CALLING ALL ENTREPRENEURS

Nanjala works as a junior journalist in Daveyton, and recently had the following article published. Excellent work, Nanjala - we're very proud of you.

A remedy for the success of the youth

The unemployment rates in South Africa have gone up drastically. Right now most of the youth are sitting at home with no jobs or universities to go to. If you are one of these people, don't worry. I've got a solution to your problems.

The world feeds the youth with useless ideas. Ideas that state that the youth have to go to universities and have to get fancy jobs in order to be successful. If you actually did this, good for you. If you didn't, I'm happy to inform you that you don't need a degree or a fancy job to be successful. All you need is a dream and we all know that the best way to succeed is to be  an entrepreneur and start your own business.

Firstly, you have to know what you want to do. If you love cooking you can't open a crèche. You have to choose one of your talents or passions. It must be something you love because you might be doing this for the rest of your life. You have to start a unique business, a business that is not in your area or one that no one has ever thought of before. If you want to start a business that is in your area you have to make yours special or better to gain customers. Here are some ideas: catering, opening a creche, sewing or making clothes, hair salon, opening a tuck shop, opening a driving school, garden service, baking and selling and transportation (eg hiring out a truck)

Secondly, well you have to start. When you start you must remember to start small. You have to start cheap as well. It's easy to start a business but it is difficult to sustain it. In order to sustain it you must start in a small space which you can grow over time. You can start in your living room or even in your kitchen until you get funds. Don't wait for sponsors, they come later. What are they going to sponsor if the business hasn't started yet and has no guarantee that it will succeed? Start now, yes right now. Nothing can stop you if you start small. You should always be patient, even if you market your business very well money will still come very slowly.

Thirdly, you must know how to manage your finances when the money starts rolling in. The money takes a long to come in  but when it starts coming in it’s all worth the wait. Don't get carried away when you see the money. You will  need  that money to pay  for all the bills of the business eg electricity and water. All you can keep is the profit that you will make. You must know that your best interest is in your business.

Fourthly, don't lie to yourself, you can't do it alone. As soon as you get a lot of customers the work will also increase so as soon as you get some money you should hire people. The people you hire should be trustworthy. You should be able to rely on them to work consistently even if you are not there. They should have the same interest in the business as you have. Don't let your employees take advantage of you. You should be strict, but not too strict. You should be friendly but not too friendly. You should create an atmosphere in which your employees are comfortable to talk to you and respect you at the same time.

As you can see, everybody can be successful no matter who they are. You don't need to wear a suit and tie to work to be successful. All you need is a dream and that dream can take you very far.