ZimSME Channel

22 March 2012, Unwomen.org “I used to sell fish under the trees, and carry fish on my head. I would wake up at 4am to walk a long distance to buy fish from the fishermen. Now I sleep and wake up normal hours, and have my tea before the Captain comes. I never thought I would have time to sleep, eat, work and rest like this!” So reveals Kuli Mungombe, one of ten women who are making history in Zimbabwe by owning and operating a fishing rig in the country. The women, from the Tonga ethnic group, formally entered the male-dominated industry last year after being provided with the rig, equipment and skills training. They have since been working to scale up the venture in Binga, one of the country’s least developed districts, so that it can sustain them and their families, as well as create opportunities for other women in the area. This is the first time since the 1950s that women from their ethnic group have been able to fish at all.  Although it was traditionally the...

ZIMBABWEAN business woman and managing director of Cargill Zimbabwe Priscilla Mutembwa has been awarded businesswoman of the year by the Global Chartered Institute of Management Accounts (CIMA) and the award for outstanding contribution to business performance by a CIMA member went to Sir Alec Reed OBE. Priscilla Mutembwa has been managing director of Cargill Cotton Zimbabwe since 2007. Her role involves control of the company’s commercial operation in Zimbabwe; co-ordination and management of the senior team; and liaison with local organisations including farmers, buyers and growers. She previously worked as the company’s finance director and regional origination and procurement manager. She holds a BSc degree in computer systems engineering, a CIMA qualification, an investment management certificate and an MBA. During her varied and highly successful career, which she talks about below, she has also worked for Coopers & Lybrand, British Railways, UNICEF, British American ...

Jun 03, 2012 By Praise Runyowa HARARE - The Government intends to soon open a bank that will exclusively provide loans and other financial services to small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs).  The initiative is part of efforts to empower the entrepreneurs, most of whom were failing to access loans at conventional banks owing to lack of collateral. In an interview last week, Small and Medium Enterprises and Co-operative Development Minister Sithembiso Nyoni said her finance counterpart, Tendai Biti, was already working on providing funds for the establishment of the financial institution. She said the project would ultimately leverage the sector and encourage joint work among beneficiaries. “The bank will enable those already in business as well as aspiring entrepreneurs to access capital,” she said. “They will become self-reliant; we want investors to come from within the country. We are hoping the bank will benefit them a great deal because they would have ...

Eunice Dlamini (50), a nurse by profession, was a vendor at the age of five. She is now a prominent businesswoman - the owner of M&M Joyous Events Catering & Decor Services Company. 20.06.12 by Mkhululi Chimoio Eunice Dlamini fast growing in business. ‘‘I sold tomatoes, sweet potatoes and mealies. Together with other children of my age from the same neighbourhood, we sold our things next to beer halls, at bus terminuses and along the main roads,’’ she said in a recent interview. She never had any problem with subjects that involved calculations and says: “my mother used to joke about my intelligence in mathematics, saying it was because I started selling things when I was very young.’’ Dlamini is proud that even at five, she contributed meaningfully to the family income. ‘‘I did my part and am proud of it. We never went hungry and I feel so good when I realise that I actively contributed to the welfare of the family,’’ she said. She is gratefu...

Posted on Jun 11, 2012 HARARE - Zimbabwean youth entrepreneur, Simbarashe Mhungu (31), a nominee for U.S. President’s Innovation Summit and Mentoring Partnership for Young African Leaders and is focused on leveraging U.S. technological advances in the agro-processing sector.  He says the U.S. should up its support for small scale farmers in Zimbabwe. “The current focus of the United States government of promoting sustainable agriculture with a focus on the small scale farmers is the right one for Africa.  I think Zimbabwe probably has the best platform for that growth on the continent because we have small scale farmers with scalable skill-sets and relatively decent agro-processing supply chain infrastructure,” said Mhungu, founder and managing director of Harvest Fresh. Harvest Fresh specializes in agribusiness and food processing. The company was founded in 1993 as BonneZim Private Limited and employed 1,500 Zimbabweans directly and 2,000 indirectly before it...

Max Soutter If you’re in business, you have to plan for success. You know the old saying, “to fail to plan is to plan to fail.” And of-course, if you’re actually serious about implementing your plan, you’re going to write it down. Any business plan not worth writing down is not worth acting on. On the other hand, just because you’ve written down a plan, doesn’t mean it’s a good one – or that it’ll convince the bank. Firstly there are two kinds of business plans The kind you write because you’re actually planning for your business. The kind you write to convince someone else to believe in your vision. The worst business plans, the ones least likely to succeed in actual implementation are the kind written purely for the bank. In other words, your business needs a plan, not because you’re trying to convince an investor, but because your vision is real and you’re serious about succeeding. A common approach in Zimbabwe and in most places is to hire a consultant to write a bu...

How do you find your passion? Can I become a billionaire with my passion? How do I build a business around my passion? Why do I need to find my passion? Can I start a business and achieve success with my passion? How can my passion help me become a millionaire ? These are usually the questions thrown at me whenever I discussing the importance of finding your passion . If any of these questions is running through your mind at the moment; I will suggest you read on as I have provided the answers you need.                 “ This is the reason why I stay up twenty hours a day. ” – Sean Diddy Combs Why do you need to find your passion? I don’t really know the conventional answer to this question but I will express myself in my own way. Success coaches and experts recommend you find and follow your passion in life because following your passion increases your chances of su...