The Sunday Mail
Entrepreneurship
Matters
Dr Kudzanai Vere
Entrepreneurs are the pillars of any economy and as such there must be deliberate efforts towards making sure that these key players are capacitated and empowered.
You will realise that most people who are in business are driven in by the economic situation and a smaller percentage by passion without the requisite knowledge of how to start, support, sustain and succeed in these businesses.
Most businesses are failing due to lack of the knowledge by the owners of how to sustainably run these entities, while the issue of capital is cited in some circles as a drawback.
With the coming of the proactive and revolutionary Institute of Entrepreneurs Zimbabwe (IOEZ ), whose aim is purely to capacitate small and medium enterprises with cutting-edge entrepreneurship skills, economic activity from this sector is set to improve.
Members receive continuous entrepreneurship training so that they keep abreast with the current and emergent changes in business.
They also have a business development and growth division which works closely with their members and makes sure they register some growth as they undertake their businesses.
The institute have partnered a number of financial institutions who will assist the trained and knowledgeable entrepreneurs with tailor-made credit lines.
Major issues addressed by the Institute of Entrepreneurs Zimbabwe
The institute has packages that enhance member business from education, starting, supporting sustaining and succeeding in their entrepreneurship endeavours.
Entrepreneurship Education
IOEZ, with its entrepreneurship revolution, is leaving no one behind. IOEZ is enrolling right from primary school to high school, universities, prospective and current entrepreneurs who really want to make a difference in their businesses.
Policy Advocacy & Research
As a revolutionary and transformational institute, it seeks to advocate for policies that support the entrepreneur right from the grass roots since entrepreneurship is pivotal to economic growth and sustainability.
Entrepreneurship Projects
The institute is running its own projects driven by the pool of entrepreneurship scholars on board.
The institute is helping its students (members) to start, sustain and succeed in their various entrepreneurship projects.
Some of those in business do not have adequate capital to grow their businesses, since most of the banks are on board and eager to support those who would have graduated on financial management issues.
Business Development
Stagnation has been and still is a cancer affecting most African businesses, Zimbabwe included. IOEZ will assist organisations through the co-creation of practical business growth models that suit their operating environments.
Economic Development Engagements
Institute of Entrepreneurs Zimbabwe’s aim is to transform entrepreneurs in Zimbabwe, Africa and the world at large, and by so doing, the number of contributors to the gross domestic product of the country improves and thus the overall economy grows.
IOEZ’s vision is to be the fountain of entrepreneurship skills in Zimbabwe, Africa and the world at large while its mission is to transform the business landscape through imparting transformative entrepreneurship skills to the passionate and those prepared to contribute positively to the local, national and global economy.
The institute will achieve that mission through:
Engaging all the those passionate about entrepreneurship and business
Engaging schools starting from high school to university
Coming up with incubation hubs in every province
Mobilisation of resources nationally or internationally to support initiatives
Having mutually beneficial networking programmes with similar institutes internationally
Events and Business promotion activities.
Partnering with the Government Ministries and other stakeholders whose mandate is to support the small and medium enterprises.
Eligibility requirements to be part of the revolutionary institute
The institute is taking everyone who is passionate about starting and running their own business now and even in the future.
Those in primary, secondary, college and universities have shown interest in being part of the revolutionary institute and they have designed some membership packages suitable for each category.
There are the aspiring and existing entrepreneurs who are enlightened enough to know that without continuous improvement businesswise, there is not future and growth to talk about.
The importance of entrepreneurship education
As an institute, it doesn’t take entrepreneurship education lightly and they have never wanted to assume that people know what they are doing in business.
Entrepreneurship education is different from the ordinary business education that people get.
This is a kind of education that focuses more on innovation, value addition and uniqueness in approach to business.
Once the masses are educated in entrepreneurship and business, they are better positioned to contribute effectively to the economic emancipation of the country and the rate of unemployment will go down, for entrepreneurship creates employment.
Entrepreneurship makes our country a self-sustained economy with great export ability and potential.
The economic and entrepreneurship landscape in Zimbabwe
The Zimbabwean economy has the capacity and potential to grow as there is evident underutilisation of endowments by a greater majority.
In addition, the currency issue has affected proper business planning, for parallel market exchange rates are continuosly increasing, making it difficult for entrepreneurs to plan. However, Government is addressing the issue.
Often-times real stars shine when it is the darkest. Most successful entrepreneurs were birthed out of economic turbulence.
The current economic situation forces entrepreneurs to stop using common sense. Common sense gives birth to predictable and common results. As the Institute of Entrepreneurs Zimbabwe, it trains entrepreneurs survival skills in the face of economic turmoil.
Dr Kudzanai Vere is an entrepreneur, author of four books, business and personal development, multiple award winning entrepreneurship and business coach. Dr. Vere has coached more than 5000 entrepreneurs globally and continues to impact people in the areas of entrepreneurship, business and personal development. He is the CEO of Kudfort Group./Contact Dr Kudzanai Vere for transformational entrepreneurship and business coaching and training on [email protected] or +263 719 592232
