My Own Boss back on the small screen

as free to air Africa Unite satellite channel for a period of 13 weeks. The grand finale will be on August 31, 2012 where  the winner will walk away with US$25 000.
The new season has been dubbed “Buy Zimbabwe Edition” and seeks to identify, nurture, educate and expose raw talent between the ages 18 to 35 into the business world.
Auditions will be held throughout Zimbabwe and would-be entrants should be Zimbabwean, understand business, team leaders with good communications skills as well as aspire to be entrepreneurs and must have a bankable business idea.
Only 20 contestants will be selected countrywide to qualify to enter the My Own Boss House where the action happens.
About the show, each week contestants are given real business tasks and within 48 hours to a week the task is completed and a review of the task with prominent business executives is done in the boardroom.
In the boardroom, a losing team will have one or more contestants eliminated. Judging criteria are based on task profitability, leadership skills, communication, innovation and exploration of new opportunities.
Chido Chizondo, the producer of the show, said the purpose of the show was to create employment and wealth for Zimbabweans through promoting the consumption Zimbabwe products and services.
“MOB Season 4, the Buy Zimbabwe edition seeks create pride, wealth and jobs in Zimbabwe by encouraging consumption of quality local products and services.
“While a lot is known about Buy Zimbabwe many have forgotten that this successful initiative was a brainchild of Zimbabwe’s young entrepreneurs in their participation in 2010 edition of My Own Boss.
“The current edition is in the fourth season having pioneered the programme in Zambia in 2007. Three previous winners are now fully-fledged business people in Zambia,” Chido said.
In some sections of business the Buy Zimbabwe campaign was criticised as a talkshop but organisers maintained that the show will boost market share of Zimbabwean products both locally and internationally.
“A key advantage of MOB is that it recruits young entrepreneurs to think of innovative ways to get into business. The idea therefore is to ensure that these persons who will be recruited from all the 10 provinces of Zimbabwe will not only become brand ambassadors for Zimbabwean products and services but also work out practical and effective methods of ensuring that Zimbabwean quality              products are preferred locally and internationally. You may be aware that the show will flight across Africa and parts of Europe.
“And, of course, the winner gets US$25 000 for simply making money on the basis of Zimbabwe tried and tested goods and services,” Chido said.
She said the show would cut all sectors from mining to retail, FMCG to manufacturing.
“The only condition will be that the company must be registered in Zimbabwe, producing Zimbabwean products and services. My Own Boss will also seek to play its part in responding to the call for Buy Zimbabwe to move from the boardroom to the street through increasing visibility of Zimbabwean- made products that will be reflected in the tasks during the show,” she said.
Besides the grand prize — Creative Difference — the top five contestants will present projects to venture capitalists who will buy equity in the different companies, thereby financing start-ups.
From previous episodes where financial returns or profits were seeded back to the show, on Season 4 profits from tasks will be shared equally among contestants.
Previous winners of the reality show include Zondo Chulu, Lisha Chibale, who runs one of Zambia’s biggest poultry projects, and Muzalema Mwanza, who runs a business on tulk processing.
The 2010 edition of MOB was dubbed “Battle of the Falls”, and this year the reality show is focusing on Zimbabwe.
“Every reality show comes up with innovative ways to make the previous season different from the upcoming season. The highlight of the coming season and other aspects that set it apart from the first season is that tasks are linked to Zimbabwean companies and its products,” Chido said.
Season 4 is airing on ZBC and via satellite on Africa Unite across the African continent and some parts of Europe.