12
BUSINESSLINK MAGAZINE AUGUST 2014 Page 1

Dont miss BusinessLink magazine August 2014 issue, read sample here

Embed Size (px)

DESCRIPTION

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.

Citation preview

Page 1: Dont miss BusinessLink magazine August 2014 issue, read sample here

B U S I N E S S L I N K M A G A Z I N E A U G U S T 2 0 1 4 Page 1

Page 2: Dont miss BusinessLink magazine August 2014 issue, read sample here

B U S I N E S S L I N K M A G A Z I N E A U G U S T 2 0 1 4 Page 2

"I was relentless, even in the face of total lack of encouragement, because much more often than you'd think, sheer persistence is the difference between success and failure." Donald Trump

]

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.

Page 3: Dont miss BusinessLink magazine August 2014 issue, read sample here

B U S I N E S S L I N K M A G A Z I N E A U G U S T 2 0 1 4 Page 3

BusinessLink Magazine is published by

Admiral Business Systems (Pvt) Ltd

Suite 308, 3rd

Floor Merchant House,

43 Robson Manyika / 2nd

Street, Harare, Zimbabwe.

Phone 0772 854 301

http://smebusinesslink.com

© Admiral Business Systems 2014. All rights reserved

Publisher: Phillip Chichoni, email [email protected]

Marketing : Christine Mangwanya, email [email protected]

Design and graphics: Nzwisisai Gonese, email [email protected]

Distribution: PCL Marketing and Distribution

Get BusinessLink magazine delivered to your

email inbox every month. Subscribe for only

$10 for a year.

Please visit http://smebusinesslink.com/magazine

Page 4: Dont miss BusinessLink magazine August 2014 issue, read sample here

B U S I N E S S L I N K M A G A Z I N E A U G U S T 2 0 1 4 Page 4

Table of Contents

Publisher’s note: How to build the perfect startup ........................................................ 7

The Essentials of Strategy! ................................................................................................. 9

10 Greatest Enemies To your Greatness .......................................................................... 11

From a cottage startup to conquering the male dominated security industry ........... Error!

Bookmark not defined.

Advice to Women Entrepreneurs from Divine Ndhlukula .... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Young Zimbabwean Shines at U.S.-Africa Summit, Talks Business With Obama ........ Error!

Bookmark not defined.

Don’t Miss the Networking Breakfast Meeting on 28 August 2014 .....Error! Bookmark not

defined.

Should You Incorporate Your Business? ............................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

The Most Important Investment a Startup Can Make .......... Error! Bookmark not defined.

The 15 Startup Misconceptions ........................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

12 Smart Low Cost Business Ideas ....................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

How to Register as a Taxpayer ............................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

PayPal Now in Zimbabwe. What has changed for local online merchants? ............ Error!

Bookmark not defined.

4 Social Media Secrets Worth Stealing from Zim’s leading Comedian .Error! Bookmark not

defined.

3 Things Every Entrepreneur Needs To Know About Social Media Marketing ............ Error!

Bookmark not defined.

Think Like a Designer: 3 Tips to Help You Build a Better Website .......Error! Bookmark not

defined.

Become a Sales Star in One Week .................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Pumping Marketing Iron ...................................................... Error! Bookmark not defined.

Understanding an Agreement of Sale .................................. Error! Bookmark not defined.

Subscribe now and win! ................................................................................................... 12

Page 5: Dont miss BusinessLink magazine August 2014 issue, read sample here

B U S I N E S S L I N K M A G A Z I N E A U G U S T 2 0 1 4 Page 5

Page 6: Dont miss BusinessLink magazine August 2014 issue, read sample here

B U S I N E S S L I N K M A G A Z I N E A U G U S T 2 0 1 4 Page 6

Manufacturers of: Office Safes, Strongroom Doors, Filing Cabinets & a wide range of Industrial Catering Equipment. You will find us at No.10, Isafil Industrial Complex, 667 Seke Road, Hatfield, Harare Phone: Tel 04-2933391/ 2 Cell: 0772 403 827, 0712 400 534, 0733 377 915 Email: [email protected]

Thinking of starting a Thinking of starting a Thinking of starting a Thinking of starting a business? Or do you business? Or do you business? Or do you business? Or do you wanwanwanwantttt to write a professional business plan to write a professional business plan to write a professional business plan to write a professional business plan acceptable to investors and financiers?acceptable to investors and financiers?acceptable to investors and financiers?acceptable to investors and financiers?

Get all the insights you need from the Business Planning Simplified eBook, available

on CD or via email, for $7.00, or $12 for the printed edition.

Also available: Business Starter Pack eBooks, @ $2.99, or $6 for the printed edition.

Visit http://smebusinesslink.com/businesslink-resources or come to 3rd Floor

Merchant House, Robson Manyika/ 2nd

Street, Harare, or call/ Whatsapp Christine on

0772 854 301.

Page 7: Dont miss BusinessLink magazine August 2014 issue, read sample here

B U S I N E S S L I N K M A G A Z I N E A U G U S T 2 0 1 4 Page 7

Publisher’s note:

How to build the

perfect startup

"I always tell people: 'If you've got a

product or a service that is required by

the market, you can sell it'. It's not

about the sciences. It's about the

passion for the idea".

This is what Divine Ndhlukula said

when asked about what made her

want to start a security company when

she had no training or experience in

that particular industry.

Building a perfect business requires

a set of skills that no single person

possesses.

The perfect start-up has all three

founders:

• Someone who understands how to

build technologies and systems to

solve problems.

• Someone who understands the

human factors behind those

problems, why they exist, what it

takes to fix them and how to shape

the experience.

• Someone who understands how to

reach, talk to and sell to the people

whose problems are being solved--

and to keep finding more of them.

Fail fast: Start with a working set of

assumptions and test them out in the

market very fast. If your assumptions

are wrong then pivot, adjust, and make

a decisive decision. Remember,

entrepreneurs love the process, the

idea is one of many you'll try on the

way to achieving greatness, and

commercial success.

Know your weaknesses: Knowing

your weaknesses is as important as

knowing what your strengths are, and

even more important as your company

grows; hire or have co-founders who

are great in areas where you are weak.

In our BusinessLink Magazine

feature article this month, we share

with you the story of one of the

country’s most successful business

builders, how she started from a

cottage with only three employees and

went on to build one of the top

security firms around, now employing

almost 3,500 people.

That is the story of Divine Ndhlukula,

which we hope will inspire you,

especially if you are a women

entrepreneur, in working hard in

building a successful business.

Phillip Chichonip- Publisher

Please email me your feedback, or

get on Twitter: #BizLinkMagazine.

Page 8: Dont miss BusinessLink magazine August 2014 issue, read sample here

B U S I N E S S L I N K M A G A Z I N E A U G U S T 2 0 1 4

The Essentials of Strategy!

10 Greatest Enemies your Greatnesspage 11

B U S I N E S S L I N K M A G A Z I N E A U G U S T 2 0 1 4

The Essentials of Strategy! with Milton Kamwendo, page

10 Greatest Enemies your Greatness with Rabison Shumba,

B U S I N E S S L I N K M A G A Z I N E A U G U S T 2 0 1 4 Page 8

ith Milton Kamwendo, page 9

10 Greatest Enemies to ith Rabison Shumba,

Page 9: Dont miss BusinessLink magazine August 2014 issue, read sample here

B U S I N E S S L I N K M A G A Z I N E A U G U S T 2 0 1 4 Page 9

The Essentials of

Strategy! “The essence of strategy is choosing

what not to do.” - Michael E. Porter

By Milton Kamwendo

Strategy in

its simplest

form is your

crystallised

thought

about your business and how you

intent to contend for space in the

market place. I am a student of

strategy and I spend many hours every

year working with clients from

different industries on their strategies

and reviewing the progress of their

plans. The essence of strategy is not

merely complex textbook analysis but

simplicity. You do not really

understand what you are doing until

you can simplify it in your mind.

What is your winning aspiration?

It is not enough to play, the

keystone of strategy is to win in the

market place. You have to be clear

about the meaning of winning to you.

What will winning look like? What are

your goals? Where do you want to cut

your opponent? Clear goals drive

resolute action.

In the Book of Five Rings, the great

warrior, Miyamoto Musashi says,

"The primary thing when you take a sword in your hands is your intention to cut the enemy, whatever the means. Whenever you parry, hit, spring, strike or touch the enemy's cutting sword, you must cut the enemy in the same movement. It is essential to attain this. If you think only of hitting, springing, striking or touching the enemy, you will not be able actually to cut him."

In strategy the key is not just to

tread along but to execute a winning

strategy. Your winning aspiration must

be clear. Your goals must be certain

and clear. Double talk is not for

strategists but idle babblers.

Where is the battle ground?

Not all territory is contested

territory. It is helpful to define the

battlefield. Fighting on all fronts is the

key to losing. Strategy is not only a

definition of what you will do. It is also

a clear definition of what you will not

do. Where you will pitch the battle

determines how you will fight.

In determining your battle ground

you need to define the market

segments you will play in. If you do not

decide you will be forced to play in an

arena where you are irrelevant. Define

the geographical spaces in which you

will play to win. Trying to be

everywhere if you do not have the

resources will see you coming home

with your tail between your legs. If you

Page 10: Dont miss BusinessLink magazine August 2014 issue, read sample here

B U S I N E S S L I N K M A G A Z I N E A U G U S T 2 0 1 4 Page 10

have little resources, focus your effort.

If you have abundant resources choose

where you will play wisely.

You may also need to look at your

industry space and consider some

vertical integration options. You may

decide to go up the chain or move

further down. It is all part of the

strategy game. Where you will play is

an important strategy consideration

worth your attention.

How you will you win?

Merely playing in the marketplace

with a gun loaded with hope and little

else is neither courage nor strategy. It

is important to define how you intend

to win. How will you play? You cannot

let fate answer that question unless

you are insane.

The great military strategist,

Sun Tzu said:

"If your enemy is secure at all points, be prepared for him. If he is in superior strength, evade him. If your opponent is temperamental, seek to irritate him. Pretend to be weak, that he may grow arrogant. If he is taking his ease, give him no rest. If his forces are united, separate them. If sovereign and subject are in accord, put division between them. Attack him where he is unprepared, appear where you are not expected."

This my friend, is strategy in motion.

If you do not decide how you will

win, you will discover in due course

how it was decided that you should

lose. In crafting strategy you should

never forget that your competition is

not sitting idle waiting for you to act.

Your weaknesses are your

competition's greatest opportunity.

Whatever you do, do not stop moving

forward.

What capabilities must be in place?

Once you have decided where you

will play and how you will win you

need to be honest with yourself and

take an inventory of your abilities.

What abilities must be in place for you

to win? You need to decide how you

will get these capabilities. Knowing the

capabilities that you require is the first

and crucial step.

How Will You Manage It All?

Strategy and leadership are

inseparable Once you have articulated

your strategy, it is important to spare

time to ask a few management

questions. What management systems

and practices do you need to put in

place to ensure that your strategy

works? Great leaders think about

management; great managers think

about leadership all the time.

Is your strategy in place already?

Then get on with the relentless and

never-say-die execution. Is your

strategy now stale, refresh it, quickly.

Is your strategy non-existent, then go

ahead and put one in place. If you need

help a good facilitator can help you. By

all means act strategically if you want

to win.

Committed to your greatness.

Milton Kamwendo

Twitter # MiltonKamwendo

Page 11: Dont miss BusinessLink magazine August 2014 issue, read sample here

B U S I N E S S L I N K M A G A Z I N E A U G U S T 2 0 1 4 Page 11

10 Greatest Enemies To

your Greatness

By Rabison Shumba

Greatness remains a birthright for every living human being. Your greatness is guaranteed and without question or negotiation.

The capacity to dream is built in and grafted to everyone at the point of conception. This function is enabled more as you arrive on earth and become aware of what could be; possibilities and opportunities as well as

potential obstacles that you face in the process called growth and experience.

However, your ability to dream and guarantee of greatness has equally opposing forces which seek to either delay, derail, destroy and mutilate your progress towards destiny. To know the disease is half the cure just as identifying an enemy is half the victory in the battle front. In this article I explore common enemies or dream killers that I have face faced as I have dreamt and worked on my vision.

I have overcome some and yet still face more enemies. The goal is to empower you to identify your own enemies and have a strategy on how to bring them down so that your greatness can be well positioned to take place.

Common Dream Killers 1. Bad Personal Experiences and Testimonies that Others Tell You About Usually when you have had a bad experience with a dream

Page 12: Dont miss BusinessLink magazine August 2014 issue, read sample here

B U S I N E S S L I N K M A G A Z I N E A U G U S T 2 0 1 4 Page 12

Subscribe now and win!