The Bad, Good, and the Ugly

Those who Venture into business swiftly discover that starting and running an enterprise is not the proverbial walk in the park.
Therefore, many drop out as quickly as they started.

The dropouts opt for a job and the convenience of paid employment free of the challenges entrepreneurs encounter daily.

Disruptions include dealing with unreliable employees, demanding suppliers and service providers, and bureaucratic funding institutions.

Additionally, there are customers with unreasonable demands, unhelpful government officials, and difficulties encountered while attempting to operate in a hostile environment.

Those are some of the bad things, but the good part of the story is the satisfaction entrepreneurs feel as they become aware that they are creating wealth and jobs in their respective communities – thus contributing to Namibia’s economy.

There is also the satisfying sense of being your own boss and not referring to an egotistical functionary who holds a managerial position at a company but has minimal, if any, leadership abilities.

Bosses do not have to constantly remind employees that they are the boss. This is something staff members already know from the day they join an enterprise.

The purpose of leadership in business is to make employees feel it is their business, that they are the boss of their own job, and that your role as the owner or manager of the enterprise is to provide leadership, support, guidance and mentoring.

For some employees, particularly those in the lower echelons, this is challenging to comprehend, so I have learnt early on my entrepreneurial journey that it is better to discard formalities such as hierarchical titles.

Rather promote the use of first names in and outside of the workplace and refer to employees as ‘colleagues’ and not ‘employees’.

It is remarkable to be an entrepreneur who owns a business, but there is also an ugly side, as I learned this week after hearing of the death of an entrepreneur who reportedly took his own life.

The young man demonstrated so much promise, certainly over the past years that his colleagues and I have had the opportunity to collaborate with him and assist him in establishing his business.

There are family, friends, colleagues, associates, connections, and others, including clients who are suffering in silence, and something must be done about it.

Many individuals have been affected by mental illness.
I don’t know what can or must be done, but what I do know is the feeling of sorrow when reading or hearing news reports of people taking their lives.

It is estimated that over a quarter of the nation’s population has experienced mental health issues at one time or another.
What is the reason for this figure being so astonishingly high?

Researchers contend that the main causes of mental illness in Namibia are socio-economic factors, the use of illicit drugs and alcohol, and chronic illness.

There may be other reasons.
The nation must move beyond hearing what research is revealing and find solutions to help those who are so obviously crying out, albeit in silence, for help.

• Danny Meyer is reachable at danny@smecompete.com

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