adminPrince Chidzvondo
The road to business accomplishment, both online and offline, is a long and rough one, often plagued with drawbacks before success comes knocking on one’s door. It can take more than a few attempts and wrong shots before you hit on the right business model that not only works, but also fits in with your life plan, vision and goals.
The truth is, once you decide to leave the safety net of your day job to build your own business, you are stepping onto a crazy roller-coaster ride.
While Zimbabwe is an economic success story waiting to take off, 25-year-old Lionel Nkosilathi Maposa, is a risk taker willing to invest in his own name to set his future legacy.
He might be one of Harare’s young entrepreneurs clambering for a spot on the high table of the advertising and marketing industry, but he represents the future of the business world in Zimbabwe.
“I’m a great believer that being in corporate involves mastering the inner game of self and the outer game of business,” he said.
Entrepreneurial activity in Zimbabwe keeps struggling to reap the economic benefits similar to those in developed nations, yet the number of enterprises and entrepreneurs continues to grow.
Many young businesspersons struggle to withstand the challenges and risks associated with entrepreneurial programmes because of lack of support, Maposa still defies all odds to achieve his dreams.
Nkosi Marketing and Associates, is a company offering services in brand management/activation and brand marketing.
Maposa’s market penetration is based on market research and consumer analysis on selected products that need a robust and refreshing yet affordable brand marketing, he blends his own skills to create harmony between consumers and suppliers by sober branding and product brand activation.
“My current customers are so supportive and they select me because of my competitive rates,” he says.
The young entrepreneur located his company in the heart of the CBD, a hub for all kinds of businesses, a convenient location owing to the challenges small businesses now face in actually being able to afford rentals.
His responsibility as managing director includes creating harmony between consumers and suppliers by sober branding and product brand activation.
Nkosi Marketing & Associates is unique in that it encompasses and embraces new and young entrepreneurs at reasonable rates. His mission is to bring an even balance and visibility to small upcoming brands.
Tutored by someone who does product branding for established entities like Delta Corporation, Maposa has a diploma in Business Accounting and Marketing.
He worked for seven years with his tutor, assisting in product branding, brand activation and experiential marketing for Delta and other corporations, earning him the requisite skills to run his own business and quit his job.
“I chose this line of business because I’m passionate about it. I get to meet and mingle and also learn from established entities.”
Nonetheless, being a young business owner also came with challenges that he never anticipated. Entrepreneurship is not a walk in the park as some might believe.
“Financial challenges and red tape, that is, official routines or procedures of running a business or required by the Government, marked by excessive complexity which results in delay or inaction were challenges I did not expect.
“It is really hard for me to judge or evaluate my successes due to the economic decline and consumer spending thus far because of the uneven consumer spending due to the prevailing liquidity crunch.
“It is hard to predict where my business will be in the next five years due to the ever changing monetary policy. But I urge upcoming entrepreneurs to remain committed in whatever obstacles they may encounter.”
The importance of entrepreneurship now is the employment of self and employment of others.
Maposa also works with Faith Maposa, and the future of Zimbabwe towards economic growth also lies in the youth who take the initiative to take the first steps in realising it starts with them. Youth in Zimbabwe need to understand that when they believe in themselves, they have the first secret of success. Progress always involves risks. You can’t steal second base and keep your foot on first.
Bongani Ndlovu