Thursday, March 28, 2024

Lulu Haangala-Wood in conjunction with Vodafone JUMP and Dagon Media Launches #MANth

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Lulu Haangala-Wood, Vodafone JUMP Editor for entrepreneurship,  began an initiative to celebrate young men making strides and forging their own path in Zambia’s entrepreneurial and creative space. It was dubbed the ‘Month of Man’ or MANth for short. The launch of the event was held at Mugg and Bean restaurant at Levy Mall ,lusaka , on 4th February . It was attended by a plethora of young entrepreneurs from various fields that include , I.T , agriculture , medicine , event management etc .

Dario Chongolo ,Author and Founder of Ulendo publishing house(center). ,Lukonga Lindunda co-founder of Bongo Hive(left) Malekano Mwanza co-founder of Fortress media (right)

The event started with a panel discussion hosted by Dario Chongolo ,Author and Founder of Ulendo publishing house. On the panel were two entrepreneurs ,Lukonga Lindunda co-founder of Bongo Hive and Malekano Mwanza co-founder of Fortress media .

Malekano Mwanza Co-founder of Fortress Media

The two gentlemen discussed how they started their respective companies . Both Lukonga and Malekano had office jobs but quit to pursue their passions . Malekano explained how upon starting Fortress Media with his business partner all they had was two entry level DSLR cameras and two Laptops , but with passion and hard work they were able to build the company to where it is today . He stressed the importance of having an end picture in mind of where you want your business to be. Giving some advice to those in attendance ,Malekano said they should stay focussed and not have a fear of the unknown. He ended with a quote everyday is a class room , every person you meet is a teacher , every experience is a lesson”

Lukonga Lindunda Co-founder of Bongo Hive

Lukonga explained to the young entrepreneurs in attendance that they should embrace new opportunities and be open to new ideas . They should not be rigid in order to allow their business to evolve .Asked how he overcomes the stress and low points in his career , he stated that having a strong support system of family and friends has been a great help.

Lars Stork CEO Vodafone Zambia

The CEO of Vodafone Zambia ,Mr Lars Stork, was up next to give a talk to the young entrepreneurs .He stated off by giving a brief background of himself ,stating that he has worked in 15 countries around the world and has started 20 successful start-ups companies .He has achieved a lot but what he is truly passionate about is young people . Africa has a huge youth population , that can either be a ticking time bomb or a massive opportunity , he said .  Mr Lars is proud of Vodafones youth platform JUMP . ( JUMP is an educational , entertaining , interactive and socially managed portal that serves to enhance E-leaning). He went on to explain that Vodafone will soon open Jump academy which will have online lectures on various courses. JUMP will also be launching a music platform that will be used to identify and develop upcoming talent . Mr Stork as stated that In April this year JUMP innovation centre will be opening ,it will give the youth the opportunities and facilities to develop applications and other innovations . He said he truly believes that Zambia can be the ‘silicon valley’ of southern Africa .

Max Remington-Hobbs COO and Co-founder of Dagon Holdings

Max Remington-Hobbs COO and Co-founder of Dagon Holdings gave the next talk . He started off by explaining what Dagon is all about . Dagon was born from a simple idea that they could build and operate businesses on the ground in Africa to compete with any in the world .Dagon currently operates businesses in agriculture ,agri-processing , food retail (Pizza hut franchise in Zambia , Zimbabwe and Mozambique), media and technology.

Talking to the young entrepreneurs in attendance, Mr Hobbs said , starting your own business is not an easy road to take , it is a journey of self discovery filled with ups and downs . He stated that the most important thing one must do is to understand WHY they want to start their business .Everyday you must remind yourself why you started and use that passion to fuel you through your journey .Mr Hobbs said one must always keep their business in Beta mode. Which means you must keep improving and experimenting with new ideas for your business to grow. Once you stop growing you give room for your competitors to over take you. Another piece of advice was to choose your business partners carefully . Don’t look for people who are similar to yourself but rather people who will challenge you . Quell your ego , he went on to say ,you do not have to be a jack of all trades . Work with people who are better than you in certain areas for the benefit of the business . He explained that within your business you must create an environment where people are free to innovate and share ideas . Mr Hobbs explained that in this harsh economic environment one has to be careful with their money . cashflow is the oxygen the business and it must be looked after . Do not spend company money on luxuries that you cannot afford .Be frugal with your money . Do not be afraid to lay off non performing employees . It is off no use having a huge staff if they do not contribute much to the business ,he said.

Lulu Haangala-Wood

Lulu Haangala-Wood explained why she started the initiative to promote zambian male entrepreneurs . She stated that she has used her We keep moving foundation to speak up for women and speak out when women are going through abuse but she realised that she was not voicing out enough on the amazing work some men are doing.

“Men doing right is the unsung song of recent times. We tend to dwell on what they are doing wrong in an effort to change them , without realising that in a way ,we create an expectation for them to disappoint us. That’s why this project is important to me . I want to acknowledge individuals who through hard work , innovation or natural talent , have managed to make a mark worthy of applauding .” she said

She decided to use her influence to hopefully inspire men and women to share stories of men that inspire them. She went on to explain that this is not a once off thing but wants to have it every year with men from different backgrounds being celebrated .

Lulu Haangala-Wood

The 12 main points taken aways from the event were:

  1. Everyday is a classroom , everyone you meet is a teacher , every experience is a lesson.
  2. Entrepreneurship is a journey.
  3. Keep pushing .
  4. Have a strong support system.
  5. The 1st step you need to take is ask yourself WHY?
  6. Challenge yourself .
  7. Cash flow is the oxygen of every business.
  8. Have passion.
  9. Be innovative.
  10. Keep recycling your vision.
  11. Take risks 
  12. Be accountable.

Some Pictures from the event

Dario Chongolo

BY KAPA187

8 COMMENTS

  1. Is this the small girl Lulu or another Lulu? My dear you have grown so fast. I can see another name has been added (Wood) congratulations.

  2. Grow up Rainman & the Magna Carta; remember when one of the worlds richest young entrepreneur, founder of FACEBOOK was pictured in Kenya eating Nshima, he was just casually dressed such that no one can know him to be one of the top 5 richest persons without introduction. Putting on expensive clothes alone doesn’t show how much one has gained in terms of riches.

    • Rainman has typical poverty mentality of thinking dress represents substance, I see a lot of this especially in Lusaka. Lots of people with no substance trying to project substance with clothes and cars, meantime negative equity on personal balance sheet.

  3. This is good for the individuals and the country. Entrepreneurship is the way to go in any economy. It’s the private sector that drives wealth creation. I like this Zambian generation. I grew up in a time when I have to find an office Job as the only means of livelihood. Many thanks to the organizers.

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