Mind of an entrepreneur

Mr. Shiyuka is a creative and small entrepreneur in Namibia and owner of Mobi Pay a small company and the first mobile provider in Namibia. His company’s licence was approved in 2010. He also worked at MTC and started it in 1995. He had to move from Tsumeb to Windhoek in search for better education. he then completed his high school and continued studying at University of Namibia.

Stories have been told about entrepreneurs, what is an entrepreneur? Are they born or made? Well, coming to the NBIC and RLABS training workshop made me realise a lot about entrepreneurs...As part of the training, we attended a presentation based on entrepreneurs and and how to overcome their challenges.

So the question remains, who is an entrepreneur? An entrepreneur is someone who is committed, disciplined, and persistent and studies their environment. Nowadays, entrepreneurs are faced with many challenges, of which they cannot overcome. To be an entrepreneur, you need to be self-driven and innovative...but always remember that collateral is not the issue because if you have a good idea, that idea can service collateral.

I had a chance to meet one of and had this to say;

During the presentation, Mr. Amos Shiyuka stated the following attributes or factors as important in the life of an entrepreneur:

• Self-awareness- believing in yourself

• Positive self and group identity
• Situational awareness- know your surrounding
• Always have a plan B- you need to have an exit strategy and an education behind you and always remember not to put your eggs in one bucket.
• Future focus- have a short and long-term plan because not all plans work out 100%
• Discipline- be financial discipline...know when to spent and on what

• Social confidence- take risks Pro-social connections- know the right people in the right place and do not associate yourself with the wrong people.

In business, “an entrepreneur should build a foundation with the same bricks others are throwing at you...your failure is always the first step to success”.

You need to Identify key partner- network of suppliers and your customers and Key activities, Customer value prepositions and Key resources- equipment or resources you need or who to consult, Customer relationship and Customer segment-identify your customers, Channels- how to deliver your products and Cost structure- what to spend and Revenue streams.

“Every step make it count”

Starting and Running a Business

As it is a norm, the NBIC hold entrepreneurship circles with the entrepreneurship students from the polytechnic of Namibia every year and it is no difference this year also they held their 1st session of the year on the 15th of Feb with the guest speakers of Mr Amos Shiyuka the Director of Mobipay, a mobile service provider in Namibia. Mr Shiyuka was born in the Copper town of Tsumeb in the Otjozondjupa region. He grew up there until the age of 15 when he later moved to Windhoek to attend his senior grades.

When he was growing up he use to make ice cubes and wire made cars and sell them in the street to make a living and pay for his school fees as his mother was able to provide f0r it. The idea of him becoming a business guru did not just come overnight, when he was still employed by the Mobile Telecommunication Company, he use to own 5 taxis and a shebeen but because he has always wanted to be an aspiring business man like he is today,he saved the little that he used to get from his businesses so that he would one day start a bigger business and create employment.

His dreams of becoming a business person did not only end there, in 2005 him and his colleagues started debating about other things that can be performed using a cellphone, not only smsing and calling. Since this was such a creative idea, he went further with it and started collecting thoughts and come up with a mobipay idea. In 2009 Mr Shiyuka applied for a licence to start his mobile payment business and it was approved the following year in August. Mobi Pay was launched the same year on the 21st of September.

While addressing the students, he stated out 8 keys factors that 1 should take note when thinking of starting a business: self awareness,positive self and group identity,situational awareness,plan B,future focus,discipline,social confidence and pro social connection.

According to him, starting Mobipay was not an easy thing and it is still not easy running it because it involves many of obstacles and challenges that hinders ones success. Mobi pay is still a small upcoming business that can make a u-turn anytime,so it still needs to be nurtured like a new born baby, but one needs to be determenant,focused and committed in order to succeed. His final words to the students were that, " Build your foundation with rocks that others are throwing at you and always remember that every foundation started with one brick".

Explore your dreams

Picture: Mobi pay's Claus Deckenbrock & Executive Director Amos Shiyuka

Everyone can explore their dreams and succeed if they choose to do so. With refence to the entrepreneurship session which was held on 15 February 2012 at NBIC by Mr. Amos Shiyuka, the founder of Mobi pay. He has just proved to us that entreprenuers can succeed if they try harder. People  need to try different things to find out what their talents are, by identifying the opportunities through creativity, innovative, risk taking and sharing ideas. Have the confidence to pursue your dreams, no matter what the challenges are. Discover the opportunities and explore the corporate world.

Mobi Pay

On the 15 February  , a day after  Valentine day we had  an entrepreneurship cycle  and the main speaker  was Mr  Amos Shiyuka the founder  of  the Namibian s first  mobile payment solution .The cycle was held in NBIC hall. He  was demonstarting on the innovation of entrepreneur.   Mobi pay was launched in September 2010 . It operates in all network in the country . They customers are every one with a cellphone . Through Mobi Pay you can able to do aot of service such as

                                                                    *Deposit/ withdraw money 

                                                                     *Pay your bills ,
                                                                      * Buying electricity and pay for your grosseries


 In his speach i qoute that"never fear  to fail beacuse failure is the first step of success" , he continues that  always build the foundation with  the bricks they are throwing on you .                                                     

                                         Namibian 's first mobile payment , watch out

Everythng is posible

I am so great to being in social networking training and its totally upgrading my skills, mr Amon as a co-former of mobipay visted as at NBIC building to gaves us the main purpose of this organisation why it was borned and aish....i wish all people around the world could use and benefit from this.

right mr Amos [co-former of mobipay]

If you want to achieve somethng on life you must have eight keys of life as follows, self awaness, positive self, situational awaness,what plan you got always must have plan B, future focuse, displine last bt not least social confident and last key know right people at right time.

what the good advice?

                                        KEEP US TUNE ALWAYS!

there where a very crusual  speach of mr Amos siyuka from mobipay and i learn a lot in bussines   and  and the importand of mobipay, the payment system management. To provide the following services:

                                      1: send money

                                      2: buy electricity

                                      3: buy airtime 

                                      4: pay for your good at retailer.

It work in all network in namibia...  

  Importand staff:                    : never give your secret mobipay to another parson

                                                 :always verify the telephone number you send to

1.                             : no mobipay stuff will call you and  ask you your pin.

social media training at NBIC

Being part of the social media training at NBIC has brought so much change in my academic life as a student. I have learnt so much during this week about how to blog.

Mr Amos (left) co-founder of MobiPay

I have also been fortunate enough to witness a presentation by a well prominent businessman Mr Amos Shiyuka co-founder of MobiPay. I'm now more passionate about starting my own business in future after listening to the enterprenuership presentation.

You can now pay your accounts, buy electricity, buy air time and transfer money to your loved ones via mobipay. All you need is a cellphone and to register with mobipay, which is free of charge. thank you mobipay for making our lives much easier now.

Mr shiyuka also emphasised the importance of customer relations and that business owners are nothing without customers. He also adviced the upcoming enterpreneurs to change the past and create jobs for others as well as to create wealth.