ExtraMile Express offers customs-clearance services for rail, sea, road and air freight at major border posts around Botswana. It also provides warehousing, distribution, and messengerdeliv- ery services. The firm responded to an increas- ing need for effective customs clearance brought about by globalization. It competes directly with existing companies, differentiating itself through the quality of its staff and services. In addition to Botswana, ExtraMile Express provides services in South Africa, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and the United Kingdom. It plans further interna- tional expansion. Joy Simakane Beatrice Ayuru Byaruhanga aving studied in my own region, where I was not exposed to quality education, I got bitter with all the problems around me and especially from my own relatives who never valued girl child education. I made up my mind while in ‘A’ Level to challenge the people who did not see value in women by concentrating on my education with an aim of passing and getting back to serve my people with a quality education. I applied to study Education as my first choice and I was admitted. I happened to be the first girl to pass and be admitted to the University since the school was in existence. After campus, I never bothered to look for a job and started with a petty business that would only sustain me. Eventually, I had to get back to my profession, but while teaching I still had the vision, and, worse, I was not being paid because of bureaucracy in public service, so I had to continue with my small business -- and guess what? I was selling cassava and preparing eats for students in my college. This was how Lira Integrated School came to be born. It was from the meagre savings realized from these sales. Lira Integrated School, located in northern Uganda, was established in 2000 with a vision to provide integrated nursery, primary, and secondary education. It is a mixed day and boarding school with a population of 1,500 students and a total of 104 teaching, non-teaching, and support staff. It also offers counselling services to displaced and traumatized children. Having the three levels of education in one location is one of the school’s competitive advantages, together with its investment in the quality of its staff, its facilities, and the extra- curricular activities it offers. There is a focus at the school on information technology and computer training. The school hopes to be able to attract students from different districts and there are plans to expand it into a university in two years. I am a model in my region and nationally. I have won the hearts of many, especially youth, girls/women because of my background. My clan elders were against my education and land inheritance for the establishment of the school because am a girl. I did not give up but paved my way through all those challenges and made it. This has inspired many parents to seriously consider girl-child education. That is important, given the culture in my region where only boys are favoured. I have ensured that the girl-boy ratio in my school is equal, unlike in other schools. Lira Integrated School [email protected]UGANDA L l to H 2010 “I made up my mind….to challenge the people who did not see values in women by concentrating on my education with an aim of passing it on and giving back to serve my people with quality education.”
Transcript
ExtraMile Express offers customs-clearance services for rail, sea, road and air freight at major
border posts around Botswana. It also provides warehousing, distribution, and messengerdeliv-ery services. The firm responded to an increas-
ing need for effective customs clearance brought about by globalization. It competes directly with existing companies, differentiating itself through the quality of its staff and services. In addition to Botswana, ExtraMile Express provides services
in South Africa, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and the United Kingdom. It plans further interna-
tional expansion.
Joy SimakaneBeatrice
Ayuru Byaruhanga
aving studied in my own region, where I was
not exposed to quality education, I got bitter
with all the problems around me and especially
from my own relatives who never valued girl
child education. I made up my mind while in
‘A’ Level to challenge the people who did not see value
in women by concentrating on my education with an aim
of passing and getting back to serve my people with a
quality education. I applied to study Education as my first
choice and I was admitted. I happened to be the first girl
to pass and be admitted to the University since the school
was in existence.
After campus, I never bothered to look for a job and
started with a petty business that would only sustain me.
Eventually, I had to get back to my profession, but while
teaching I still had the vision, and, worse, I was not being
paid because of bureaucracy in public service, so I had
to continue with my small business -- and guess what?
I was selling cassava and preparing eats for students in
my college. This was how Lira Integrated School came
to be born. It was from the meagre savings realized from
these sales. Lira Integrated School, located in northern
Uganda, was established in 2000 with a vision to provide
integrated nursery, primary, and secondary education. It
is a mixed day and boarding school with a population of
1,500 students and a total of 104 teaching, non-teaching,
and support staff. It also offers counselling services to
displaced and traumatized children. Having the three
levels of education in one location is one of the school’s
competitive advantages, together with its investment
in the quality of its staff, its facilities, and the extra-
curricular activities it offers. There is a focus at the school
on information technology and computer training. The
school hopes to be able to attract students from different
districts and there are plans to expand it into a university
in two years.
I am a model in my region and nationally. I have won the
hearts of many, especially youth, girls/women because of
my background. My clan elders were against my education
and land inheritance for the establishment of the school
because am a girl. I did not give up but paved my way
through all those challenges and made it. This has inspired
many parents to seriously consider girl-child education.
That is important, given the culture in my region where
only boys are favoured. I have ensured that the girl-boy
ratio in my school is equal, unlike in other schools.
ExtraMile Express offers customs-clearance services for rail, sea, road and air freight at major
border posts around Botswana. It also provides warehousing, distribution, and messengerdeliv-ery services. The firm responded to an increas-
ing need for effective customs clearance brought about by globalization. It competes directly with existing companies, differentiating itself through the quality of its staff and services. In addition to Botswana, ExtraMile Express provides services
in South Africa, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and the United Kingdom. It plans further interna-
tional expansion.
Joy SimakaneGuenet
Fresenbet Azmach
igi Ethiopia is a fashion design
company which distinguishes itself
by merging culture and art with
high-quality fashion. It has two
separate divisions; “Gigi Haute
Couture” a clothing line focusing on dress wear
for special occasions, using traditionally hand-
loomed fabrics, and ‘Made of Africa’ an accessory
and home-decorating line which turns traditional
utilitarian crafts into home designer items. It has 42
permanent workers and about 100 subcontractors
who do hand loomed fabrics. It exports 50% of its
production within Africa. It also has customers in
the United States and Europe.
Ms. Azmach has been selected as one of the top
16 among Africa’s New Millennium Designers. It
has represented Africa at 20 fashion shows. It also
created the first fashion magazine in Ethiopia. The
company’s revenues have grown by 200% over the
past three years. Founded by an artist and fashion
designer, the company found its strength in creating
unique pieces. The management challenges of
the company have been addressed by Empretec
training and business counselling services.
After the training, Ms. Azmach restructured the
company’s purchasing department and started an
incentive system for workers that helped generate
loyalty and commitment. As a response to the
financial crisis, which has negatively affected its
exports, Ms. Azmach is adapting by focusing more
on local markets. Ms. Azmach organized a local
fashion show in May of last year. In 2009, for the
ExtraMile Express offers customs-clearance services for rail, sea, road and air freight at major
border posts around Botswana. It also provides warehousing, distribution, and messengerdeliv-ery services. The firm responded to an increas-
ing need for effective customs clearance brought about by globalization. It competes directly with existing companies, differentiating itself through the quality of its staff and services. In addition to Botswana, ExtraMile Express provides services
in South Africa, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and the United Kingdom. It plans further interna-
tional expansion.
Joy SimakaneJoy Simakane
xtramile Express was established in
Botswana in 2004. It offers customs-
clearing services, bonded-warehouse
distribution and messenger delivery
for rail, sea, road, and air freight. It is
registered to do business in South Africa, Namibia,
and the United Kingdom.
It has always been a dream of Joy’s to have her own
business. That dream became reality in 2004 when
she resigned from her job as a contract manager.
Joy saw the growing opportunities available
in customs clearing, as she had worked in the
industry for 14 years. She decided to start small,
but still opened branches at all major border posts
in Botswana. She also established a presence
in Botswana’s major trading partners by opening
branches in Johannesburg and London. The
company seized on the increasing need for effective
customs clearing brought about by globalization
and positioned itself directly in competition with
existing companies, differentiating itself through
the quality of its staff and its services. From the
Empretec workshop, Joy learned how to train and
develop her staff. She realized the importance
of financial planning. Further improvements were
made in targeting advertising campaigns. She
developed good working relationships with local
authorities and banks and was granted funding to
buy an 850 square metre warehouse and expand
the firm’s fleet of vehicles from 11 to 13, with
additional 16- and 10-ton trucks.
The 2008 global financial crisis had an adverse
effect in Botswana. Extramile took measures
to reduce expenditures, but still maintained its
expansion plans. Offices will be opening soon
in the United States, China, Kenya, Singapore,
India, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. Staff development
has been important to Extramile’s success. Joy
motivates her staff and encourages creativity,
giving employees a sense of belonging. She
provides extensive staff training on all aspects of
ExtraMile Express offers customs-clearance services for rail, sea, road and air freight at major
border posts around Botswana. It also provides warehousing, distribution, and messengerdeliv-ery services. The firm responded to an increas-
ing need for effective customs clearance brought about by globalization. It competes directly with existing companies, differentiating itself through the quality of its staff and services. In addition to Botswana, ExtraMile Express provides services
in South Africa, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and the United Kingdom. It plans further interna-
tional expansion.
Joy SimakaneLilian Okoro
t the Empretec workshop, the Personal
Entrepreneurial Competencies (PECs)
of ‘Opportunity Seeking’ and ‘Initiative’
motivated me to move outside the box
from my old job selling petroleum prod-
ucts to host a television talk show. This business idea
came to me as a result of the discovery of my talent
for motivational speaking.”
It started with the participants of the Empretec work-
shop as a pioneer audience. After the workshop, the
show became a state television program presenting
youth with unique entrepreneurial skills. It has since
transformed into the Peace for African Child Initiative,
a motivational talk show aimed at developing and en-
couraging entrepreneurial skills in African youth, so
that they can be self-employed. The Peace for African
Child Initiative (PACI) is an educational entertainment
business geared towards fostering entrepreneurial
skills in young people across Africa. It consists of a
national television show and other branches of busi-
ness affiliated with the Initiative, including a petrol
station, an interlocking-stone factory and a beauty
parlour, all offering apprenticeships. The company
started three years ago with 20 employees and cur-
rently has 45 full-time staff, excluding apprentices.
Its revenue has doubled over the past two years to
more than US$135,000. Today, despite a decrease in
sponsorship as a result of the global economic crisis,
PACI intends to expand to include schools and work-
shops to train artisans and motivate young Africans
to acquire diverse sets of skills.
The business is unique because of its capacity to
promote skills and human-resources development
through seminars and apprenticeships in a range of
companies affiliated with the Initiative. Employees of
these businesses are trained to offer quality products
and services to our growing clientele, empowering
them to become self-employed.
I see the business affecting the continent of Africa
positively, motivating youth towards greater perform-
ance. I look forward to opening schools to train arti-
sans in the next five years, and to emphasizing skill
acquisition as the best strategy for entrepreneurial
success. Persistence has been the key to the suc-
cess of our conglomerate. The slogan “all things are
ExtraMile Express offers customs-clearance services for rail, sea, road and air freight at major
border posts around Botswana. It also provides warehousing, distribution, and messengerdeliv-ery services. The firm responded to an increas-
ing need for effective customs clearance brought about by globalization. It competes directly with existing companies, differentiating itself through the quality of its staff and services. In addition to Botswana, ExtraMile Express provides services
in South Africa, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and the United Kingdom. It plans further interna-
tional expansion.
Joy Simakane
2010
Lina Hundaileh
decided to open a chocolate factory.
Twenty-six years later, I decided to pursue
new entrepreneurial endeavors. I started
a new company, Chocolography, in 2009
that produces personalized chocolate gifts
with beautiful calligraphy and images. Rafawed
Consulting, in turn, provides mentoring and
coaching services to women entrepreneurs. The
firm was founded in 2009 and focuses on women’s
economic empowerment. Both companies, though
very different, target fast-growing niche markets
and have thrived as a result of their unique products
and services.
When I attended the EMPRETEC workshop in 2003,
I had already been an entrepreneur for more than
10 years. Nevertheless, I was able to learn many
new things and it opened my eyes and helped
me pinpoint both my weaknesses and strengths.
It also taught me how to take calculated risks, to
plan, and to identify my goals more efficiently.
Most importantly, it taught me to believe in myself
and think big!
My goal is to become a leader in the market and
produce niche products that have a competitive
advantage. Being proactive and focused, I can
see that the future lies in producing innovative
products that can compete in the local market and
also tap into international markets where products
are very expensive. I have big plans for both of the
ExtraMile Express offers customs-clearance services for rail, sea, road and air freight at major
border posts around Botswana. It also provides warehousing, distribution, and messengerdeliv-ery services. The firm responded to an increas-
ing need for effective customs clearance brought about by globalization. It competes directly with existing companies, differentiating itself through the quality of its staff and services. In addition to Botswana, ExtraMile Express provides services
in South Africa, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and the United Kingdom. It plans further interna-
tional expansion.
Joy SimakaneLucia Desir
& J Shipping Service was established
in 1988. It is a locally owned business
which focuses on shipping and shipping-
related operations: imports, exports,
custom brokerage, packing and mov-
ing. D & J Shipping Service is the local representatives
of Econocaribe Consolidators Inc., one of two companies
in Florida (United States) to have customs operations at
its warehouses. As licensed customs house brokers, D&J
Shipping Service also collects revenues for the Guyana
Revenue Authority and Customs & Trade Administration
(GRA-CTA). Another major part of the firm’s operations is
in the packing and dispatching of diplomatic cargo. From
2006 to 2009, D & J Shipping Service has grown from sev-
en to 15 employees, of which four women hold manage-
rial positions.
Ms. Desir became involved with the UNCTAD Empretec
programme at an opportune moment. After a difficult part-
nership split, she was struggling to maintain her remain-
ing part of the business. She was committed to rebuild-
ing the firm but how was a big question: she had limited
finances, yet was confident she had the skills needed to
succeed in the shipping industry. Through attending the
Empretec training workshop she recognized the limita-
tions of the original business prior to the split. The biggest
change was in her understanding of the importance of
committing to contracts. This would become the root of
her success. It allowed her to be one of the few agencies
chosen to handle the shipments of diplomats that arrived
in and departed from the country. She drew up her busi-
ness plan and gained an understanding of the need to be
able to provide professional services. As a result of pro-
fessional management, her business has grown steadily.
Having control over her business has allowed Ms. Desir
to weather the impact of the global economic downturn.
In Guyana, imports and exports were greatly reduced, but
she took immediate action to strengthened internal con-
trols and stepped up sales visits and advertisements. For-
tunately, the diversity of the firm’s operations provided a
cushion: while imports and exports were down, the pack-
ing and moving of diplomats’ belongings and those of oth-
er citizen’s rose. No staff had to be laid off. The company
now is purchasing property for a new warehouse three
times the size of the current one. Presently, Ms. Desir is
looking forward to buying her own hauler truck, flatbed,
and forklift for use when the warehouse is completed.
ExtraMile Express offers customs-clearance services for rail, sea, road and air freight at major
border posts around Botswana. It also provides warehousing, distribution, and messengerdeliv-ery services. The firm responded to an increas-
ing need for effective customs clearance brought about by globalization. It competes directly with existing companies, differentiating itself through the quality of its staff and services. In addition to Botswana, ExtraMile Express provides services
in South Africa, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and the United Kingdom. It plans further interna-
tional expansion.
Joy SimakaneMaria de la Luz
Osses Klein
have 16 years of experience in the mining
industry. These include three years where I held
a high-level position at a copper mine in northern
Chile. I supervised 75 engineers and more than
500 workers and technicians. As the first woman
to have held such a position since the mine was
opened in 1915, I faced great challenges, but
was able to develop my technical as well as emotional
intelligence. This experience set the base for my future
achievements and gave me the strength to face other
obstacles. The motivation to create my own business
came from a desire to manage my life independently,
to continue my professional development and to have a
work-life balance that would allow me to devote time to
my family. I started Biotecnologías Antofagasta in 2003.
It develops innovative, patent-seeking biotechnology
products which render production processes more
efficient and environmentally friendly, thereby contributing
to sustainable development. Named after the key mining
region of Antofagasta, the company was created in 2005
to cater to the mining industry. But it has since expanded
to other sectors, including fisheries.
When I was introduced to Empretec, my business
was in the so-called “death valley.” During a period
of great emotional, physical, and economic stress,
taking the Empretec course allowed me to meet other
entrepreneurs with more experience who had already
endured and overcome similar difficulties. I learned from
their experiences, studied their strategies, and listened
to their stories. Empretec’s workshop on entrepreneurial
competencies provided oxygen to me and my firm, and
I believe it saved the company.
In 2009, Biotecnologías Antofagasta was certified
and became limited company. I have kept 50% of the
ownership and partnered with a holding of five mining
companies called Grupo Latino S.A. It is with great pride
that I say that, after beginning with only myself and a
partner working part-time, the company now employs
18 people, 10 of whom are full-time. While the firm
does not yet export, it has plans to expand in Latin
America and beyond. In 2009, the firm won an award
for “Internationalization of Technologies” from INNOVA,
CORFO, and the IC2 Institute of the University of Texas.
ExtraMile Express offers customs-clearance services for rail, sea, road and air freight at major
border posts around Botswana. It also provides warehousing, distribution, and messengerdeliv-ery services. The firm responded to an increas-
ing need for effective customs clearance brought about by globalization. It competes directly with existing companies, differentiating itself through the quality of its staff and services. In addition to Botswana, ExtraMile Express provides services
in South Africa, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and the United Kingdom. It plans further interna-
tional expansion.
Joy Simakane
Olga Lidia Arean
onservArte specializes in manufac-
turing, consulting on, and marketing
preservation products. These pre-
serve goods of historic, artistic, or
cultural heritage. I started with the
development of preservation paper over ten years
ago, and today I can say without false modesty
that to date, ConservArte is the only manufacturer
of conservation products of museographic qual-
ity in Latin America. The shortcomings of the local
market in terms of preservation materials, plus the
widespread ignorance of the need for preserving
heritage, as well as the exorbitant prices asked for
these products, were my motivations for starting
this business. Our main challenge was to develop
supplies and materials that could be used to pre-
serve goods for over a century. Product develop-
ment was a challenge, but the company has been
able to meet the most stringent quality tests, locally
and internationally. The next objective was to get
our first patent for a process (unique in the world)
that increases the preservation quality of our ma-
terial. Thanks to my experience with the Empretec
workshop, in the following months I reinforced the
planning and monitoring of my company. I also
learned to take calculated risks and to set goals
and to prepare a successful business plan. The
Empretec workshop also helped me to understand
the importance of corporate social responsibility.
My vision is to be Argentina’s leader in consult-
ing, manufacturing, and marketing of preservation
products -- to become the referent for the local
market. I am building and developing the brand
with the goal that customers -- individuals and in-
stitutions – will associate it with trust, confidence,
and quality. My short-term goals include the devel-
opment and production of acid-free paper, which
does not deteriorate over time, and the creation
of a professional center for product research and
development, which will soon realized in the prov-
ExtraMile Express offers customs-clearance services for rail, sea, road and air freight at major
border posts around Botswana. It also provides warehousing, distribution, and messengerdeliv-ery services. The firm responded to an increas-
ing need for effective customs clearance brought about by globalization. It competes directly with existing companies, differentiating itself through the quality of its staff and services. In addition to Botswana, ExtraMile Express provides services
in South Africa, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and the United Kingdom. It plans further interna-
tional expansion.
Joy Simakane
Vanessa de Figueiredo Vilela Araujo
apeh is an innovative cosmetics brand
made from Certified Coffee Extract
located in the south of the Minas
Gerais traditional region for the culti-
vation of quality coffees.
The passion for cosmetics always guided my steps
for the achievement of my dream: having my own
company. As I was born and live in the world’s
greatest coffee-producing region, I have tried to
unite this passion for cosmetics with the coffee
tradition, which has been present in my family for
six generations. I sought new ways to add value
to a commodity that is so important to our country,
providing jobs and income for thousands of fami-
lies. I wanted to launch something innovative. So I
made the discovery of coffee benefits for the skin.
I believe this product provides something unique.
Training at Empretec gave me a significant busi-
ness management basis, taught me to structure
and overcome my limits, and to reinforce my
strengths. I use my knowledge acquired in the
programme on a daily basis for strategic planning,
establishment of goals, and success in entrepre-
neurial behaviour.
The greatest challenge was to adjust my products
for export. I had to study foreign countries’ sanita-
tion legislation, adapt the components of the prod-
ucts we sell, and know customers’ preference in
each country. Social responsibility and quality of
products are the pillars of my company.
In 2 years, I have started to export to Portugal and
the Netherlands, and the brand is already regis-
tered in 27 countries of the European Union. Be-
sides export expansion, my goal is to expand sales
throughout the national territory of Brazil, and with-
in five years I plan having my own shops and fran-
ExtraMile Express offers customs-clearance services for rail, sea, road and air freight at major
border posts around Botswana. It also provides warehousing, distribution, and messengerdeliv-ery services. The firm responded to an increas-
ing need for effective customs clearance brought about by globalization. It competes directly with existing companies, differentiating itself through the quality of its staff and services. In addition to Botswana, ExtraMile Express provides services
in South Africa, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and the United Kingdom. It plans further interna-
tional expansion.
Joy Simakane
Viviyata Chivunga
ivi Fashions started as a clothing
manufacturing company, and then
shifted towards designing and making
African attire and ethnic wear. More
recently, it has developed its batik
department. Following a careful assessment of
market trends and developments within the textile
industry, I made a strategic decision to diversify
the operations of the company to hedge it against
sector-specific risk.
A decision was made to develop and grow the
batik department. Batik products have a different
market. One of the most challenging obstacles I’ve
faced in my business is inflation. I overcome this by
employing experts in the finance department who
assist me in the planning of my business. During
Empretec training, I also learned that risk taking
is a very important business decision and that at
the end of the day one will be rewarded for one’s
ability to manage risk. I became aware that things
must be done systematically. I was encouraged to
employ skilled workers; prior to the training, I was
not aware of the importance of employing experts.
The company currently has 79 employees and
exports to Botswana, South Africa, and Angola.
My workforce has doubled in the past three years.
Responding to decreased demand as a result of the
global crisis, Vivi Fashions has maintained its high
quality and has invested in the development of a
wide range of innovative products that distinguish
it from its competitors. These products include
unique batik bags, carefully blended with leather.
