22 Sep 2015

In an endeavor to empower young women entrepreneurs,  Mafia Promotions organized a seminar themed, Integrating young business women into the mainstream economy, with the aim of bringing together young businesswomen in leadership position to discuss issues affecting young women in business.

Speaking during the breakfast seminar  in Gaborone recently, Gender Affairs deputy director Ms Caroline Okello-Wengi said being an entrepreneur is an opportunity that addresses unemployment.

She added that when young people create employment opportunities they contribute to addressing the issue of poverty.

Ms Okello-Wengi urged young entrepreneurs to take advantage of government economic empowerment programmes targeted to the youth such as, the Youth Development Fund (YDF), Women Economic Empowerment programmes and others to grow their businesses.

She advised young entrepreneurs and those aspiring to become entrepreneurs, to engage in their businesses with open minds, and to always share ideas and experiences with others.

She said as an entrepreneur, networking with other entrepreneurs is critical to overcome challenges of business failure. 

For her part, chief executive officer  for Young Chefs Academy (YCA) Botswana, Ms Gobonaone Modisane who recently scooped the young female entrepreneur of the year and the innovator of the year at the Women in Business Association (WIBA) awards, shared her journey of business success with other  young entrepreneurs.

She said running a business is the most challenging part where most of the businesses close because some entrepreneurs do not believe in themselves, and they become clueless of what they were  doing.

Ms Modisane said it is important to believe in oneself when venturing into business in order to prosper.

 “The power that you believe in yourself it is what will propel you to want to do more,” she said.

She stressed that believing that one’s dream is bigger, enables the potential entrepreneur to seek help as well as acquiring the right skills to keep the business safe.

She advised that it is important to engage others with different skills to prosper and grow, noting that the person one engages should be someone who believes in one’s vision and dream. Furthermore she advised that as entrepreneurs they should learn to live with rejection, as failure does not mean it is the end.

“Failure does not mean you cannot do it. When one door closes another one is going to open. Try something else and eventually you will get it,” she said.

Chief executive officer of  Mafia Promotions Mr Phillip Mfolo said the event came as a realization that as young entrepreneurs there is need for constant mentorship. 

 

He stressed that since mentorship is expensive in Botswana and most cannot afford, together with his team they saw it fit to organize mentoring benefits at no cost. Ends