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Entrepreneurship Matters
Dr Kudzanai Vere
FOR you to make ends meet, you need to develop the skill of legally “taking” money from others.
One of Zimbabwe’s young and iconic entrepreneurs, Shacky Timburwa, once indicated that we do not actually make money — the central bank does that — but we take money from each other.
That being the case, we must always have more money since others are focusing on taking cash from us.
So, while some people take money from their employers in the form of salaries, others take it from customers after having satisfied a need.
But taking money from customers is incredibly difficult.
You just need to be strategic and intentional.
However, the four most important things you need to have to take money legally from other people (customers) are highlighted below.
Business Will
This is an internal drive to do business. There are people who would rather die than start their own businesses. Not everyone is willing and able to start, support, sustain and succeed in running his or her own enterprise.
Business Will, therefore, becomes an important trigger to the art of taking money from others.
If you really feel you are capable and passionate about doing your own things, then that is great.
I have always encouraged people to at least start doing small things while still employed.
This will enable them to scope the business terrain and gain some critical skills in the art of doing business.
I remember starting a business in 2002 in Nyanga when I was still employed.
I bought my small 20-litre bucket freezit-making machine and started manufacturing freezits in the area.
The business grew to a level that pushed me out of employment then.
Product
By their nature, human beings need products. You need to at least identify a product from the many that people want and sell to them to make money.
That is how it starts. Identify a product that you can sell.
Service
There are some people who sell services while others sell physical products.
Naturally, services are difficult to sell than products.
The art of selling is the ability to convert whatever you have at your disposal into cash.
We have quite a number of gifted people — with either good voices or excellent skills — but they do not know how to convert this into money. Learn to monetise your endowments.
Skill
In as much as you can have the product or service, without the necessary skill to convert these into cash, you do not go far.
There are a number of people who have tried to penetrate the market but failed.
There is need to learn the art of the trade and that of selling.
Your salary alone will never be the answer to your problems.
Learn the art of taking money legally from others and be smart.
Dr Kudzanai Vere is the managing partner of Kudfort Zimbabwe — an accounting, forensics, auditing and business advisory firm. He can be contacted on: [email protected] or +263719592232
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