by Manini Mbongwa
The year 2020 brought about a lot of changes worldwide. Not only did we have to be cooped up in our homes and separated from our loved ones, but some people also lost their love in the fight against COVID-19. People also lost their jobs which meant that they also had to lose their assets like houses and cars, even worse kids had to be taken out of schools not only because of COVID-19 but because parents could not afford to pay school fees anymore.
What did all this confusion mean to us as entrepreneurs especially in the African Continent where we are still trying to catch up with the rest of the world? It certainly did open our eyes when it comes to how familiar we are with technology. I personally have been someone who has always carried the latest models of gadgets but was not aware of how much usage they had and what an advantage it was to have them. As a business coach and mentor, I would travel once a month to visit my mentees to check up on them and also to conduct trainings. This meant that I had to be away from home for 4 days. Now during lockdown I discovered that we were able to continue working virtually. I was able to schedule Zoom meetings and have my normal consultation meetings with my mentees individually. I was also able to use the Teams platform and conduct training in the comfort of my own home in all 9 provinces. This meant that I did not have to spend time flying somewhere and doing hotel bookings and car hire but I was afforded the opportunity to be productive in the comfort of my own home.
The amount of money and time saved cannot even begin to be measured. The most important part that I would like to emphasize is the fact that we learnt that as small businesses we do not have to go through the burden of leasing expensive offices and wasting money that we don’t have but we can start by working from home as long as we have the basic gadgets that will allow us to be productive. A simple laptop, smart phone and access to Wi-Fi is all that we need. Most people have great business ideas which never get implemented because of the barriers that we quickly put before us, like where will I get money to rent office space? How will I furnish that office? Where will I get the start-up capital? And many more other questions.
The lockdown period introduced to us new ways of adjusting and still be able to carry on and thrive. It also presented an opportunity for a lot of start-ups who were able to think on their toes and come up with solutions to the current challenges that we are facing. Amongst those we saw a sudden boom in the online based stores. We also saw a sudden upgrade when all businesses saw a need to have their visibility online as it was the only means of reaching out to other people.
As entrepreneurs we are resilient and we have proven that we can survive any storm. Let us continue to support each other and let us continue improving ourselves so we remain sustainable.
Manini Mbongwa is the founder of Innovative Concept Events based in Ballito, South Africa. She has a vision to be the company of choice for her clients in the event management, brand activation, and public relations industry. The company has made its mark as one of the recommended and renowned brand activation and event management specialists in the region. Manini is on a mission to deliver the highest professional standards and offer clients the best quality and innovation in all service offerings, exceeding expectations.