05 Jul 2016

While most vendors and small business operators in Gaborone go all out to make ends meet, there still remains a critical shortage of business skills and knowledge.

To that end, the Gaborone Bonnington South MP , Mr Ndaba Gaolathe ushered in a paradigm shift which recognises the urgent need for capacity building and training so that vendors may be able to increase the productivity of their resources and maximise on the opportunities that may be availed to them in the field of business.

Most of the hawkers operate mini tuck shops and operate as vendors along the city streets, while some operate backyards, which most of them eventually collapse because of lack of business grooming and etiquette that result in still-born business ventures.

Mr Gaolathe who earlier on before the symposium engaged with the street vendors, gathered constituents at Block 9 in Gaborone to motivate and give them a free lecture on business acumen under the slogan “All things start small, Le Semausu se ka nna Mokgankgara.”

During the symposium , he encouraged the participants, most of twhom were youth to have a vision as most change makers in the word achieved through visualising where they want to be in future.

He said whenever they think of entrepreneurship, they should ask themselves what they envision, their marketing strategy, organisational strategy, operational strategy and how they wish to structure their small businesses or organisations.

He drilled them on different marketing strategies such as pricing, penetration strategies, corporate image, service and products.

Mr Gaolathe encouraged small business operators to dream big and always prepare for expansion by forming associations which can assist them to bargain better.

He said at the end, he wished to see most Batswana owning big retail enterprises, adding that this could be archived through bulk-buying associations and partnerships to augment each other’s skills.

 Mr Rapula Kegopilwe, a volunteer on business consultancy said it takes a lot of skills and training to be able to fully satisfy the challenging demands of the field of business.

He encouraged the attendants to practise record keeping for them to know what was in demand in the market.

“Such things as catchy slogan, customer service, marketing and defining your business as well as collective bargaining and cooperatives can take you to greater heights,” he said.

One of the residents, who said he survived on dog breeding, said he had for a long time hired his dogs to security companies, but was not knowledgeable on pricing.

“I only came to know after some years that my dogs that I hired for P650 a month, I should have charged more because they rate more than the security guards themselves,” said one resident.

Ms Olebogeng Tsiako aka Enigma who is a female local comedian bemoaned that most Batswana mistake comedy for free entertainment which she said needed mindset change. It is time , she said comedians lived off theer trade. ENDS