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Entrepreneurs: When the going gets tough, the tough gets going

Entrepreneurship requires initiative and taking risks, but often, the end of the journey, yields high reward.
Entrepreneurs are people are skilled at adapting and being resilient in uncertain situations and come up with new, different and innovative ideas.

“The challenges currently being faced by the Namibian economy may cause many to react with uncertainty. Entrepreneurs however, are those people who are skilled at adapting and being resilient in uncertain situations. It is especially during times such as these that entrepreneurs come up with new, different and innovative ideas.

“Regardless of current challenges, entrepreneurs with this type of mind-set will be in a better position to recession-proof their businesses and position it optimally for future success. This attitude takes a lot of character,” says Mbo Luvindao, manager of Bank Windhoek’s Emerging Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (ESME) Finance Branch.

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) play a vital role in Namibia’s economy with one in five people being employed in the sector. Not only do SMEs contribute to the gross domestic product, they also raise the standard of living of many Namibians, and in so doing, alleviates poverty. SMEs also empower women and youth within the community.

Entrepreneurship requires initiative and taking risks, but often, the end of the journey, yields high reward. Bank Windhoek’s ESME Finance Branch believes that there are Namibians who are willing to step up and be counted as contributors to the country’s economic growth.

The bank is calling on aspiring and established entrepreneurs, who meet the bank’s lending criteria, to approach the ESME Division with their business plans and request for funding to either start their businesses or expand or diversify their existing business portfolios.

Mentoring

Bank Windhoek has experienced that in addition to financing, the major need of start-ups and small and medium businesses is mentoring. Mentorship guides SMEs on how to run a successful and sustainable business.

Bank Windhoek’s mentorship programme is available to successful SME finance applicants. This is a ten-month targeted programme directed at helping the SME build capacity by improving business management skills. The mentors focus on assisting the business to improve in areas such as bookkeeping, pricing strategies, marketing, human resources management and other practical business skills.

“Bank Windhoek’s ESME Division’s ultimate goal is to see an increased number of small and medium enterprises grow into sustainable businesses,” says Luvindao.

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Namibian Sun 2024-05-03

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Premier League: Chelsea 2 vs 0 Tottenham Hotspur European Championships Qualifying: Coventry City 1 vs 2 Ipswich Town English Championship: Coventry City 1 vs 2 Ipswich Town Katima Mulilo: 12° | 32° Rundu: 13° | 32° Eenhana: 13° | 32° Oshakati: 15° | 32° Ruacana: 15° | 33° Tsumeb: 16° | 30° Otjiwarongo: 13° | 29° Omaruru: 13° | 31° Windhoek: 12° | 27° Gobabis: 15° | 28° Henties Bay: 14° | 21° Wind speed: 20km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 05:43, High tide: 12:02, Low Tide: 17:54, High tide: 00:23 Swakopmund: 16° | 19° Wind speed: 19km/h, Wind direction: W, Low tide: 05:41, High tide: 12:00, Low Tide: 17:52, High tide: 00:21 Walvis Bay: 16° | 25° Wind speed: 28km/h, Wind direction: W, Low tide: 05:41, High tide: 11:59, Low Tide: 17:52, High tide: 00:20 Rehoboth: 14° | 29° Mariental: 17° | 31° Keetmanshoop: 19° | 31° Aranos: 16° | 31° Lüderitz: 15° | 25° Ariamsvlei: 18° | 33° Oranjemund: 14° | 22° Luanda: 25° | 28° Gaborone: 14° | 27° Lubumbashi: 12° | 26° Mbabane: 12° | 26° Maseru: 11° | 25° Antananarivo: 13° | 24° Lilongwe: 13° | 27° Maputo: 19° | 28° Windhoek: 12° | 27° Cape Town: 15° | 19° Durban: 17° | 28° Johannesburg: 16° | 25° Dar es Salaam: 24° | 28° Lusaka: 15° | 27° Harare: 13° | 28° Currency: GBP to NAD 23.17 | EUR to NAD 19.91 | CNY to NAD 2.54 | USD to NAD 18.5 | DZD to NAD 0.14 | AOA to NAD 0.02 | BWP to NAD 1.31 | EGP to NAD 0.38 | KES to NAD 0.14 | NGN to NAD 0.01 | ZMW to NAD 0.68 | ZWL to NAD 0.04 | BRL to NAD 3.62 | RUB to NAD 0.2 | INR to NAD 0.22 | USD to DZD 134.3 | USD to AOA 834.06 | USD to BWP 13.64 | USD to EGP 47.9 | USD to KES 133.98 | USD to NGN 1379 | USD to ZAR 18.5 | USD to ZMW 27.1 | USD to ZWL 321 | Stock Exchange: JSE All Share Index 76428.31 Up +0.50% | Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) Overall Index 1700.24 Up +0.45% | Casablanca Stock Exchange (CSE) MASI 13322.85 Up +0.03% | Egyptian Exchange (EGX) 30 Index 26113.71 Up +6.81% | Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE) DCI 9146.09 Same 0 | NSX: MTC 7.75 SAME | Anirep 8.99 SAME | Capricorn Investment group 17.34 SAME | FirstRand Namibia Ltd 49 DOWN 0.50% | Letshego Holdings (Namibia) Ltd 4.1 UP 2.50% | Namibia Asset Management Ltd 0.7 SAME | Namibia Breweries Ltd 31.49 UP 0.03% | Nictus Holdings - Nam 2.22 SAME | Oryx Properties Ltd 12.1 UP 1.70% | Paratus Namibia Holdings 11.99 SAME | SBN Holdings 8.45 SAME | Trustco Group Holdings Ltd 0.48 SAME | B2Gold Corporation 47.34 DOWN 1.50% | Local Index closed 677.62 UP 0.12% | Overall Index closed 1534.6 DOWN 0.05% | Osino Resources Corp 19.47 DOWN 2.41% | Commodities: Gold US$ 2 300.49/OZ DOWN -0.01 | Copper US$ 4.52/lb DOWN -0.0031 | Zinc US$ 2 924.30/T DOWN -0.08% | Brent Crude Oil US$ 83.86/BBP DOWN -0.0051 | Platinum US$ 955.21/OZ DOWN -0.0003 Sport results: Premier League: Chelsea 2 vs 0 Tottenham Hotspur European Championships Qualifying: Coventry City 1 vs 2 Ipswich Town English Championship: Coventry City 1 vs 2 Ipswich Town Weather: Katima Mulilo: 12° | 32° Rundu: 13° | 32° Eenhana: 13° | 32° Oshakati: 15° | 32° Ruacana: 15° | 33° Tsumeb: 16° | 30° Otjiwarongo: 13° | 29° Omaruru: 13° | 31° Windhoek: 12° | 27° Gobabis: 15° | 28° Henties Bay: 14° | 21° Wind speed: 20km/h, Wind direction: SW, Low tide: 05:43, High tide: 12:02, Low Tide: 17:54, High tide: 00:23 Swakopmund: 16° | 19° Wind speed: 19km/h, Wind direction: W, Low tide: 05:41, High tide: 12:00, Low Tide: 17:52, High tide: 00:21 Walvis Bay: 16° | 25° Wind speed: 28km/h, Wind direction: W, Low tide: 05:41, High tide: 11:59, Low Tide: 17:52, High tide: 00:20 Rehoboth: 14° | 29° Mariental: 17° | 31° Keetmanshoop: 19° | 31° Aranos: 16° | 31° Lüderitz: 15° | 25° Ariamsvlei: 18° | 33° Oranjemund: 14° | 22° Luanda: 25° | 28° Gaborone: 14° | 27° Lubumbashi: 12° | 26° Mbabane: 12° | 26° Maseru: 11° | 25° Antananarivo: 13° | 24° Lilongwe: 13° | 27° Maputo: 19° | 28° Windhoek: 12° | 27° Cape Town: 15° | 19° Durban: 17° | 28° Johannesburg: 16° | 25° Dar es Salaam: 24° | 28° Lusaka: 15° | 27° Harare: 13° | 28° Economic Indicators: Currency: GBP to NAD 23.17 | EUR to NAD 19.91 | CNY to NAD 2.54 | USD to NAD 18.5 | DZD to NAD 0.14 | AOA to NAD 0.02 | BWP to NAD 1.31 | EGP to NAD 0.38 | KES to NAD 0.14 | NGN to NAD 0.01 | ZMW to NAD 0.68 | ZWL to NAD 0.04 | BRL to NAD 3.62 | RUB to NAD 0.2 | INR to NAD 0.22 | USD to DZD 134.3 | USD to AOA 834.06 | USD to BWP 13.64 | USD to EGP 47.9 | USD to KES 133.98 | USD to NGN 1379 | USD to ZAR 18.5 | USD to ZMW 27.1 | USD to ZWL 321 | Stock Exchange: JSE All Share Index 76428.31 Up +0.50% | Namibian Stock Exchange (NSX) Overall Index 1700.24 Up +0.45% | Casablanca Stock Exchange (CSE) MASI 13322.85 Up +0.03% | Egyptian Exchange (EGX) 30 Index 26113.71 Up +6.81% | Botswana Stock Exchange (BSE) DCI 9146.09 Same 0 | NSX: MTC 7.75 SAME | Anirep 8.99 SAME | Capricorn Investment group 17.34 SAME | FirstRand Namibia Ltd 49 DOWN 0.50% | Letshego Holdings (Namibia) Ltd 4.1 UP 2.50% | Namibia Asset Management Ltd 0.7 SAME | Namibia Breweries Ltd 31.49 UP 0.03% | Nictus Holdings - Nam 2.22 SAME | Oryx Properties Ltd 12.1 UP 1.70% | Paratus Namibia Holdings 11.99 SAME | SBN Holdings 8.45 SAME | Trustco Group Holdings Ltd 0.48 SAME | B2Gold Corporation 47.34 DOWN 1.50% | Local Index closed 677.62 UP 0.12% | Overall Index closed 1534.6 DOWN 0.05% | Osino Resources Corp 19.47 DOWN 2.41% | Commodities: Gold US$ 2 300.49/OZ DOWN -0.01 | Copper US$ 4.52/lb DOWN -0.0031 | Zinc US$ 2 924.30/T DOWN -0.08% | Brent Crude Oil US$ 83.86/BBP DOWN -0.0051 | Platinum US$ 955.21/OZ DOWN -0.0003