adminOliver Kazunga Senior Business Reporter
THE reality of losing a job is a painful experience for any worker especially now when chances of getting another one are slim.
The same applies to retirees who would not have planned for survival out of employment.
Today, focused workers no longer need to wait for retirement or to be retrenched.
Rather, they utilise the employment opportunity to gain experience and skills to start their own business.
It was such thinking that inspired two Bulawayo entrepreneurs- Jabulani Ncube and Misheck Mathe to quit employment and set up their own business.
The two are now co-directors of a young growing transport and logistics company, Jami Trans Ltd.
The company was started in 2012 and provides daily overnight delivery service in the country.
The duo told Business Chronicle that after gaining vast experience in the transport sector, they decided to establish their own company.
Their company premises are near the National Railways of Zimbabwe compound in Belmont, Bulawayo.
“Jami Trans is co-owned by two people (Ncube and Mathe) and is into logistics. We started the company on October 1, 2012. We ventured into the logistics because we had gained a lot of experience in transport and logistics from a company we’d worked for.
“We decided that instead of continuing as employees we should be employers hence we formed this company,” said Ncube who was the operations director for the transport and logistics company.
Their new company, Jami Trans has four trucks and offers overnight delivery service to customers between Bulawayo and Harare.”
Ncube, 65 said he started working at the age of 18 for a company called Rhodesia Native Timber Concessions before joining another established transport and logistics firm in 1975 until September 2012.
His counterpart, Mathe, 45 worked for the same transport and logistics firm between 1991 and 2012 as a clerk.
“My advice to would be entrepreneurs is that whoever wants to start a business mustn’t look back. There might be challenges in trying to run or operate the business but determination is the key to success,” said Ncube.
Asked about the challenges they were facing in their business, he said:
“The biggest challenge at the moment is low demand for our services which at times forces us to delay delivery of goods as we can only deliver a full load. We’ve however managed to maintain a good relationship with our customers as we always inform them in advance when we’re unable to deliver on the promised day,” he said.
Ncube said their company has managed to remain in business because of its competitive rates.
“We’ve noted that pricing is actually an issue in running a business. Small as we’re, we’ve managed to maintain our share of the market by offering competitive prices,” he said.
Ncube said their company was planning to open an office in Harare at strategic places like Southerton or Workington.
“Plans are also underway to establish offices in Gweru and Kwekwe,” he said.
Mathe expressed optimism that despite the prevailing economic challenges facing the country, their business was bound to grow in the next few years.
“This year might seem to be difficult in terms of the business operating environment but we’re confident that the situation will improve. We’re trying under difficult conditions to keep our business going,” said Mathe.
Online Reporter