Join us in our up coming webinar about “Practical Strategies for Coping with Stress”
Join us in our up coming webinar about “Practical Strategies for Coping with Stress”
The SME Response Clinic in partnership with Geruka Healing Center will be holding a live discussion as part of the Building Back Healthier Series. Building off the radio show that launched the series, the webinar will focus on supporting entrepreneurs with practical strategies to cope with stress.
The discussion will take place on Friday, 12th November 2021 at 2 pm via the SME Response Clinic Facebook page and YouTube Channel. The discussions will feature Dr Jean Pierre Ndagijimana, Co-Founder, Rwanda Psychological Society (RPS), Johnson Runuya, Founder & CEO, Johnson The Baker, and Claudine Tuyisenge Founder & Manager, Kicirwanda. The discussions will be in Kinyarwanda
Hura na Mushiyimana Beatrice, Umunyamuryango wa KCB Bank Biashara
Hura na Mushimiyimana Beatrice, Umunyamuryango wa KCB Bank Biashara
SME Response Clinic yaganiriye na Mushiyimana Beatrice, nyir’ubucuruzi buciriritse akaba n’umwe mu bagize KCB Bank Biashara Club, ku bijyanye n’ingaruka za Biashara Club ku bucuruzi bwe. Beatrice yerekanye inyungu nyinshi zo kuba umunyamuryango, harimo kubona amahugurwa no kubona inguzanyo ku gipimo cy’inyungu kigabanyije.
Kugira ngo umenye byinshi, reba videwo hanyuma usure KCB Bank Biashara Club wiyandikishe kugirango ube umunyamuryango wa Biashara Club.
Meet Mushiyimana Beatrice, KCB Bank Biashara Club Member.
Meet Mushiyimana Beatrice, KCB Bank Biashara Club Member.
The SME Response Clinic spoke with Mushiyimana Beatrice, a small business owner and member of the KCB Bank Biashara Club, about the Biashara Club’s impact on her business. Beatrice highlighted the numerous benefits of membership, including access to training and lower-interest financing. Watch the interview to learn more.
To learn more, watch the video and visit KCB Bank Biashara Club to register to become a Biashara Club member.
Are you a social business with a solution for sustainable food systems looking to scale up? Apply for the Grow Up Social Incubator by November 21!
Are you a social business with a solution for sustainable food systems looking to scale up? Apply for the Grow Up Social Incubator by November 21!
Yunus Environment Hub, a global social business network focused on creating solutions for the environmental crisis, is launching its 2022 cohort of the GrowUp Incubator for social businesses focusing on sustainable food systems in East Africa. The GrowUp Incubator aims to support and grow the skills of early-stage entrepreneurs who can create sustainable environmental and social impact. The cohort will support social business entrepreneurs in Kenya, Ethiopia, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda, and Burundi. The program provides critical support to social business entrepreneurs in a post-revenue stage.
Why should you join the Grow Up Social Incubator?
Successful applicants will receive access to the following benefits through the 6-month program:
- Bi-weekly tailored mentorship
- Interactive capacity-building bootcamp and training
- Networking with local partners
- Peer-to-peer support to share challenges and discover solutions
Who is eligible to apply?
To be eligible, your business must:
- Be located in one of the above-mentioned target countries in East Africa
- Solve a challenge within one or more thematic areas related to food systems
- Be beyond the experimentation stage
- Have your product/service on the market for 6 months to 3 years
- Be legally registered or plan on doing it during the incubation program
- Be led by a person or by the community (i.e., through a cooperative model)
- Be able to demonstrate substantial environmental and social impact
- Be in pre-seed investment but the post-revenue stage
- Have accumulated sales to date of approximately 10,000 – 25,000 USD
- Have 2-3 people from the team who will participate in the program
- Have regular access to stable internet to participate in mentoring sessions and cohort events
How to apply
Social businesses that are eligible can apply by completing the application form here.
If you are interested in becoming a mentor for the cohort, please find the Terms of Reference and apply here.
Application Deadline: 21 November 2021
For more information,
Email: Anna.Khudiiash@yunuseh.com.
How to network your way to building a robust business
How to network your way to building a robust business
If you want to build a robust business, it is important to get out there, make connections, and network with others. Business networking involves connecting with potential customers and other individuals who might refer business to you. It also means making contact with people who can provide key information that can help you grow your business and is based on creating trusting relationships with other businesspeople.
Networking helps you promote your business and can lead to new opportunities, both very important as business owners seek to recover from the Covid-19 pandemic. Of course, with the disruptions caused by the pandemic, which have meant fewer chances to meet others in person, there has been a shift to networking virtually, which can actually offer you more opportunities to build connections across borders.
Below are some key reasons why networking is important for your small business and tips on how to network well to achieve your business goals.
- Networking is a great way to acquire new business leads. Leveraging the contacts you make when you meet people can open doors for business opportunities. Always communicate professionally when you follow up on leads, be sensitive to timing (for example, send that email when you promised to), and use common courtesy when following up.
- Networking can help you to identify business best practices. Learning from what others do is a valuable strategy for all businesses. For example, suppose you own a wholesale store and belong to an association. Ask around to find programs that other members use for stock management or other critical operational tasks that you can bring back to your own business.
- Regular networking will help you build confidence. It will help you become more familiar with talking to people you don’t know over time, enhancing your communications skills and enabling you to make lasting connections that can bring both positive professional and personal results.
- Networking is a great way to make relevant connections. It will enable you to meet and engage with highly influential people you wouldn’t otherwise be able to talk to or find easily. You can call on these new connections for assistance when you need them. So be sure to ask the right questions to find out if the person you are networking with knows who you want to know.
Don’t wait until you have run out of opportunities to start networking. Be sure to start making these connections to expand the number of opportunities that come your way!
The Latest Government COVID-19 Preventive Measures
The Latest Government COVID-19 Preventive Measures
On 13th 0ctober 2021, the government reviewed and issued new COVID-19 preventive measures. The new measures issued will take effect from 14th October and will last till 14th November 2021, where the cabinet will review them upon a health assessment.
Below are the updated government measures.
- Movements are prohibited between 12:00 am and 04:00 am nationwide and all businesses must close by 11 pm.
- Travellers who are fully vaccinated will no longer require quarantining at hotels upon arrival in the country. However, a COVID-19 PCR test taken within 72 hours will be required for all arriving and departing passengers while complying with set health guidelines.
- Public offices will continue with essential staff but not exceeding 75% capacity while other employees continue to work from home.
- Private businesses will continue to operate at full capacity while complying with the set COVID-19 preventive measures.
- Physical conferences and meetings will continue but should not exceed 50% of venue capacity. All participants must present negative COVID-19 test results taken within 72 hours prior to the meeting.
- Public transport (buses) will continue to operate at 75% capacity with strict adherence to the health guidelines (social distancing, open bus windows for proper ventilation, and proper mask-wearing). Motos and bicycles will continue to comply strictly with the health guidelines (disinfecting passenger’s helmets).
- Bars and recreation/entertainment venues shall resume gradually at 50% capacity. All customers should be vaccinated and must possess negative COVID-19 test results taken within 72 hours. The Rwanda Development Board will provide detailed guidelines.
- Tourism will continue with strict adherence to COVID-19 health guidelines. This includes hotels, tour operators, and transport services assisting guests.
- Individual and non-contact sports activities will continue with strict adherence to health guidelines. Gyms and fitness centers will continue progressively while adhering to detailed guidelines from the Ministry of Sports.
- Swimming pools, pools, massage parlours, saunas shall re-open gradually with detailed guidelines from the Rwanda Development Board.
- Events and gatherings, including concerts, festivals, and exhibitions, held in designated or approved venues such as outdoor tents will continue at not more than 50 % capacity. All participants must possess negative COVID 19 test results taken within 72 hours before the event
- Gaming activities shall resume gradually while adhering to detailed guidelines from the Ministry of Trade and Industry.
These measures will be reviewed after a health assessment. For more detailed COVID-19 measures, visit: Office of the Prime Minister
Uruhererekane rwa Ubaka ufite ubuzima bwiza kurushaho : Ikiganiro kinyura kuri Radiyo - Ubyumva Ute?
Uruhererekane rwa Ubaka ufite ubuzima bwiza kurushaho : Ikiganiro kinyura kuri Radiyo – Ubyumva Ute?
Insanganyamatsiko : Gushyigikira imibereho myiza ya ba rwiyemezamirimo mu bihe bya COVID-19
Kuva icyorezo cya COVID-19 cyatera, imiryango n’ibigo binyuranye byafashe ingamba zikomeye zo gukumira ikwirakwira rya virusi yacyo. Izo ngamba zagize ingaruka ku bantu mu rwego rw’imitekerereze n’urw’imibereho myiza n’ubukungu. Mu bantu bagizweho ingaruka cyane n’izo ngamba harimo abacuruzi na ba rwiyemezamirimo. Ingamba nko kuguma mu rugo no gufunga imipaka ndetse n’izindi zatumye ba rwiyemezamirimo batarabashaga gukomeza ibikorwa byabo cyangwa bakananirwa rwose gukomeza imirimo yabo ya buri munsi.
Kubera ko abacuruzi na ba rwiyemezamirimo bari gukora kugira ngo babashe kwikura mu ngorane zatewe n’icyo cyorezo, SME Clinic Response irashaka ko imibereho myiza ishyirwa imbere mu bigomba kwitabwaho kubera ko ari ingenzi gushyigikira ifatwa ry’ibyemezo n’ubushobozi bwa ba rwiyemezamirimo bwo gucunga ubucuruzi bwabo uko bikwiye.
Kubera iyo mpamvu, SME Response Clinic, ku bufatanye na Geruka Healing Center (GHC) izakoresha ikiganiro kizanyura kuri radiyo kuwa mbere tariki ya 18 Ukwakira 2021 saa moya za nimugoroba. Icyo kiganiro kizaba kitwa Gushyigikira imibereho myiza ya ba rwiyemezamirimo mu bihe bya COVID-19 kikazanyura mu kiganiro cya KT Radio Ubyumva Ute? Icyo kiganiro kizahuza inzobere mu by’imitekerereze na ba rwiyemezamirimo bakazaba baganira nazo ibyababayeho. Inzobere zizabagezaho ibijyanye n’imigenzereze ikwiye mu byerekeranye no kwiyitaho ubwabo hagamijwe gushyigikira ibikorwa byabo bya buri munsi.
Intego z’ikiganiro kizanyura kuri radiyo:
- Gukangurira ba rwiyemezamirimo n’abacurizi bafite ibigo by’ubucuruzi bito n’ibiciriritse ibyerekeranye n’imibereho myiza rusange bishobora gutuma barushaho kugira ubuzima bwiza.
- Kureba ibibazo bijyanye n’imibereho myiza byugarije ba rwiyemezamirimo n’abacuruzi bafite ibigo by’ubucuruzi bito n’ibiciriritse byatewe n’icyorezo cya COVID-19.
- Kungurana ubumenyi n’inama bwite ndetse n’ubumenyi ngiro ku byerekeranye no kwiyitaho n’uburyo bwo guhangana n’ibibazo abantu bagenda bahura nabyo umunsi ku wundi.
- Gushyiraho urubuga rwo kunguraniramo ubumenyi rwigirwamo ibintu binyuranye bijyanye n’imigenzereze myiza yo guteza imbere imibereho myiza ya ba rwiyemezamirimo.
- Gusangira amakuru ku bijyanye na serivisi z’ubufasha ziriho zihabwa abantu ku giti cyabo bafite
Umusaruro utegerejwe uzava muri icyo kiganiro:
- Kurushaho kumenya ibibazo bijyanye n’imitekerereze n’imibereho myiza ba rwiyemezamirimo n’abacuruzi bato n’abaciriritse bagize bitewe na COVID-19.
- Kurushaho kwiga no kungurana ibitekerezo hagati ya ba rwiyemezamirimo n’abacuruzi bato n’abaciriritse bakorera mu cyaro n’abakorera mu mijyi ku byerekeranye n’imigenzereze myiza ijyanye no kwita ku mibereho myiza mu gihe havutse ibibazo.
- Kongerera ubushake ba rwiyemezamirimo n’abacuruzi bato n’abaciriritse bwo gushaka ubufasha mu bijyanye n’ubuzima bwo mu mutwe.
- Kurushaho kumenya impamvu ari ngombwa guteza imbere ishami ryita ku mibereho myiza mu rwego rw’imitekerereze kuri ba rwiyemezamirimo bagitangira.
SME Response Clinic inejejwe no kubagezaho Ubaka ufite ubuzima bwiza kurushaho, uruhererekane ku mibereho myiza ya ba rwiyemezamirimo.
SME Response Clinic inejejwe no kubagezaho Ubaka ufite ubuzima bwiza kurushaho, uruhererekane ku mibereho myiza ya ba rwiyemezamirimo.
Kuva icyorezo cya COVID-10 cyatera, twese twagiye duhura n’ingorane mu buzima bwacu bwa buri munsi. Kuri ba rwiyemezamirimo, ingaruka z’icyorezo zigaragaje mu nzego ebyiri. Zahungabanyije ubucuruzi bwabo kimwe n’ubuzima bwabo bwite. Muri SME Response Clinic, twumva ko mu gihe u Rwanda rwemereye ibigo by’ubucuruzi kongera gukora mu bushobozi bwabyo bwose n’iguhugu kiba kiri gutanga urukingo, ibintu biracyari kure yo kujya mu buryo “uko bikwiye.”
SME Response Clinic irabashimira ishyaka mwagize mucunga ubucuruzi bwanyu mu ngorane zatewe n’icyorezo. Turifuza kubashyigikira kubera ko murushaho kubaka neza. Nyuma y’ibingibi, tunejejwe no kubagezaho uruhererekane rwiswe Ubaka ufite ubuzima bwiza kurushaho; rukaba rugizwe n’uruhererekane runyura kuri radiyo, ibiganiro bikorwa mu buryo bw’ikoranbuhanga, ibiganiro, n’inyandiko zinyuzwa mu binyamakuru bibafasha nk’abantu bafite ibikorwa by’ubucuruzi ndetse nk’abantu ku giti cyabo.
Uruhererekane ruzatangizwa n’ikiganiro kizanyura kuri radiyo gifite insanganyamatsiko igira iti : Ubaka ufite ubuzima kurushaho: Gushyigikira imibereho myiza ya ba rwiyemezamirimo mu bihe bya COVID-19 kizanyura mu kiganiro cya Ubyumva ute cya KT Radio kizatambuka kuwa 18 Ukwakira 2021. Icyo kiganiro kizahuza inzobere mu bijyanye n’imitekereze zizaba ziganira na ba rwiyemezamirimo bahuye n’ingorane nyinshi mwahuye nazo. Ikiganiro kizanyura kuri radiyo kizakurikirwa n’ibiganiro bibiri bizakorwa hifashishijwe ikoranabuhanga n’ibiganiro na ba rwiyemezamirimo n’inzobere bizibanda ku mibereho myiza mu byiciro binyuranye by’abantu birimo urubyiruko, abagore, abacuruzi bagitangira, n’ibigo by’ubucuruzi bikomeye ku buryo buri wese ashobora kuzagira icyo akuramo.
Ibimenyetso byerekana ko imibereho myiza igira uruhare mu gufata ibyemezo neza, mu gukemura ibibazo, no mu guhanga udushya; ibyo byose bikagira ingaruka ku musaruro wa nyir’ikigo cy’ubucuruzi. Tugane rero ubu dutangije igikorwa cyiza cyo gushyigikira imbereho myiza ya ba rwiyemezamirimo!
In need of investment? Here are tips on how to make your business attractive to access the finance you need to grow.
In need of investment? Here are tips on how to make your business attractive to access the finance you need to grow.
Building a successful business from scratch can be challenging. It takes a lot of effort, resilience, and time to move from the idea stage to operating a fully established business. One of the most demanding phases of running a business is when an entrepreneur wants to begin scaling up – and a primary challenge here is financial, having the needed funds. One of the ways to access funding is through investors, and to do this, businesses must demonstrate strong potential. Here are tips on how businesses can do this to be better positioned to attract investment.
- Have clear business goals.
Investors are always interested in what your business will bring to the world and how it generates cash flow. Before appearing in front of investors, ask yourself why your business exists and what purpose it serves. As a business owner, you should be able to summarize this in a couple of sentences and express it clearly to your potential investors. Additionally, present a clear plan on how your business will generate cashflow as money is at the heart of every investment.
- Prioritize and focus on critical business operations.
As a start-up, your business’s success depends on so much more than your big idea. Create a strict priority list to help you determine how you spend key resources such as time and money. This will allow you to focus your attention on important operations so that you can later focus on lower priority operations. Investors are more often interested in entrepreneurs who demonstrate the ability to focus on the most critical aspects of their business.
- Put end users of your product or service first.
Every business’s success depends on its customers. Investors are interested in businesses that can show that they understand their target market and customers. Consider doing a market study to understand pain points, preferences, pricing from competitors, and buying patterns of target customers. This will enable you to create a tailored product or service that will meet customer needs.
- Celebrate the wins, but always keep your eye toward the future.
As a business grows, it is worth keeping in mind that it needs constant nurturing to scale up. Use customer feedback to refine your offers and look for alternative ways to grow. Investigate other markets, competitors, and new customer segments you can tap into. This will enable you to stay competitive, making your business attractive for investment.
- Build a good team for your business.
One of the traits of an investment-worthy business is a good team and the business’s ability to retain it. Investors will examine not just your offer and business model but also the effectiveness of those employed by your business. Investors are more drawn to businesses with good teams because it breeds confidence that you will make good returns for them.
- Choose investors carefully.
Assess your potential investors before approaching them for funding. It is as critical for the entrepreneur to choose the right investor as it is for the investor to select the right entrepreneur. Therefore, determine whether the investor is the right fit and can add value to your business. To assess your investor, consider looking at things like their network and other businesses they are investing in. Additionally, ask your potential investor about their expectations and how they plan to add value to your business.
Establishing your business as an investment-worthy venture can help you access needed funding to scale up your business. Consider implementing these tips, and feel free to share with us any additional tips you think can be helpful via this email: musa.kacheche@consumercentrix.ch.
The SME Response Clinic is pleased to announce Building Back Healthier, a series on wellbeing for entrepreneurs.
The SME Response Clinic is pleased to announce Building Back Healthier, a series on wellbeing for entrepreneurs.
Since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have all faced challenges in our day to day lives. For entrepreneurs, the impacts have been two-fold, affecting businesses as well as personal lives. At the SME Response Clinic, we understand that while Rwanda has allowed businesses to reopen at full capacity and the country has been rolling out vaccines, circumstances are still far from “business as usual.”
The SME Response Clinic acknowledges your resilience in managing your business in the face of the challenges posed by the pandemic, and we would like to support you as you build back better. With that in mind, we’re pleased to introduce the Building Back Healthier Series, a series of radio shows, webinars, interviews, and articles to help you as a business owner and as an individual.
The series will launch with a radio show featuring the topic Building Back Healthier: Supporting Entrepreneurs’ Wellbeing during COVID-19 on 18th October 2021 at 7 pm on KT Radio’s Ubyumva Ute program. It will feature expert psychologists in conversation with entrepreneurs who have faced many of the challenges you have faced. The radio show will be followed by two webinars and interviews with entrepreneurs and experts focused on wellbeing from across different segments, including youth, women, start-ups, and established businesses, so that there is something for everyone.
Evidence shows that positive wellbeing contributes to better decision-making, problem-solving, and innovation, all of which impact a business owner’s bottom line. So, join us as we launch this exciting initiative to support wellbeing for entrepreneurs!