Now more than ever more and more people are realising the importance of multiple streams of income. It is said that the average millionaire has 7 sources of income. A common question I have seen in various business groups is, I have MK 100,000 what business should I do. I am often tempted to respond none! Why? Let me be clear, I am not against people venturing into the self employed world. I just do not believe in getting an idea from someone on what you should do unless it aligns with your deep rooted interests. For example someone says you should buy cassava and resale it and you take that idea on because the profit is good but you generally have no interest in farming.
Why do I think this? Well, because business isn’t easy. Business is tough. Business is frustrating. What will give you the stamina to push through the bad days is passion. What will give you the stamina to put 110% energy going above and beyond and forgoing sleep at times is passion. Not profit.
You need to have some deep rooted interest in what you are doing, a bigger problem you are trying to solve. Of course there are many people who enter business or are in business and don’t have it. That’s not to say they will fail but I certainly doubt they will be great. So what do I suggest to those that don’t have ideas on what business to do?
Soul search. Take time to discover what it is you are passionate about. What do you enjoy doing naturally. What problem can this solve? Start from there. Because it is from there that creativity is born. Don’t look at what others are doing and just because they are successful you copy. You don’t know their interests. If you look around in Lilongwe as an example you see so many similar businesses, many lacking originality. Someone bakes cakes and uses a certain design and everyone else copies. Someone opens a mobile market and 2 weeks later there are two mobile markets next to each other each lacking originality. You are unique and so are your interests and what you have to contribute to the development of our beautiful county.