Having attended this year`s National Youth Conference held at the University of Zimbabwe, listening to speaker after speaker sharing about how best we can improve the SMEs sector of Zimbabwe, i discovered some important points that are crucial for entrepreneurs.
The three day conference was running under the theme “Realigning the youth sector towards skills Development and Poverty Reduction.
Below are the 10 key points outlined by various speakers including the honourable Minister of Youth, Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment, Francis Nhema.
- You are the key ingredient for the success
As the entrepreneur, you are the key ingredient for your success, meaning that every move and decision you make will determine the path your business will go.
2. Your attitude and culture towards entrepreneurship
The entrepreneurial culture in a country affects the attitude that individuals have towards entrepreneurship, the likelihood of choosing entrepreneurship as a career, the ambitions to success and start again after a failure, or the support provided to family and relatives planning to set up a business.
All these aspects play a role.
- Passion – love what you are doing, have fun
You need to approach business enthusiastically and with a sense of urgency. Your passion for your business is that fuel that will take your business to the ‘Promised Land’.
- Know what you want – independent mind
You need to know exactly what you want and refuse to be tossed to and fro by the different philosophies of man.
- Have a radical perspective
Being radical means stopping at nothing. You need to develop the attitude of a winner. Winners never quit and quitters never win.
- Build and acquire technical skills
This is one important factor that a lot of young entrepreneurs choose to ignore and they end up being mediocre. Acquiring technical skills will make you an expert in your area of expertise.
- Act transparently, honestly and have positive relations with banker/financier/mentor
You also need to be well connected. The reason why some young entrepreneurs fail is not because they don’t know what they are doing but it’s because they are not well connected.
- Follow the rules, do not cut corners
Be straightforward in business. The reason why people want to do business with you is because of your faithfulness and honesty.
- Manage your time
Time management is the act or process of planning and exercising conscious control over the amount of time spent on specific activities, especially to increase effectiveness, efficiency or productivity.
10. Innovativeness and willingness to embrace technology
The business world is dynamic; it’s constantly changing so you need to remove blinkers and move with the times.
The Cyrexperience 