Mawano Kambeu: investment professional, technology expert

Mawano Kambeu

By Winston Muleba II

IT IS said that business opportunities are like buses, there is always another one that will come. Mawano Kambeu, who is a Zambian entrepreneur, investment professional and technology expert, says an entrepreneur must make more opportunities than he finds.

Kambeu also says obstacles in life are stepping stones to building one's life. 

Kambeu, 31, was born to Grace and Kennedy Kambeu and is the first born of three children. 

"I am a committed Christian of the Cathedral of the Holy Cross, I live in Olympia, Lusaka and enjoy listening to music, watching sports especially soccer, watching movies and travelling," he says. 

"I was very fortunate in my upbringing and would like to describe my upbringing as international. I was born and raised in Solwezi until age 5, our family then moved to the United Kingdom until I was 12 and this is where I attended my primary school, we then moved back to Kitwe, Zambia where I completed my secondary school education and A-levels." 

He says his upbringing also presented him with many opportunities that helped him be shape into who he is. 

"It taught me how to be me especially when put in situations where I didn't fit in. For example, in the United Kingdom, we were the only black children in the neighbourhood. I also had a strong work ethic instilled in me from my parents who worked three jobs each and during all this, my mother was working towards getting her Masters, while we were in the United Kingdom. In this regard, for the most part, I had a very happy childhood and the moments that would have seemed very sad like not doing well in tests or not getting the girl you had a crush on seem insignificant when compared to the disappointments experienced when I became an adult," he says. 

"When I was still in high school, initially I wanted to study economics and law. This was because I wanted to help bring economic development to Zambia and the fact that I am very idealistic I believed that law was a way for me to give back to the community but ended up studying marketing and a Masters in finance."

Kambeu says while at college, his lifestyle was one of discipline and sacrifice. 

"This was because of the fact that I was working 40 hours a week and was enrolled in night school during the week. Saturday was dedicated to being on campus and catching up on extra reading as well as assignments. The major challenge was that it was a demanding experience having to balance school and work as well as remaining focused on succeeding," he says. 

"To overcome such challenges as mentioned earlier, it was just a matter of staying disciplined and focused on achieving an education. Seeing that my work and business schedules were time demanding and had no time for campus activities, which is very disappointing now that I think about it." 

He says so far, his only scholastic achievement is his Masters degree in finance because it challenged and helped him develop the technical skills needed for finance and investments which are said to be the lifeblood of any business. 

"I also had great lecturers who advised me not only on the course but also on my business," he says. 

Kambeu says 10 years from now, he sees himself living life his way. "

I've worked in a corporation and now that I've started my own business, I plan to work hard for the next two to three years and hopefully free myself up to pursue my hobbies," he says. 

He says currently, he is involved in supporting other entrepreneurs through Zambian Entrepreneurs as well as mentoring through Bongohive. 

"I am also the managing director of Dot Com Zambia, an e-commerce company. Prior to that, I worked in the music entertainment business, also worked as JK's international manager, an information technology e- commerce professional and as finance and investment manager at one of the largest financial companies in the world for 10 years. Furthermore, I also offer 'speaking engagement' at no charge because it's the right thing to do. A lot of people helped me without charging me any fee and I promised to do the same when someone else asked. It's also my philosophy to help those who are starting up," he says. 

"In 2006, I started Dot Com Zambia; by then I was 23 years old. I identified a need when people were looking online to purchase goods and whenever I would be travelling to Zambia, I would receive many requests from people wanting to buy goods. So I then set out to find a way that I could monetise on this trend." 

He adds that Dot Com Zambia is an e-commerce technology company that has two divisions. 

"Our international division allows clients in Zambia to shop online and purchase their needs and wants from top international retailers through our company. While our domestic division focuses on selling goods online for companies based in Zambia. I urge my fellow youths to consider managing their sales cautiously because without sales, a company cannot thrive or make money, so sales design becomes the most important function in the company and so if you are good at it, you become very valuable and can do very well, especially if your compensations include a salary and commission," he says. 

Kambeu says he faces challenges such as cultural and infrastructure obstacles as an entrepreneur. 

"From a cultural perspective, there is deep mistrust for online businesses. The concept of paying for an item you have not seen, to people you have not seen is a very difficult objection for most people to overcome and it is still a problem we face from potential clients today, especially those who are not in Lusaka, where we have a physical office. And in 2010, our business was in trouble as a result. Because clients did not trust us or thought we were scam artists, it meant we had to process orders on good faith, without any payments or deposits. Now when the order actually arrived in Zambia, some clients would not go through with the purchase, while a large number wanted to pay in monthly installments, which is also a cultural norm in Zambia, when clients buy goods from locally-owned businesses," he says. 

"And because this was the norm, my staff in Zambia at the time allowed this practice. The impact this had on our cash flow was devastating, not to mention we now had to deal with bad debts and inventory we could not sell. And from an infrastructure perspective, we are faced with the usual obstacles that most e-commerce businesses face in Africa, obstacles including poor or limited internet access, no postal infrastructure and no banking system with credit cards to support online transactions." 

Kambeu says one must be ready to take risks in business. 

"Years ago, there was a time when I was very close to taking my business to the next level. The opportunity epitomised years of hard work and 'suffering in silence' that every small business owner has to endure. My dream was crushed in the worst possible way. Ten years ago, I started my business and focused on entertainment because of my love of the arts. Around 2007, I was managing musicians and taking on various other projects and slowly picking up a good reputation for my work ethic and creativity. I had three opportunities to land major business deals that would have changed my life and taken me and my business to the next level. The first two deals fell through; I was very disappointed, but soldiered on, knowing better days were to come. The third and final opportunity occurred when the biggest wireless communication company in Zambia sponsored a television show called "Star Search" (A format very similar to American Idol)," he says. 

"The company had promised the nation that they would create an international superstar and spare no expense. They needed an entertainment manager, preferably one with Zambian roots, with international connections to manage the post-show process and they put up a US$1 million dollar budget. Apparently, there were not too many people in the world who met the criteria. Everyone they spoke with about the project, recommended me and my company as I was already managing the career of the biggest Zambian musician at the time. I flew out to Zambia to meet with the marketing executives of the sponsoring company. I was 24 at the time, and this was the moment and deal that was about to change my life. I had not slept properly in weeks and my blood boiled every time I thought about the opportunity and pictured what was to be. In my heart, I truly thought it was my time. I gave what I thought was the pitch of my life." 

However, he says he did not get the contract. 

"I was crushed. This by far represented the most disappointing period of my life and was a lesson on how cruel life can be. How your hopes and dreams can go up in smoke, even if you do all the right things, work hard and show passion. After this incident, and the disappointment of the prior two deals, I finally accepted that it was time to quit the music business, not my dream to build a business, and focus on the other aspects of my business. I told myself that it was for the best, and that bigger and better things would come my way. Here I am doing something; I guess that experience was my stepping stone to building my life," he says. 

He advises Zambians, especially young people who might have gone through depressed moments in business to never give up but have a plan, be strategic in the execution of the plan and create their own opportunities. Kambeu says his role model was his mentor from the financial company he used to work for. 

"He helped me to achieve a lot and gave me the inspiration to leave my job and focus on my business rather than stick to my job which would have been the expected advice," he says. 

He says he would want to be remembered as a nice guy. 

"We all like to be liked and to do the right thing. If people would remember me as a great guy, that would be even better; the guy who did his part and helped others. Think of using all obstacles as stepping stones to build the life you want. It is that simple, you can do it!" says Kambeu. 

For comments; mwenyamuleba@gmail.com / 0966 461 943/0950 594 050.