Last week there was a special occasion of business graduates in town, they were not ordinary graduates  but extra ordinary graduates with special skills and technical expertise on managing businesses in an increasingly complex environment. They are graduates equipped with skills  to join any company or organisation and excel in their roles. Some are or will be accountants, some business consultants, some journalists, some marketing executives…some practically everything.

We welcome the graduation of the Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) last week especially those that completed the gruelling course to become ACMAs, CGMAs or those that become fellows of the institute FCMA. I remember getting an ACMA, CGMA badge and being told to wear it with pride! We have to give credit to the British for a powerful and relevant business qualification that is in demand the world over! The forum is going to cover some of the top topics that comes from the institute and apply them to the local or regional context.

So Refreshing

We were at another church event this morning and what a refreshing experience. In my case, i was at peace with my soul and thoroughly enjoyed everything that took place, the sermon and of course our action on business presentation. All credit goes to Mr T Mudede who also happens to be my brother in law. He did not know of my role at ZBIN and only got to be shocked when he realised that mukuwasha was representing a popular business forum.

The church is increasingly taking an interest in business and this is encouraging, information on business opportunities is filtering through although we are yet to see any church member who has benefited from government funds such as the Export Funds, Cross Border/Homelink  or Command Mining.

Our objective was of changing the mindset on business, identifying business opportunities that are not visible to others and ensuring that the church is organised and ready for emerging opportunities! We have follow up trainings including train the trainer courses so that churches can communicate and organise entrepreneurship packages for their congregants. The United Methodist Church became the fourth church we have covered this year bringing the tally of congregants we have reached to more than 1,500, not bad in a city with a population of 2 million. We should reach out to at least 10,000 before the end of the year since the launch of the programme in April 2016.

Live from Botswana

Our team was in Gaberone in Botswana and we got off to a good start, do expect more updates on what we are doing that side as we carry with the gospel of entrepreneurship and empowerment. We will be in South Africa next week  where we have a number of trainings line up in at least 4 cities.

Whats Up this Week

1. More local trainings-we have also received an invite from a DRC Delegation that visited out offices on Friday. We will follow up on the invite and ensure that we cover the country in future.
2. Volunteers – They say for capacity building to be effective, it has to be demand driven. You cannot just go to a small business owner and say you would like to train them. There will be no ownership nor commitment the program-instead, let them define what they want and the deliver. This is the approach we will be using with the train the trainers course for local churches.
3. Young Entrepreneurs-We have been asked the question on young entrepreneurs several times. We are slowly building up the momentum on young entrepreneurs and any follower of our church presentations should see that they are designed with youths in mind. We have more exciting programs coming up that we will share with you once the design is complete.
4. Website Page-our website zbinworld.com to be redesigned and include a section on Opportunities. Your chance to showcase opportunities available in the country and the region. If you have a business opportunity then be on the lookout on updates related to this.
5. More Facebook Lives-Expect 2 or 3 Facebook lives during the week.

Wishing you a productive and blessed week

Wa Mdala

One of our objectives is to help members with free business opportunities information. We realized that there are a lot of people with access to credit or capital but lacking knowledge of what to invest in. Some end up investing in over flooded sectors which may not be profitable. One of our chief objectives is  therefore to assist members and followers with business opportunities in Southern Africa.

Today we cover a fast developing sector of education. Our last survey showed that the number one priority for most families is education for children! This is the area where most resources are flowing to and helps explain the mushrooming of private schools across Zimbabwe. If you look at an expanding sector in Zim then education is one of them. It starts from primary school, high  school and up to college level. A growing population in urban areas is fueling the growth in investment in this crucial sector of the economy.

Related to education is an important business sector that we feel has room for more entrants. Today we cover stationery business and the story affects all countries where ZBIN has coverage. Most stationery is imported from China where it is sold in bulk at affordable prices.

The Catch

The catch with importing from China is that you need to import in bulk, they prefer bulk orders. Bulk orders mean that you have to put in more funds in the venture as orders may need a minimum of $400 and above.

Solving the situation

One can solve the situation by partnering with others especially a Diaspora Investor looking at areas to invest in.

Practical Example

For practical examples, we urge readers to visit www.alibaba.com or www.made-in-china.com and search Stationery. Do a comparison of prices you find there and local prices. In most cases stationery is being sold 4 to 5 times its cost in China.

Business Plan

Do not just plunge in and order stationery without developing a business plan. Do carry out research on the market, study competitors and assess whether you can make profits.

ZBIN wishes you a blessed weekend