[Enterprise development made easy]

When was it your last time hearing, watching or reading about enterprise finance made easy? Chances are it has not been long. But, then, how useful is it to those in need of it?

Many start-up businesses are in dire need of capital and but are told they either do not qualify for it or need to have collateral and security before they could be listened to. Then if not that, you hear of sayings that aspirant businesspersons are too choosing when it comes to sectors they want in, something that comes naturally with politicians and cadres deployed in business financing and funding institutions.

This, springs to mind what I heard on the radio that our fund-seeking youths are not willing to get their hands dirty; they choose same sectors that are not industrialized. What these utterances mean is that it’s okay by the government for big financing businesses to class us as same and to apply a one-size-fits-all approach when answering to almost zero funding of black businesses. Thus, leaving us out of the funding line, and having to settle on looking on as immigrants go on taking all the funds deemed “industrialized”. Enough about heads of states' refusal of their failure to create jobs and economic development they promised.

Back to the business of this article: If one chooses a specific field to offer their services to, then to some it’s a problem. I then ask myself – what happened to freedom of choice we so much hear of?

We have many finance vehicles of which some one doesn’t even know what their acronyms stands for ‘cause it still won’t be any effective which are in our vicinity but to date I can’t point a finger in lay of claim that the fingered individual or group of persons have been assisted by them. It goes to show how bad things are. A lot could have been achieved if only they had given a chance to ideas that they encounter from time to time instead of pushing political agendas.

The other thorny issue is that of rental space for businesses. They claim to be housing businesses with dignity at reasonable rates but just go to their offices to enquire about office space you’ll come out reeling with shock. To me, I believe had they thought of developing smaller players from the word go, then there would have been provisions for start-up rental to encourage longer stay in the rented spaces and proper growth of businesses locally, of which a different case applies.

Many a small business fail due to rental being the core of their fall. If space could be affordable, we won’t witness the rate in which shops opens and closes.

Enterprise development corporations or institutions should employ people who have first-hand experience in administration, management and other related skills sets needed to run a business as their analysts, advisors and consultants. Thing is, it takes a brave man to go against the comfort of conformity and security to go into business. Don’t get me wrong here – it’s just that it’s not that easy to start a business and some fail in their attempt in it because of their quick buck making thoughts. If you want quick money, you’ll lose out dismally.

So, it is very paining and discouraging the way in which this brave job creators are handled at the so-called “business financiers” at the hands of inexperienced personnel. We have high unemployment rates and yet those offering a way out are shunned out as “clever ones” as some of our presidents labels them, and as such receive a cold shoulder by the less clever ones for their creative and innovative solutions.

In conclusion: as citizens, we ought to give pressure to the government to relax the red tape that’s hampering job creation attempts and to also stop fooling us with tax coffers eroding schemes of playing around with new institution names with but same faces and bad ways of poor service delivery.

Perhaps one day those in the hot seats of financing institutions will wake up and have a change of heart as regard the power of small businesses in their ability to turn the tide of unemployment. But, for now, it remains a case of maybe one day there will seat someone who will make it easier for businesses to obtain finance without being sent from one useless face to another clueless one...dp

[Brokenness in hope]

Nothing is as intense as hope, yet as sad as reality. When you mix the two, you come back with a lesson. The reason we have a lot of alcoholism and substance abuse is the result of the inescapable facts of life lessons we encounter at times. Though not the reason for all who are doing so, but they end up as an answer for a whole lot of them because of being made statistics of failure.

The challenge with demographics is the generalist approach and that is the core factor that drives others there. Take for instance, the issue of upliftment today, it is geared towards women and the youth, thus leaving middle-aged men and the older generation out of those specific programmes of transformation and skills transfer. Then, where to should the middle-aged men and the older ones go for utilization of their skills and knowledge?

I was in a discussion the other day with a young woman after hearing her talk to an other woman who just left the queue. She was blaming a man who raped a woman after following her home from work. The reason for the man was that he got denied a job opportunity because he's 34 and the young woman was 23, unskilled and inexperienced, but cheaper for the employer to keep. The young woman didn't want to dwell on the motive of that man except that he's wrong to rape, and that he should've at least confronted her. The wrongness of rape, yes I got. But then, confront her for what 'cause she's not the employer? It got into an argument and I left it at that as others chipped in.

What I want to bring forth is the pressure from humiliation suffered by that man and the failure by the employer to uplift him as he stood no better chance out there because of age. They should've sat him down and work around his package and hear him first but no, they just decided to overlook his experience and skill, and went with the opposite. What frustration does at times unexplainable, honesty be told, and that's what that man was going through; brokenness. Again, listening to that young woman it clearly said to me that employers overlook maturity as part of their selection criterion these days given her poor reasoning capacity, though can't be saying same about the victim other than that they're of the same age. Further, some youth don't empathize with the middle-aged and the older ones for what they're going through. It's not an obligation but a humane thing to do, just saying.

Whenever I find a person in a vehicle accident I don't question the speed or the gender and age, I nowadays question first what happened. When I see a person consuming alcohol heavily or smoking to cool off I no longer judge, I just question "why?". With the damage caused by Covid and poor state decisions you have to first find the reason why before conclusion on the subject. It's tough out there, think again all the time. Learn to sit down and listen to the story of a person, it won't hurt but instead teach you more.

In conclusion: hope breaks the spirit if not realized. What's heartbreaking is that male personages are campaign leaders that effect the middle-aged men's hardships. Men put pressure on men and it's not talked about. Only men know what to do to control another, to embarrass the other, and how to make him beg, because they know what it feels like being hopeful in pressure, how powerful a promise is to a needy man, and how deeply shattered a man gets every time his plans go the other way, and how pride gets weakened by each failure after hope.

An angry man with hunger in grips on him is always the perfect candidate for crisis creation, just for that one meal to get him by, hence politicians thrive, because there is a way in with hope. There's a saying that: "feed him and his family once, and you've won him forever" and it's true. A hungry man with mouths to feed is the one most vulnerable and is easy to use. If you master that game, you're powerful as he can't say no to you. So, men, protect your hopes, work towards realizing your dreams so you'll be able to feed your families on your own. Fight for what gives you dignity, power and pride, and that's land, production means, skills and knowledge to make your talent make you thrive. Don't be going after other men who promise you empowerment, be with those who are doing upliftment themselves to enrich themselves and their own. Be one of the few to break the scourge of brokenness in hope, let that be your solace...dp

[Sing in praise your glory]

A home for your glory isn't found anywhere else, but rather within your own frame. To be a point of reference doesn't take success alone to be made of you, a fail also does. People can talk of your achievements or misfortunes, but then the bottom line is they refer to you. What I'm trying to say is that you don't need to be afraid of trying to attempt because of fearing what others will say if it bears no fruits.

One of the most painful emotions to go through in life is that of having not tried because of fear and regretting it later, so, better you fail to try due to maybe financial muscle or something else other than people's talks, and but best you fight not to try and fail. Whenever you step backwards or sideways from trying out for your glory, think of what people will be saying in future about you for your cowardice. The world is where it is today because of chances taken by others afore you, so why not emulate what they did and go in blindly and see what the end result would be for you?

A small big dot is lesser to a big small dot and so will be the impact. What you do for your glory isn't a favour to only you but in fact a favour for others as well in that they'll be reaping the rewards and benefits thereof. The thinking of today is no longer about where you are confined, it should be about the world, that's where you are supposed to be headed. If all could see and think asame then you will speak same, and the world will be a different oyster to taste from the glory that your pursued innate excellence brought about.

In conclusion: Alkebulan's (Africa) future as the future has long passed you and what you should be doing is catch up to its glory by being its hope it wished for in its past today. Be not believing that you are waiting for its future, no, you are the late future, just that that's if you try and find yourselves now because it's all about the passing currency. The future of the world as it's sold in parables lies within your frames.

Where it all starts is for you to learn to know you so you know to teach the next how to know themselves before they teach their next, and soon the dent of self knowing natives will be spreading. House a spirit that's self-aware and your strength in numbers you'll soon start noticing, and your glory will be well awakened. The glory of a group is formed by a glory of many who come together as one, so, fear not to try and see how you will fare. Other nations will talk bad at first to break you but after they will talk better about you, and hopefully you will hear those long gone before calling out for the 7 ancient tribes to sing not for their glory, but to sing in praise their glory relived...dp