Business: Start small and learn

 One of my friends wanted to open a Spare parts shop. He did the unconventional. Woke up one day, took a month off his normal work and went on internship in Kisekka market.

For a month, he woke up every morning, and humbled himself at Kisekka market. He became a student. He learned the luganda names for most of these automotive parts. He learned about the fast moving and slow moving stocks. He learned to tell apart genuine and fake spares. 

After this internship/apprenticeship at Kisekka, he was now ready to open his Spares Parts shop. Of course learning continues but he was not the kind that wake up and simply throw money at a business idea.

Unfortunately most corporate people think that’s not how business works. A friend calls it; “doing business with a finger.” Many woke up one day, bought some chunks of land and then decided they were ready for agriculture. Every weekend, they they would be seen heading off to their farms. They pumped in money like crazy. Then they decided, it was also time to trust a farm manager. All they had to do now was get weekly updates about the farm and send money to solve any emerging issues. Fast forward, many abandoned the farms and are cursing agriculture. 

Your entire life you’ve never reared even one chicken, now you think because you have some money, you are ready to invest in the chicken business. 

Sacrifice some time and learn from the field. It costs you nothing to ask to volunteer at someone’s farm where they are rearing chicken. Learn about the chicken feeds. Learn about how to mix your own feeds. You think someone else will run your chicken business as you relax in the office. At least first understand the business so that you know the right questions to ask as you manage it remotely. 

The Baganda say; “Nanyini muffu yakwata awawunya.” You must know the smelly part of your business. Your employee cannot know your business better than you. And when your employee realizes that they understand the workings of the business better than you, then why would they continue working for you? Or why wouldn’t they cheat you? Anti yakutegelela! 

If you can’t become an apprentice in another person’s business, then start small. You who has never reared one chicken, what makes you start off with 1000? Be humble and start with 20! Don’t burn your cash, in business, what we have is time. Be patient enough to learn. Go slow but surely. Make your mistakes and learn from them. 

Anyway, many since then have returned to the tried and tested ways of building rentals! At least they only lose money to the builder. Until you meet Najjera tenants.... then you learn that rentals are not a walk in the park!