Hello again to the readers of Ziminvestor.com. Makadii? Today I have something special for you to open up my Interviews series, it’s my first piece in the Interviews section, but here’s the twist, it’s not exactly an interview in the traditional sense. But read on and you’ll see just how it fits into the whole mix of things interviewy *chuckles*. So here goes nothing.
I write this piece for the benefit of all those who have a dream of setting up an entrepreneurial venture of their own; those who wish to follow in the footsteps of those before them, or even better and more challengingly go against the norm and forge a way for themselves in the world of business. It’s for those that have already setup an enterprise but may be finding the going tough-save for the slippery slope our economy is on right now, you can still make it. Trust me; if it was easy then it probably wasn’t going to be worth it.
As an entrepreneur you need to have a mentor, what better mentor to have than CNN’s Fortune Magazine’s number 35 “World’s Greatest Leader” nominee (out of a panel of 50), our very own Mr. Strive Masiyiwa. What you know about his journey is most likely composed of hearsay and what you picked up in the media. If you were born post 1995 you probably may not even know where the journey of Buddie as you know it today began. His journey as an entrepreneur has been a long and arduous trek, but whom better to tell you of this than he himself.
Utilizing the power and reach of social media, thanks to another enterprising young mind (although this one isn’t Zimbabwean, but no less important) Mark Zuckerberg. Mr. Masiyiwa has provided us budding entrepreneurs using his Facebook account with a firsthand recollection of his journey, his inspiration, his highs, his lows, how he financed his endeavor, how he prepared himself for the undertaking he was about to take up for Econet Wireless to be the Zimbabwean Multinational we know today. He also gives us possible snippets of where he envisions it going in future. If ever this didn’t satisfy the Modus Operandi of a mentor I don’t know what will.
His account is vivid and I swear you can envision the scenes playing out before you as he unfolds and gives an intimate account of himself. You are meant to have a way to pick your mentors brains. Therefore, his retelling is interactive and therefore nothing like any autobiography you can think of reading at your local library, for after every chapter there’d be a lot of correspondence with the multitudes of readers who comprise of a plethora of African nationalities which include Ghana, South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania and of course Zimbabwe just to name a few, who ask him questions or provide comments on how his story is uplifting them just by his humbly sharing it with them, to which he responds with invaluable nuggets of advice, encouragement of both a spiritual and business nature. Mr. Masiyiwa is by no means a closet worshipper; this man wears his beliefs on his sleeve for all to see, a trait most admirable if ever you were looking for just one.
Now you might not be looking to setup an Econet Wireless Zimbabwe, but that does not mean what you are doing or intend on doing is any less important. A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. You may be operating that backyard poultry project today, but that’s invaluable experience that can translate to the next Irvine’s, Suncrest, Lunar chickens or an even bigger project of tomorrow. Challenge yourself and your business to do better, to do more, to push harder every business cycle. Protect yourself and your business by firstly being knowledgeable and by surrounding yourself with support structures more knowledgeable than yourself; it keeps you learning and adapting.
Below is an article from a technology blog start-up called Technology Zimbabwe, Techzim, it’d also make some good reading on the Econet Wireless founders story. (Copy-Paste the links into your browser if you can’t click on them)
Below is a link to Mr. Strive Masiyiwa’s autobiographical retelling of his journey on his Facebok account of the challenges he faced in setting up the first privately owned mobile telephone network enterprise in Zimbabwe. When you read his account, begin with the story titled “THE GREATEST INVESTMENT YOU CAN MAKE…”
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Strive-Masiyiwa
Happy reading. And keep watching this space, who knows what the future holds we might have an actual interview with the man himself, God willing. Until next time, here’s to your continued success.
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