Online Reporter
Dr Grace Musandirire-Building Generational Wealth
Last week, we spoke about the importance of understanding that your salary is a starting point, not your only source of income. But after reading that, someone may have asked: “I understand, but where do I start? I do not have enough money. I do not have a shop. I do not have investors. I do not have capital.”
Perhaps the answer is closer than you think.
Sometimes, we spend so much time looking for what we do not have that we fail to recognise what is already in our hands.
Many people are waiting for capital, a loan, a big investor, a beautiful shop or a large salary before they start. But sometimes the first capital is not money. It is a skill, an idea, a relationship, a phone, a small space, knowledge or simply the courage to begin.
The Bible gives us a powerful reminder in Zechariah 4:10: “Do not despise these small beginnings.”
These words speak directly to anyone who feels that what they have is too little to make a difference.
Perhaps you know how to bake. Perhaps you can cook, sew, farm, teach, design, repair things, take photographs or sell products.
Perhaps you have a smartphone and access to social media. Perhaps you have an unused room, a backyard, a small piece of land, a vehicle or a network of people who trust you.
These may not look like businesses today, but they can become the seeds of businesses tomorrow.
One of the greatest mistakes aspiring entrepreneurs make is believing that they must start big.
They look at established businesses with buildings, employees, vehicles and impressive branding, then compare their beginning with someone else’s middle.
They become discouraged before they have even started.
But every large tree began as a seed.
Starting small does not mean thinking small. It means starting from where you are while keeping your eyes on where you want to go.
A person earning a salary can begin by setting aside a small amount every month to build a business. Someone with a skill can start by serving a few customers after work.
Someone with a product can begin by selling through WhatsApp before renting a shop.
A farmer can begin with a few chickens, a small garden or a few animals and gradually expand.
The objective at the beginning is not to impress people. The objective is to create something that can grow.
We also need to change the way we look at our salaries.
A salary should not only pay today’s bills. Where possible, part of it can help build tomorrow’s opportunities.
This does not mean everyone must immediately resign from employment. Employment can provide the financial foundation from which a person gradually builds another source of income.
Your salary can buy the first equipment. It can finance the first stock. It can pay for training.
It can help you acquire an income generating asset. It can provide the seed from which another income stream grows.
Your salary can become the seed, but a seed must eventually be planted.
The challenge is that many people consume everything they earn and then wonder why they have nothing to invest.
Of course, life is expensive. Families have responsibilities, school fees must be paid and unexpected expenses arise. But even when the amount is small, developing the habit of putting something towards an income generating activity can change the way we think about money.
The question is not always, “How much do I have?”
Sometimes the better question is, “What can I do with what I have?”
There will never be a perfect time to start.
There will always be bills. There will always be uncertainty. There will always be another reason to postpone the dream.
If you wait until you have everything, you may wait forever.
Start with what you know. Start with what you can afford. Start with what you have. Start small, learn, improve, reinvest and grow.
Do not be ashamed of small beginnings.
The business that begins today from a kitchen table may one day employ people. The small project started in a backyard may become a family enterprise. The skill learned after work may eventually become someone’s full time livelihood.
Many successful businesses did not begin with perfect conditions. They began with someone who decided to take the first step.
Your beginning may not look impressive to other people. That is okay.
You are not required to show the world the finished product on the first day.
You are required to begin.
So, before you say, “I do not have enough capital,” take a moment and look around you.
What skill do you have?
What knowledge do you possess?
Who do you know?
What space can you use?
What can your hands produce?
What small amount can you save or reinvest?
What problem can you solve for someone else?
Your answers may reveal resources you have been overlooking.
Do not wait for the perfect time. Do not wait until everything is in place. Do not despise small beginnings.
Start where you are, with what you have, and allow consistency, learning and reinvestment to make your beginning bigger.
The goal is not simply to have another business.
The goal is to create additional income, build assets, create opportunities and, ultimately, build something that can benefit your family and generations to come.
Sometimes the greatest opportunities are not waiting somewhere far away.
Sometimes they are already in your hands.
Dr Grace Musandirire
Businesswoman | Business Philanthropist | Generational Wealth Advocate
Founder, Graceland Waters Resort | Founder, Grabster Fisheries | Founder, Mukaba Holdings | Founder, Graceland Environment Centre
Multi Award Winner
Contact: +263 772 391 339
