Co-operatives- A Business Model

"A journey of a thousand miles, begins with a step" Say the Wise. This is very true in many respects. Before a baby walks, they crawl. That is just the natural way of doing things.

If you were to ask me two people that inspire me today, unlike most of you who would say Obama and Sata, I would say Mark Zuckergerg and Bill Gates. These guys have one thing in common. You guessed wrong it is not their line of business. To the contrary, they each followed their heart and gave up what most Zambians need most. Education. Harvard, the most prestigious University in the United States, where America's finest come from like Obama, these guys dropped out. There was no doubt they could make it big in the corporate world should they have graduated. They followed their hearts. Zuckerberg is now CEO of the Worlds largest social networking platform- Facebook.
These guys surely did not make it on their own. The idea was conceived, shared and implemented. Today, they are popular. There are quiet people behind them that we will never know but they are there. They helped make these people.

One problem that I have noticed in us Zambians is SELFISHNESS. "If I share my plan with Mweemba, he will implement it and take all the credit" we say. One thing we need to understand is; No one can ever implement a plan better than the originator. No one. You could steal all my ideas but you will never be me and would never do things as I would. You will never see the world using my eyes. Only me can. For that reason, I would never seek protection to my ideas (copyright). You're free to use them at will but you will never be me. The best you can do is, contact me and ask how I can assist you.

We have many Zambians with small amounts of capital but would like to do business but they can't. Suppose you had say $1000 and wanted to do a sound business, chances are you won't succeed. But should you give up? No! That is not the end. You can do something about it and that is where I come in. To connect you with someone else like you and help you manage something.

Zambians now need to learn to work with each other. How about ten people with, say, $2000 each come together, put their resources together and let someone manage those funds? That is what I would simply call Share Holding. Rewards may not come immediately but surely would with a bit of time. Remember the capital will have to be grown before any tangible rewards are reaped. Remember you will need assets to help you function daily and that is why you need time before you see rewards. Many people see expenditure on Assets as an expense. No, it is not and that why we don't make any deductions under expenses in the INCOME STATEMENT (Profit and Loss Account) but rather go to the STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL POSITION (Balance Sheet) and are added together. They are assets just like Cash and Stock. So allow time for the Non Current Assets (Fixed Assets) to generate the income they are intended to before you can see the benefits. Your manager will do this for you. All you need to do is sit back and relax and let you money work for you. The Manager is employed to make profits for you and that is why he is paid.

People, let us start to do such things now and before we know it, we will have Zambian companies in other countries all from such ideas as this one. Rome was not built in one day but with time, it became an empire. Trust me, there are no short-cuts in life. Those who rush, often crush.

I leave the challenge up to you all. Those with a vision and understand what leaving a legacy means, feel free to contact me and together, we will make it.

Peace and love to you all.

Email: mweemba@gmail.com
Twitter: @Quigleysouth.

Retail Business in Zambia

Without a doubt, Zambia is currently having a lot of spending power in retail than most other Southern African countries with the exception of South Africa. The Zambian economy is growing and so is the population. The Mining and Construction industries are doing well creating a number of jobs for people thereby increasing the aggregate spending power for the economy.
Zambia has really turned into another province of South Africa. We have seen huge movements of capital from the South into Zambia. Many South African retail outlets have found many profit opportunities in Zambia. Shoprite stores, Pick'n'Pay, Game Stores, Pep Stores. Clothing retailers like WoolWorths, Identity, Trueworths, Total Sport, Mr. Price to mention just a few.
One interesting thing though is, there is almost no big retail Zambia company. In fact, there is still a deficit if retail service provision. These South African Giants are only concentrated in Lusaka and the Copperbelt Province of Zambia. Recently, I took a trip to Mkushi, a very big commercial farming community. There is no Retail store. I took time to ask a few people how they feel about this. As you may well have guessed, no investor really has even thought of it. The many rich people including a very good number of white farmers with millions of dollars, either drive or fly to Lusaka to do their shopping.
On the other hand, I have seen so many small shops around Lusaka trying to compete with these South African Giants. Yes, they do make sales but really, they don't have everything that a consumer wants. Suppose, I wanted a loaf of bread as well as polony and cereals. There is no doubt I will find bread at one local shop but not the other products. I will have to visit 3 local shops to complete my shopping. As a result, I will simply go one Retail Store and get everything under one roof. There is really no harm in buying from these stores and I'm not encouraging anyone to shun them. To the contrary, I have a plan for these small traders that can make them profitable.
How about a cooperative. Identify yourself with 3-10 other traders of your category, put your resources together, go to a place like Mkushi, Choma or indeed any other place for that matter and open a sound store that will house everything under one roof. Zambian should start to think outside the box and go out. We as Zambians are too urbanised mentally. We will stop at nothing from being in Lusaka.

Do you have a capital and need a sound business plan, feel free to contact me. Networking is the key to modern business. Are you a non-Zambian seeking to establish a business in Zambia? Bring it on! Zambia remains unexplored.

Twitter @Quigleysouth