Stop expecting and develop a culture of finding says Hamuulemfu Habeenzu.
Habeenzu, 46, is an entrepreneur and a Librarian by profession with a banking experience.
“Use your head wisely, eyes to see opportunities and legs to swift and explore. To own a hospital doesn’t necessarily mean one must be a medical doctor. A mechanic can own a hospital and employ medical doctors as members of staff. ” he says.
Habeenzu is married to Pricilla Habeenzu and they have six children, two have completed school and four are still in school.
He comes from a family of seven children, though only five of them are alive.
“Young people must explore, take advantage of their skills, computers and use them as tools that bring value. Those who burn CDs must aim to become software developers, programmers, analysts and /or web designers.” he says.
He says when he was young he wanted to become a teacher.
“I started school in western province at Malengwa primary school then to St. John’s Secondary School and that’s where I completed my form five. In Mongu, then there was only a Teachers College. This made most pupils to choose teaching as a career. My parents were teachers; this made my siblings to also pursue teaching as their career of choice. While in school I was also thinking of taking teaching as my career but upon getting my form five results, I decided to be different from everyone in the family, therefore, I enrolled for a Bachelor of Arts in Library studies at University of Zambia and successfully graduated in 1992.” he says.
Habeenzu says he has vast banking experience.
“After graduating from Unza I came on the Copperbelt to stay with my uncle with a view to looking for a Job. I applied for a job at PTC the currently called Zamtel; I also applied at Zambia Airways and Grindlays Bank the currently called Stanbic bank. Luckily I was offered a job at all the three companies but this brought headache because I didn’t know which company to choose especially that they were all well-paying companies. Eventually I chose to work for Grindlays. I joined Grindlays as a clerk. In a bank, regardless of your profession fresh graduates are oriented to all sections of a bank. After gaining some experience, I joined Meridian BIAO Bank as a sub accountant but after it was liquidated I became jobless though in a shortest period of time I joined First Alliance Bank as an accountant then rose to a position of Branch Manager.” he says.
He says he saw an opportunity in transport business before he stopped working for First Alliance Bank.
“I bought two mini buses and three taxis. I did this business for sometime but after the competition became stiff. I decided to change the business and ventured into a business of supplying stationery materials, computers and accessories. In this business I faced some challenges. What could happen was that when I buy computers from South Africa by the time they reach Zambia one or two developed a hardware fault. This made me hire a technician to check and repair the ones which developed faults. This became a cost to me, to curb this problem I decided to enroll for a short course at Neco thereafter; I went to study Software and Hardware Maintenance in South Africa at Academy International in Kempton Park.” he says.
Habeenzu says he rebranded his business after pursuing Software and Hardware Maintenance.
“When I came back to Zambia after completing the course, I rebranded the business; I started offering secretarial services and eventually started offering application packages and computer maintenance courses. The business name was Siatebe computers and tuition centre. The courses we offered were so much on demand that the business grew faster than I expected. Against this background I decided to expand the business into a learning institution and the institution name changed to Siatebe Institute of Business and Technology. I am proud to say that Siatebe Institute of Business and Technology is a private college registered under the laws of Zambia. The institute is registered with Technical Education, Vocational and Entrepreneurship Training Authority (TEVETA). The courses we currently offer include Business Management ,Human Resources Management, PC repair (computer service technician), Banking and Finance, ZICA, Shipping and Logistics, Computer Systems Engineering, Pastel Accounting package, Communication and Networking to mention a few. Ever since registration in 2007 the institute has continued to gain ground and expand its activities.” he says.
He says a profession must not limit one from doing other businesses.
“Being a Librarian doesn’t mean I can’t do other businesses. I also run other businesses which include Mbeza Fisheries, we sell dry fish and we currently distribute our fish on the Copperbelt especially Ndola and Chingola. Besides the fish business I also run another independent company in the name of Chipset Investment, this company is the one which deals with computers repairs and maintenance and also supplying.” he says.
Habeenzu says time management is important in one’s life.
“My schedule is quite tight; however time management is very cardinal in one’s life. Time lost is never recovered; the time to make money is now. In whatever I do after God, comes my family then business. My wife is supportive. Following that I have limited time to do social activities, I have ended up overlooking my other hobbies and the only hobby which is still in good shape is reading and the reason is simple, because every day and night I have to prepare a lecture, so I have to do a lot of reading to deliver effectively in class.” he says.
He says he wants people to remember him as somebody who wanted to live an inheritance for his family.
Develop a culture of finding, use your eyes to see opportunities and legs to swift and explore. It is that simple, you can do it.
For comments: mwenyamuleba@gmail.com / 0966 461 943/0950 594 050
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