Starting Up With Youths in Business
Africa is growing when it comes to business through entrepreneurship and I have seen so many developments happening because of the growth also our economies are being boosted one step at a time.One thing that is interesting is young people are taking the lead when it comes to entrepreneurship.Many start-ups are being formed and business collaborations around Africa.Start-ups have their own rewards and challenges but young people are taking the risks head-on and making the start-ups bigger while making money at the same time.If you want to be involved in entrepreneurship this article is definitely for you.I had the opportunity to talk about start-ups with some young people involved in business and entrepreneurship who are making a name for themselves through their brands.
I had a chance to talk to Daniel Moleka of Red Thread Apparel X who founded his fashion start-up company a year ago.Asked about how important the business plan is, he said “business plan is important in every start-up company but its more important when you execute the plan”. I believe every start-up company needs a vision and it starts with a business plan, what Daniel said is clearly the truth.Execution truly opens the door for your business operations.After a business plan, you need to register the company to make it legit and you can search through in your country how the process goes.Branding is next when it comes to making your start-up look more appealing and professional,”Branding is how everyone identifies you and it shows that you don’t want to be the same with other people”, says Daniel Moleka.Thekey to making yourself known is through branding and they are different ways e.g. logo, business cards, mission.You can also do that by hiring a professional branding consultant who can help you with the process.After doing all this you are now faced with the challenge of setting up your location. You might want to operate from home, rent an office or co-working space.Lena Nzonda of Piece of Cake has a baking business where she operates at home she said,”my neighbours and friends are mostly my customers so don’t want to lose them by moving somewhere far”, whatever your choice is when it comes to operating premises it should be an added advantage to your business.Starting up means you are new in the circles of business and you need a unique strategy to bring in the customers and it will take time for the business to pick up but Sanni Sheriff CEO of Sannikays Kitchen says “Believing in the product/service you are offering is key”, so building up some confidence in yourself is definitely needed and networking really helps when it comes to building a customer base.
It takes a lot when it comes to starting up but these young people are taking the journey to prove that they have the passion for business and entrepreneurship and the skill to boost our economy right here in Africa. We will explore more in our next article.
