To succeed in business today,
you need to be flexible in place, in mind and have good planning and
organizational skills. Many people start a business thinking that they'll turn
on their computers or open their doors and start making money - only to find that
making money in a business is much more difficult than they thought. You can
avoid this in your business ventures by taking your time and planning out all
the necessary steps you need to reach to achieve success.
If you look around many towns and villages here in Tanzania, the picture that emerges is that most immigrants behave entrepreneurially. This is not to say immigrants have inherent gifts or because only entrepreneurial persons immigrate.
There are social and economic reasons for entrepreneurial behavior among immigrants, reasons that locals (Tanzanians) can also incorporate.
First, need for a job – freedom to create one’s own job instead of running around with your diploma or degree certificates looking for jobs that do not exist in the first place. You do not migrate to a foreign country such as Tanzania and expect to land a lucrative job either in the public or private sector however educated you are. The basic reason here is: Such jobs are reserved for the locals and not foreigners (immigrants).
Even if you are a first rate professor of economics, a first rate business management consultant, a first rate lawyer, a first rate engineer, a first rate medical doctor, a first rate banker, a first rate mathematics teacher, a first rate physics teacher, a first rate chemistry or biology teacher, a first rate economics teacher, a first rate accountant, a first rate designer, first rate contractor, chances are that there are also first rate professionals in the country you migrate to in those particular fields and you may not be in a better position to compete with them on an equal footing.
So, the best way to make use of your unique knowledge and skills is to branch out and start your own business. Open your own consultancy firm in town and even in the villages and market your services aggressively to local people.
Right now, consultancy is a growing business all over the world. This is mainly because consultants are highly skilled people and are thin on the ground. Start small. You do not need an office or desk to market your services to local people. All you need is a laptop computer and printer. Have your work typed in your laptop and walk around with out soliciting business from people. This way, you will avoid hiring office space and paying rent every month end.
The other thing you need is to establish strong networks with people to give you business. Talk to relatives, school mates and friends with a view to soliciting business from them. Move around town and villages and sell your ideas to local people. Visit as many people as you can. Do not waste your precious time and money presenting your diploma or degree certificates to employers looking for a job. Instead, sell your services to them and strike or close as many business deals as possible along the way.
And once you strike or close one business deal, other business deals simply follow and this marks the turning point in your life and your business.
Right now, most businessmen and women in town and villages want business development loans from banks and micro finance institutions. These people need business plans, project write ups and projected cash flow statements. Are you good at preparing business plans, cash flow statements, bank reconciliation statement, project write ups, organizational profiles etc? If your answer to this pointed question is a resounding yes, then I assure you that you will never be out of work. This is because people who plan and do things correctly (professionally) are never out of work. I have never met a professional who doesn’t dream of success.
Clearly, there are sound propositions awaiting those who have money to invest and, and plenty of money available to those who have sound and well- thought out projects.
I have heard people in towns and villages say that banks are unwilling to lend money. These people are wrongly blaming banks for their financial woes. No bank can today lend money to someone who has no sound and well thought- out project in mind. No bank can today lend money to someone to start a business; instead, banks lend money to people to expand their existing businesses.
So, are you a director of an NGO? Do you own a small business in towns or villages? Do you want a loan or an overdraft facility from a bank or non-bank financial institution? Do you want a grant from a donor agency? Approach a consultant to help draft for you a business plan, a project write up etc.
Right, now there are so many business management consultants in towns. What are you waiting for? Approach these people and give them work to do for you.
Second, see a land of opportunity, not a land of red-tape. Frankly speaking, most immigrants view their home country as a land of red-tape and not a land of opportunity. This is the basic reason why they leave their home countries and seek chance in another country.
Third, having an outsider’s view that sees the potential not a problem. Most immigrants when they land in a foreign country rarely start by doing only what they like, instead, they start doing jobs or businesses that they have no intention of staying at. What they know very well is that life is cumulative; finding what you really want takes time; it involves going on a journey and trying many things.
That is why when Kenyans land in Tanzania, they start by teaching in the so called English medium primary schools, private secondary schools and English course in vocational training colleges. Once they accumulate enough capital, they branch out and start their own vocational training colleges, English medium schools, NGOs, tour firms, business management consultancy firms, etc.
The people who came in as primary school teachers are the ones now owning very successful English medium schools and businesses in towns and villages here in Tanzania.
Four, having nothing to loose; things can get better in the end. Clearly, immigrants have nothing to loose by immigrating to a foreign country; instead they have everything to gain. What does one lose by moving and settling in a foreign country? If anything, you gain much because you end up putting your knowledge and skills into good use somewhere else instead of remaining jobless in your home country.
Five, control their own lives and destiny, and have a high desire for autonomy, having often come from dictatorial regimes. Most immigrants having come from dictatorial regimes would want to make a new start in life. The best you can do as an immigrant is to strike out on your own and set up your small business instead of running around with your diploma or degree certificates looking or jobs that do not exist.
If you look around many towns and villages here in Tanzania, the picture that emerges is that most immigrants behave entrepreneurially. This is not to say immigrants have inherent gifts or because only entrepreneurial persons immigrate.
There are social and economic reasons for entrepreneurial behavior among immigrants, reasons that locals (Tanzanians) can also incorporate.
First, need for a job – freedom to create one’s own job instead of running around with your diploma or degree certificates looking for jobs that do not exist in the first place. You do not migrate to a foreign country such as Tanzania and expect to land a lucrative job either in the public or private sector however educated you are. The basic reason here is: Such jobs are reserved for the locals and not foreigners (immigrants).
Even if you are a first rate professor of economics, a first rate business management consultant, a first rate lawyer, a first rate engineer, a first rate medical doctor, a first rate banker, a first rate mathematics teacher, a first rate physics teacher, a first rate chemistry or biology teacher, a first rate economics teacher, a first rate accountant, a first rate designer, first rate contractor, chances are that there are also first rate professionals in the country you migrate to in those particular fields and you may not be in a better position to compete with them on an equal footing.
So, the best way to make use of your unique knowledge and skills is to branch out and start your own business. Open your own consultancy firm in town and even in the villages and market your services aggressively to local people.
Right now, consultancy is a growing business all over the world. This is mainly because consultants are highly skilled people and are thin on the ground. Start small. You do not need an office or desk to market your services to local people. All you need is a laptop computer and printer. Have your work typed in your laptop and walk around with out soliciting business from people. This way, you will avoid hiring office space and paying rent every month end.
The other thing you need is to establish strong networks with people to give you business. Talk to relatives, school mates and friends with a view to soliciting business from them. Move around town and villages and sell your ideas to local people. Visit as many people as you can. Do not waste your precious time and money presenting your diploma or degree certificates to employers looking for a job. Instead, sell your services to them and strike or close as many business deals as possible along the way.
And once you strike or close one business deal, other business deals simply follow and this marks the turning point in your life and your business.
Right now, most businessmen and women in town and villages want business development loans from banks and micro finance institutions. These people need business plans, project write ups and projected cash flow statements. Are you good at preparing business plans, cash flow statements, bank reconciliation statement, project write ups, organizational profiles etc? If your answer to this pointed question is a resounding yes, then I assure you that you will never be out of work. This is because people who plan and do things correctly (professionally) are never out of work. I have never met a professional who doesn’t dream of success.
Clearly, there are sound propositions awaiting those who have money to invest and, and plenty of money available to those who have sound and well- thought out projects.
I have heard people in towns and villages say that banks are unwilling to lend money. These people are wrongly blaming banks for their financial woes. No bank can today lend money to someone who has no sound and well thought- out project in mind. No bank can today lend money to someone to start a business; instead, banks lend money to people to expand their existing businesses.
So, are you a director of an NGO? Do you own a small business in towns or villages? Do you want a loan or an overdraft facility from a bank or non-bank financial institution? Do you want a grant from a donor agency? Approach a consultant to help draft for you a business plan, a project write up etc.
Right, now there are so many business management consultants in towns. What are you waiting for? Approach these people and give them work to do for you.
Second, see a land of opportunity, not a land of red-tape. Frankly speaking, most immigrants view their home country as a land of red-tape and not a land of opportunity. This is the basic reason why they leave their home countries and seek chance in another country.
Third, having an outsider’s view that sees the potential not a problem. Most immigrants when they land in a foreign country rarely start by doing only what they like, instead, they start doing jobs or businesses that they have no intention of staying at. What they know very well is that life is cumulative; finding what you really want takes time; it involves going on a journey and trying many things.
That is why when Kenyans land in Tanzania, they start by teaching in the so called English medium primary schools, private secondary schools and English course in vocational training colleges. Once they accumulate enough capital, they branch out and start their own vocational training colleges, English medium schools, NGOs, tour firms, business management consultancy firms, etc.
The people who came in as primary school teachers are the ones now owning very successful English medium schools and businesses in towns and villages here in Tanzania.
Four, having nothing to loose; things can get better in the end. Clearly, immigrants have nothing to loose by immigrating to a foreign country; instead they have everything to gain. What does one lose by moving and settling in a foreign country? If anything, you gain much because you end up putting your knowledge and skills into good use somewhere else instead of remaining jobless in your home country.
Five, control their own lives and destiny, and have a high desire for autonomy, having often come from dictatorial regimes. Most immigrants having come from dictatorial regimes would want to make a new start in life. The best you can do as an immigrant is to strike out on your own and set up your small business instead of running around with your diploma or degree certificates looking or jobs that do not exist.
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