Online Reporter
Judith Phiri [email protected]
AS small to medium enterprises (SMEs) prepare for the Bulawayo Business Buy and Sell Exhibition next month, they have been urged to develop strong and coherent brands to improve their competitiveness and support sustainable growth.
The exhibition, running from September 9 to 11 at the City Hall, will be held under the motto “Buy Local, Support Local, Grow Bulawayo” and the theme “Promoting Economic Stability Through Enhanced Local Production, Innovation and Industrialisation.”
Youth Network Connect (YNC) managing director Mr Philimon Nyirenda said SMEs should align their business strategies, visual identities and messaging to ensure every customer interaction builds confidence and trust.
He said branding had become an important business tool in an increasingly competitive and digital marketplace.
“Compelling branding gives SMEs a clear identity, communicates their value proposition effectively and creates an emotional connection with customers, while consistency across products, packaging, signage, digital platforms and customer experiences builds credibility and professionalism,” he said.
“In an increasingly crowded marketplace, customers are more likely to remember, trust and recommend businesses whose brands are distinctive and authentic.”
Mr Nyirenda said branding should not be viewed simply as the creation of attractive logos or promotional material, but as a strategic business asset that strengthens market positioning and customer retention.
He said a strong brand could also support premium pricing, open access to new markets and provide a foundation for long-term growth.
“The exhibition provides an important platform for SMEs to showcase these brands, engage customers and buyers, build partnerships and demonstrate why investing in a compelling brand is essential for turning visibility into meaningful commercial opportunities,” he said.
Zimbabwe National Chamber of Commerce (ZNCC) Matabeleland Chapter past vice-president and businessman Mr Louis Herbst said the exhibition presented SMEs with an opportunity to assess whether their businesses had the brands, ambition and resilience needed to grow.
“It is an opportunity for our SMEs to ask whether the businesses they are building have the brands, ambition and resilience required to grow. For me, branding is no longer a marketing exercise, it is a business strategy,” he said.
Mr Herbst said Bulawayo had many entrepreneurs producing quality goods and providing good services, but warned that quality alone was not always enough in a competitive market.
“Bulawayo has no shortage of entrepreneurs producing good products and delivering good services. But in an increasingly competitive market, being good is not always enough. Customers need to recognise you, trust you and remember you,” he said.
He said a coherent brand covering identity, packaging, digital presence, customer service and the overall product experience helped create confidence among customers.
Mr Herbst also called for a shift in the way entrepreneurs viewed business, urging them to focus on building sustainable enterprises rather than pursuing quick returns.
“We have to start believing in Zimbabwe and become economic investors, not simply get-rich-quick entrepreneurs.
We cannot build an economy around businesses that appear for six months, change names and locations, abandon one project and move on to the next,” he said.
He said some business ideas required patience, reinvestment and continuous refinement before becoming successful.
“Some ideas require patience, reinvestment, refinement and endurance. I often wonder how many people today look at an idea they had years ago and see someone else succeeding with essentially the same business model, thinking, ‘I should have held on a little longer,’” he said.
Mr Herbst urged entrepreneurs to remain committed to their ideas instead of abandoning them and later watching others succeed with similar concepts.
He said entrepreneurs who believed in their ideas should be prepared to build, brand and invest in them while giving their businesses sufficient time to mature.
The Bulawayo Business Buy and Sell Exhibition will conclude with a conference dinner and awards ceremony recognising SMEs for innovation, growth and community impact.
