**DB2014 report data covers regulations measured from June 2012 through May 2013
*This was taken from the Doing Business report for 2014.
**DB2014 report data covers regulations measured from June 2012 through May 2013
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One day, someone is going to ask about YOUR BUSINESS and INNOVATION, instead of grasping at straws, we are going to make sure you know what to say. Why is it free? Because EntreCorporate has a purpose and that is to make Africa innovative. Innovation rises and falls on leadership, that’s why they believe it’s important to train African Business leaders on what innovation is and why it’s vital to taking their business development to the next level. Our good friends have developed short audio clips [Less than 5 minutes] to tackle many pressing questions that executives have on innovation, including;
By the end of this short series, you will never be left looking puzzled if someone asks, “how innovative is your company?” When there’s a discussion on innovation, you will be able to add your two cents confidently. While this isn’t a comprehensive course on innovation, it’s a good place to begin. It’s free and it’s 5 minutes a day- what excuse do you have for not trying it out? None! To register now click here Bribery is a big issue in Zimbabwe.My associate Fitzgerald Mujuru and I were conducting a sales and marketing training with the sales team at one of the leading Telecoms companies recently when the issue of bribes came up. Sales staff struggle to make big sales because buyers at many firms and government departments expect to be given bribes in return for purchasing products and services. The real extent of corruption in both private firms and government departments cannot be easily determined because both sales people and buyers are very secretive about it; and none of them wants it to stop. Business owners and managers feel that sales people are not working hard enough, as evidenced by unsatisfactory sales volumes. What can the poor sales person do when faced with the dilemma of whether to offer a bribe or lose a sale? Let’s us define a bribe. Taking a client out for lunch, giving them presents at year end or inviting them for golf or a cocktail party are not bribes. These are normal relationship building activities with existing or potential customers. A bribe is any irregular and underhand gift or incentive, in cash or kind, which is given to a buyer in order to influence their decision in awarding orders. It usually involves giving the order to someone who does not deserve it instead of to the best supplier. Bribery is common in business globally, but in many countries it is an offence which leads to prosecution and imprisonment, not counting loss of employment. That is a really bad risk to take. In Zimbabwe bribery is worsened by the difficult economic environment in which sales people are desperate to make a sale at all costs, while buyers “need” the bribes to supplement their usually inadequate salaries. Can you survive in the world of selling without offering bribes? Absolutely! To truly succeed in business you must be ethical and respect all provisions of the law. Billionaire Virgin founder, Richard Branson, said he learned a hard lesson when he tried to evade taxes while building his records business. It nearly destroyed his business when he was caught and heavily penalized, luckily he was not sent to jail; but he learned his lesson and vowed never to willingly break the law again. Imagine the embarrassment when your bribery efforts are discovered! Instead of bribing people in order to make a sale, sales people should work on improving their marketing and selling skills. A true sales person does not need to offer a bribe. Instead he arms himself with winning skills. He offers best value. His belief in his product and his selling ability is so deep that he quickly converts prospects into believers and advocates. By communicating to potential customers that his product is the best and that there is nothing better in the world, he gets firms lining up to buy his product. Because he believes in abundance and endless possibilities, he knows there is more than enough business out there for everyone. He does not need to stoop to the poverty related habit of offering bribes. The qualities and skills of a true salesman can be acquired through learning and practice. I have learned many skills through reading books and articles by those who are successful in their fields. About The Author Phillip Chichoni SME Business Link Website: www.smebusinesslink.com Facebook: www.facebook.com Twitter: @Chichonip Business Planning consultant and entrepreneurship champion, SME trainer, speaker and author of the book Business Planning Simplified. Business is defined as "A group of people working together to achieve a common goal and make money in the process". It is so important that everyone in your business is aiming for the same goals. Think of a sports team... if the players are unclear where the goals are or if some players are aiming for the wrong goals, you will lose the game. This is the same in business. Here are 5 steps to get goal congruence in your business... 1. Firstly, you need to define clear goals that you are aiming to achieve in your business in the next 12 months AND in the next 5 years. 2.Then you need to ensure that everyone in the business knows about these goals (especially the parts of the goal that pertain to them), understand them and knows why you have set them for the business or for their department. Encourage people to add their opinion. 3.It is then important that everyone understands how they can help the company achieve the goals. They need to fully understand the unique part that they play. As a group, put together a plan to achieve the goals and allocate responsibility of who is going to do what. 4. Next, you need to explain how everyone will benefit when the company achieves its goals. 5.Follow the plan and continually remind everyone in your business about the goals - at the daily, weekly and monthly meetings. About The Authors Brendan and Sally Palmer Business Consultants | Authors | Speakers | Coaches | Motivator Twitter: @SabreBusinessW We are a husband and wife team who are passionate about teaching and inspiring people in business to become more successful. Be Cool ! Be Great ! Be Alive ! It goes without saying, but I will say it again... starting a business is really tough. Even before you launch your business, you have to write that business plan, secure some funding , register your business and get patented. That is all done before you open your doors to the world. Then once you open its marketing, selling, planning, reviewing and re-planning. Let us not forget customer feedback and this is just to mention a few things of the many you have to do to start a successful business. It is therefore no wonder why 85% .. yes 85% of new businesses fail in the first year. You basically need all the help you can get when dealing with the emotional and mental tolls that comes with setting up a new business. Partnerships are one way you can get stronger and last longer. More often than not a good partner can bring something different to the table than you do. The partner complements your skills and personality. "In a world where competitors can come from around the corner or around the globe, it is increasingly difficult for firms to operate in isolation and establish and maintain a valuable competitive advantage" - Greg Fisher I have been studying successful businesses and one important thing I identified was that most huge businesses we admire today were in fact started by partners and not sole entrepreneurs. Take a look for example at Microsoft, Apple and Google. They are were they are today because they took advantage of partnerships when they were starting up. This is why I have decided to do a Pondering on Partnership series of posts. All about partners so stay tuned for the next post on choosing the right partner. P.S - What do you think about bringing on a partner when starting a new business? Please comment below. About The Author Vongai C Mudzamba Co-Founder Zimbabwe Entrepreneur Zone Twitter: @vongzie I am and always will be inspired to inspire. Many entrepreneurs despair when a bank or an invest declines to support their business plan. They start wondering what is really wrong? This free eBook will give you a few tips to make your business plan more likely to succeed in getting funding.
About The Author Phillip Chichoni SME Business Link Website: www.smebusinesslink.com Facebook: www.facebook.com Twitter: @Chichonip Business Planning consultant and entrepreneurship champion, SME trainer, speaker and author of the book Business Planning Simplified. I'm happy to see Agriculture being brought into the spotlight. Open your eyes to entrepreneurship opportunities in Agriculture my friends. There's not only money to be made, but lives to be changed. Everybody in the world needs food, in its simplest or more complex forms and by products of agriculture have many, many uses. Support services for agriculture...essential. Find your place and position yourself for success!! Dr Strive Masiyiwa wrote: As an entrepreneur, I am really excited about the potential in agriculture. If I were a young person, starting out in business today, I would seriously consider agriculture. About The Author Maureen Bandama Agribusiness Program Coordinator Twitter: @Mi Passionate about transforming the way people think, work and live Start Something is coming up in a few days and we are extremely excited about what we have planned for this event. After an amazing first event in July, we decided to team up with our good friends from JCI Harare to bring you a spectacular Start Something on the 25th of September 2013. This time we have the director of the Zimbabwe Youth Council, Mr Livingstone Dzikira speaking at the event. This is great in more ways than one! The Zimbabwe Youth Council has an extensive Youth Development Program and you can learn about how the council can help you achieve your dream of becoming a successful entrepreneur! Also speaking at the event is Max Soutter, a leading marketing and business growth advisor, author & founder of Business Setup Group. Mr Soutter will be focusing on business registrations and how to start the process. As a consultant with years of experience, he is the perfect person to speak to when you need to get your business registered easily. This is going to be an epic event and you have to be there if you are an aspiring entrepreneur or an existing entrepreneur who wants to take business to the next level. Registration fee is $15 but if you do not register you pay $20 at the door. Seats are limited. So register early to avoid disappointment. "Entrepreneurship culture is essentially the culture that is needed to nurture and develop an entrepreneur.
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July 2014
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