Sample BusinessLink Magazine January 2015 issue

BUSINESSLINK MAGAZINE JANUARY 2015 Page 1

ALWAYS DO CAREFUL RESEARCH
BusinessLink magazine is designed to
educate and provide general
information as well as to stimulate
readers’ thinking. While every care is
taken to ensure that information in this
magazine is correct, we advise readers
to consult their professional advisors
when making business decisions. The
magazine is distributed on the
understanding that the publisher is not
rendering legal or financial advice and
readers use the information herein at
their own risk.
BUSINESSLINK
MAGAZINE
BusinessLink, the magazine for
growing companies, delivers real
solutions for today’s innovative
business builders. It gives advice,
tools and resources to CEOs and
owners of small-to-midsize
companies as well as new
entrepreneurs that help accelerate
their growth.

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© Admiral Business Systems 2015. All rights
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Publisher: Phillip Chichoni, email chichonip@smebusinesslink.com
Marketing : Christine Mangwanya, email marketing@smebusinesslink.com; Mercy
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Contents
Hit 2015 Running with a Mind Set for Success ...............................................................7
ZIMBABWE BUSINESS BRIEFS.............................................................................................9
Zimbabwe ratifies US$3 million SME loan facility..................................................9
NSSA to Sets Up U.S$5 Million SME Fund............................................................10
Take Action! Just Do It!....................................................................................................12
Why 2015 is the Best Year to Start Your Business.................................................13
35 New Business Ideas for 2015 ..................................................................................16
Entrepreneur on Fire .......................................................................................................27
GTel Founder Chamunorwa Shumba is Connecting Everyone......................................27
Starting up .......................................................................................................................29
Startups we wished for, but didn’t see in 2014.......................................................30
A Reality Check on Your First 2 Years as an Entrepreneur............................................34
GROWTH..........................................................................................................................37
Why A Lack Of Systems Is Impending Your Business Growth .......................................37
Learning from Strive Masiyiwa: How do you turn a small business into a big business?
.........................................................................................................................................40
10 Essential Keys to a Successful (and Profitable) Collaboration..................................46
Leadership .......................................................................................................................49
8 Inspiring Habits of Truly Remarkable Bosses.............................................................49
Marketing & Selling..........................................................................................................52
13 Digital Marketing Trends and Predictions for 2015 .................................................52
Secrets to Promoting the Promotion ...........................................................................55
Doing business in Zimbabwe............................................................................................57
What if Your Idea is Stolen: VAS entrepreneur who accused Telecel of stealing his idea
loses case.........................................................................................................................57
How to Avoid the Punitive Zimra Presumptive Tax ......................................................59
Managing People.............................................................................................................60
Hiring the right people is critical for success................................................................60
Money .............................................................................................................................63
Richest Footballers In Africa in 2014............................................................................63
What is the most effective yet efficient way to get rich? .............................................69

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Email: safesequip@yahoo.com

PUBLISHER’S BRIEF
Hit 2015 Running with a Mind Set for
Success
By Phillip Chichoni
Whoa! What a tough year 2014 was! You
could write a whole book on the things that
went wrong and how they went wrong. But as
an entrepreneur, I urge you not dwell on past
failures but to start focusing on how you can
win in 2015.
If you look at top performers, whether in
sport or in business, you will find that they are
focused on winning performance naturally, it
seems to be part of their DNA. What can we
learn from observing a top performer in operation?
The first critical point to learn is that their attention is always focused
specifically on what they want to achieve as opposed to what they don't
want. They don’t dwell on the problems they faced last year.
In every moment and in every situation we each are aware of either
what we want or what we don’t want and top performers are the same yet
they consistently display the ability to convert what is not wanted into a
clear vision of what is wanted each and every time.
Most of the challenges of the past year were a result of things beyond
our control. You must realize the truth that there’s a lot that you cannot
control. That’s why we entrepreneurs, as leaders, need to hold our people
accountable and measured on what is in their control. Focusing on those
areas will increase your probability of success.
So the main point here is that we need to control our mindset.
Positive minded people bring in positive vibes into an organization. They
make everyone believe they can win, resulting in people putting in the
super effort that brings in wins.
If you were thinking of starting a new business, now is the time jump
in. In this January issue of BusinessLink magazine, the ideas issue, we
have a special article, 35 New Business Ideas for 2015.
To put you in the right mood, here are seven inspirational quotes that
will help you develop a mind set for success that will push you to win in
2015:

“A dream doesn't become reality through magic; it takes sweat,
determination, and hard work.” --Colin Powell
“A person who never made a mistake never tried anything new.”--
Albert Einstein
“Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow
already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is
secondary.” --Steve Jobs
“It is our attitude at the beginning of a difficult task which, more than
anything else, will affect its successful outcome.”- ~ William James
"Ability is what you're capable of doing. Motivation determines what
you do. Attitude determines how well you do it."- ~ Lou Holtz
"Positive thinking won't let you do anything but it will let you do
everything better than negative thinking will."
~ Zig Ziglar
"The sun shines and warms and lights us and we have no curiosity to
know why this is so; but we ask the reason of all evil, of pain, and hunger,
and mosquitoes and silly people.
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson
Feedback me on twitter :#chichonip

ZIMBABWE BUSINESS
BRIEFS
Zimbabwe ratifies US$3 million SME
loan facility
From The Herald
The National Assembly in December ratified a $3 million loan facility
to finance operations for micro, small and medium-scale enterprises that
was obtained from the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa.
The loan facility was signed by Finance and Economic Development
Minister Patrick Chinamasa and the ABEDA on October 14, this year in
Sudan. In his address before the ratification Minister Chinamasa said the
facility had favourable terms that should be exploited by SMEs.
"The $3 million line of credit has concessionary interest of one percent
and has tenure of 20 years and five-year grace period.
"It seeks to address challenges faced by SMEs that include re-tooling
and working capitals. Currently they are facing high interest rates
averaging 19 percent and stringent borrowing conditions and most of the
time the loans are short-term," Minister Chinamasa said.
He said the money would be administered by the Small and Medium
Enterprises Development Corporation with $1,2 million going to small
enterprises while medium and micro enterprises would receive US$900
000 each.
Minister Chinamasa also said the ABEDA had also expressed interest
in funding development projects in the country depending on the
performance of the $3 million facility.
"In my discussion with the bank they said they have given this small
amount because they want to test our repaying record. If it is satisfactory
they will avail more resources because they want to assist in the
development of this economy," he said.
Legislators across the political divide welcomed the facility and called
on Government to ensure that only intended beneficiaries access the
funds.
"The fund is welcome and should benefit everyone, especially rural
communities where most of the country's population is. It should not
only benefit people in urban areas as happened with previous loan
facilities," Mutasa South Representative Cde Irene Zindi said.

Kambuzuma legislator Mr. Willas Madzimure said the money should
target those in productive sectors.
"We want small businesses that are into production that can substitute
imports. Government should also set the criteria for those that should
benefit so that we prevent abuse of the facility," Mr. Madzimure said.
Hurungwe West Representative Cde Temba Mliswa said the facility
was welcome in light of the ongoing implementation of Government's
economic blueprint Zim-Asset.
"We have Zim-Asset and this money should find space in one the four
clusters that is Food Security and Nutrition, Social Services and Poverty
Eradication, Infrastructure and Utilities, and Value Addition and
Beneficiation.
"We should have a criteria that will make sure the money gets to
everyone and guarantees that issues to do with corruption and nepotism
are addressed in the disbursement," he said.
The National Assembly also ratified an agreement for the
establishment of the Country Office for the African Development Bank.
The agreement was signed on December 22, 2010 but had not been
ratified as required by law.
The AfDB has of late been playing a pivotal role in the country's
economy, especially in the areas of infrastructure development, water
and sanitation.
Last week it provided a $180 million grant that will go towards the
rehabilitation of the Kariba Dam wall and Bulawayo water reticulation
system, among others.
NSSA to Sets Up U.S$5 Million SME
Fund
From The Herald
The National Social Security Authority (NSSA) plans to setup a
$5million SME fund aimed at supporting projects by players in the
sector that are keen on formalizing their operations. NSSA director of
benefits, schemes, planning and research, Mr. Henry Chikova said other
players are free to participate in the scheme that will be administered by
the Small to Medium Enterprises Development Corporation (SMEDCO).

"SMEDCO sent a proposal for a $5 million unsecured facility funding
to roll out the transition to formality. NSSA is, however, proposing
creating an account/fund, which would pay project funds directly to
suppliers.
"The buyers would also pay directly to the account/fund and profit
would be paid to the small and medium enterprises (order-based
financing). Other players can also participate in the fund," he said.
Mr. Chikova said currently, NSSA has given SMEDCO $900 000,
which will mature on April 9 2016, based on security surrendered to
NSSA.
He said NSSA is working on a second retrenchee's facility that is
expected to formalize more players in the SME sector.
He, however, said the absence of a NSSA board could delay the
implementation of the facility.
The first facility was launched in 2011 and was targeted at the
thousands that had been laid off their jobs and threatening the social
security safety nets.
SMEs, however, expressed concern over the stringent conditions for
the loans which ranged between $500 and $5 000, repayable over 6-12
months at 10 percent per annum.
"With time, this facility is envisaged to slowly widen the contribution
base to NSSA while at the same time formalizing most micro small and
medium businesses," he said. - Wires.

Take Action! Just Do
It!
By Milton Kamwendo
At a 1988 meeting of the advertising agency,
Wieden+Kennedy, Nike's advertising account
handlers were looking at coming up with a
powerful campaign that would carry the Nike
brand into the 1990s. As they banged around
various thoughts, Dan Wieden, the Agency's
founder had a flash of inspiration from a novel he
had read.
He remembered Gary Gilmore's last murder me
words, "Just Do It!" And that cut it. This campaign
with this buy line from Nike went on to have
global recognition and captivated minds in the highly competitive sports
category for more than a decade. Wherever it's recited, everyone knows
you are talking about Nike.
Many people know what they should do, where they should do it, but
they just do not Nike it - just do it. Some in an effort to embolden
themselves a little more will take another course, attend a seminar and
all the while they know what to do and how. They know they must just do
it. After all has been said and done, you will always come back to this
compelling and seminal idea: just do it if you want it to get done.
Life is not waiting and the time for hesitation is
behind you. Just do it. Time is fleeing past and
aging does not sound an alarm bell. You are not as
young as you were last week. The message is: Just
do it! Take massive action, refuse to vacillate,
equivocate or quiver. Nothing will happen unless
you just do it. Take action and you will be pleased with yourself. Just do
it. Just do it. Just do it. You will never learn doing nothing.
Use this weekend to start taking action. Get moving what are you
waiting for?

Why 2015 is the Best Year to Start Your
Business
By the BusinessLink team
Most
people now know that New Year resolutions are a waste of time. Within
six to eight weeks, all those goals you had planned to achieve would have
been pushed to the back burner. Many people think of starting a new
business every New Year but then decide that the time is not yet right.
If you need any motivation in setting your goal, here are the 10 reasons
why 2015 will be the perfect year to start a business.
The economy
We all know the Zimbabwean economy has been taking a beating in
the past decade. Now it is at a level at which it cannot go down any
further. The only way left is up. Foreign investors are already setting
their marks. Soon recovery will start and where will you be with your
idea if you haven’t already set it up?
Investor money
In 2014, foreign investment in Africa was at an all time high. Because
of extremely low interest rates prevailing in Europe and the Americas,
investors seeking better returns turned to Africa. And 2015 doesn’t show
any signs of slowing down. So, if your big idea needs big money, now is
the time to perfect your pitch and reach out to investors.

Technology
Cloud-based technologies have continued to drive down the cost of
doing business. Companies like Adobe and Microsoft have made their
previously expensive software available via a subscription service. So, if
your new idea used to need expensive software to be successful, that
probably isn’t the case anymore.
Networks
It’s true that your net worth can often times be tied to the size of your
network: The more people you know usually provides you with more
opportunities to do business. For someone just getting started, this used
to be prohibitive. It’s tough to dedicate lunches and evenings to
networking when you’ve got a new company to run. But with networking
becoming a digital activity thanks to groups like LinkedIn, new
entrepreneurs can now build up their network before they ever open
their business doors.
Insight
I once heard a speaker say that anyone could be an expert in
something with the help of search engines, books and dedication. I can
personally vouch for this. I taught myself how to be a business planning
consultant and marketer by reading books, doing online searches and
spending months learning the craft. So, if your business idea requires a
level of expertise, then it’s never been easier to get your hands on the
knowledge you need.
World markets
If your new company needs a fancy website, online marketing, graphic
design or any number of other services, then you’re in luck. It used to
require a huge capital investment to get this work done but now you can
contract with groups overseas to get quality work done for much cheaper
than you could using local vendors. Also, many of these necessities have
out-of-the-box platforms (i.e. Shopify for ecommerce). So, it’s never been
cheaper or easier to get your idea off the ground.
Access to experts
If you’ve ever had a tough question that you needed answered
regarding business law, taxes or accounting, then you know how hard it
is to get good advice that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg. But with services
like Quora, anyone can now get even the toughest questions answered.
Plus, the answers are vetted by the user base through voting, so you
know you’re getting a legit answer to your question. So, don’t let your
lack of knowledge intimidate you anymore.
The speed of innovation
The "Internet of Things" is a new idea that cropped up over the last
few years. It’s the idea that everything and anything can be connected to
the Internet. This has ushered in some groundbreaking technologies

35 New
Business Ideas
for 2015
By Phillip Chichoni
There’s never been a better time to be an entrepreneur. Technology is
more powerful and affordable than ever and social media has made it
possible to promote your business in ways that are often more effective
than expensive traditional advertising campaigns. And if you need
startup funds to get going, crowd funding and alternative lending sites
Entrepreneurs need to be more innovative, not do me too businesses. Thousand of street
traders in Harare are all selling the same basic commodities. Certainly new ideas are needed

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