something that will pay TODAY, AdSense may not be for you. And to be honest, I don’t know of anything instant – if I did, you can bet I’d be using it!

How Can I Make More from AdSense?
Basically, your best bet for ad clicks is increasing your search traffic. When people are trying to solve a problem, they usually turn to search engines like Google or Bing. If you have a post that solves that problem, using SEO will help your post rank well in search results. SEO will also help AdSense serve up relevant ads, so when people click on your blog post, the ads may answer the exact question they’re asking. Result? Ad clicks!

Here’s an example. Let’s say I write a post about the health risks of liposuction. I use SEO techniques to help Google realize what my post is about, and my post is the third one when someone searches for “liposuction risks.” AdSense also knows what my post is about, so people reading my post will see an ad that might say something like, “Safe liposuction services in New Hampshire” (or wherever).

If the person is interested in finding the safest place for liposuction, s/he is likely to click that ad. As I said before, the rate per click depends on a lot of factors, but my concern is making sure that people read MY post and not others! If they go to another blog to read about liposuction risks, they’re possibly clicking that person’s ads instead of mine.

IMPORTANT!
There are a few things you need to know about AdSense before you ever put the code on your blog.

1. Never, ever click your own ads. In case you aren’t aware, Google pretty much knows everything. And they can tell if you’re clicking your own ads. It’s very tempting to click about 50 times and make some money, but all it will do is result in being banned.

2. Never, ever encourage friends or family to click your ads. Same as above. You can and will be banned from AdSense, and don’t ever think Google won’t figure it out. I don’t know how they do it, but I have seen it happen to people I know. JUST DON’T.

3. Pay attention to your ad clicks. If you average 2 clicks a month and you suddenly get 100 in a day, chances are that something is wrong. If you’ve pissed someone off and they decide to fight back by clicking all over the place, you can get banned even though you didn’t do anything.

4. Never rely on AdSense as your sole income source. Even if you get really good at SEO and you have 100 websites making thousands of dollars each month in AdSense, you never know when something could happen to trigger Google’s no-no sensors. You can make good money with AdSense, but you should also use other monetization strategies just in case.

5. Don’t use more than 3 ad blocks on a single page. Google allows up to 3 ad blocks on a page. So if you have one in your header, one in your sidebar, and one at the end of your post, that’s the limit for that page. Also, don’t plaster ads all over the place and annoy your regular readers! There are ways to implement the ads without making your site ugly.

What Questions Do You Have?
It’s impossible to cover a topic as broad as AdSense in a single post. This overview gives you an idea of what it’s for and how it works, but it still may not answer enough questions to make sense for you.

Let me know what would be most helpful. Do you want screenshots and step-by-step instructions on inserting the code? More tips on how to improve your earnings? A breakdown of all the acronyms you see in your AdSense account, like CPC, RPM, and CTR? Leave your questions in the comments and I’ll address them in future posts.