BARUA KWAKO MJASIRIAMALI UNAYEANZA
Salaam kwako, ni matumaini yangu kuwa Mwaka 2017 unaumaliza kwa kushukuru Mungu kwanza kwa uhai na afya uliyo nayo wewe, na uwapendao. Ni wengi walitarajia kufika, lakini mipango ya Mungu haina makosa. Nitaongea kama ninavyoongeaga na vijana wengi tukikutana kubadilishana mawazo..Nitaongea kama Sister Carol.
2017 umekua ni mwaka ambao personally nimesikia vilio vingi sana katika fani yangu ya ujasiriamali. Ingawa wengine wameweza kutafuta upenyo wa kubadilisha ‘challenge into opportunity’, wengi wameishia kufunga biashara, kubadilisha biashara, kurudi kuajiriwa kwa wale waliokua wamejiajiri na wengine kukata tamaa kabisa ya maisha.
Mzunguko wa fedha haupo kama ulivyo kua miaka 2 iliyopita, na kwa wasomi ni kitu kinachoeleweka kabisa lazima nchi ipitie mtikisiko kukiwa na major reforms kwenye sekta za biashara na uchumi. Nilisoma mwezi wa 9 au 10 kuwa zaidi ya biashara 7000 zimefungwa ndani ya mwaka mmoja. Nilijiuliza sana ‘what became of all those who depended on these businesses all the way down to the value chain?’.
Nilijifunza siku nyingi kuwa ukitaka biashara iwe sustainable, uongeze value kwa kushirikisha watu wengi zaidi kwenye chain. Kwa mfano, kwenye biashara ya matamasha ambayo wengi ndio mnanifahamu kupitia Nyama Choma Festival, tunajivunia kuwa sio tu ni biashara lakini tumeweza kuunganisha supply chain kutoka kwa mfugaji, mkulima, wauza nyanya na tangawizi sokoni, wafanya usafi, watu wa maturubai, viti, meza, vyombo vya usalama, vya afya..the list goes on.
Ndio maana jukumu la kuendesha hili tamasha ni kubwa mno na tunaamini kwa miaka 6 hatujaweza wenyewe bali kwa kudra za mwenyezi Mungu na neema zake pamoja na support kutoka kwa wananchi na wadau wetu.
Nakuandikia wewe mjasiriamali leo, ambae ulianza kama mimi, kwa juhudi na bidiii na mtaji wako MWENYEWE, no offence kwa wale ambao wamekua spoon fed, tena kuna ambao nawafahamu ‘wameboostiwa’ lakini mafanikio yao ni kutokana na juhudi walizoweka baada ya ‘kuboostiwa’. But I honestly have issues with arrogant condescending pompous people who did not knock down their own doors.
Nataka nikusisitizie kuwa haijalishi mara ngapi utaanguka, au nani alianza safari na wewe akakuacha au umepoteza mali ngapi, cha msingi ni nafsi yako inakwambia nini kuhusu dhamira yako. Dhamira yangu ni kufanya kazi kwa bidii, kuleta maendeleo kwa wanaonitegemea na wanaonizunguka. Huwa najitahidi kama nina furaha, basi wanaonizunguka wawe hivyo pia. This pushes me everyday, together with what I believe is my purpose, which is to aspire to inspire.
Sasa nikueleze tu tuliyopitia sisi kama Nyama Choma Festival mwaka huu, ujaribu kuona kama unaweza kupata inspiration au motivation kutokana na hili. Kujenga brand si jambo dogo, tumejitahidi, 7 years in 2018 ; we are beyond grateful for the run that we have had. We have seen the best and the worst. Kama nilivyosema, miaka 2 kidogo kama nchi (false modesty) tumetikisika kwenye mzunguko wa fedha, hata wadhamini nao mtikisiko umewaathiri. Haya makampuni ya bia na telecomms ambao ni big spenders kwenye sponsorship wamecut down sana marketing budgets zao.
So kwa mfano, TNCF ilikua inaendeshwa kwa 65% ya sponsorship fee na 35% ya makusanyo toka kwenye kiingilio getini. 2016/17 imekua ikiendeshwa na operating capital ya kampuni, na mwenye tamasha pamoja na 25% sponsorship fee na chochote kinachopatikana getini.
Kwa wachumi mtakua mmeelewa kabisa ilihitaji turnout kubwa kuwa na turnover kubwa. Haisadii pia kama brand umeijenga kwa standard fulani kwahiyo scaling back itaathiri quality of the event. 2016 kwanza tukasema kwasababu hali sio nzuri, tunapunguza Dar editions from 4 to 3 maana purchasing power ya watu pia imeshuka..ma-buckets na ma-ndafu hayanunuliwi kama yalivyokua yananunuliwa 2015.
Anyways, tulipitia changamoto nyingine ya crack down ya mamlaka ya kodi, si kwetu bali kwa washiriki wetu. Wengi wa washiriki wetu ni wajasiriamali wadogo au ndio wanajaribu, chochote wanachokipata pale ndio kinampa nguvu ya kwenda kufanya kikubwa zaidi. Utekelezaji wa makusanyo ikabidi wajasiriamali na wafanyabiashara wote nyama choma kuwa na mashine za EFD, failure of which walichukuliwa hatua kwa kupigwa fine. Hii iliwanyong’onyeza wajasiriamali wengi na tukapoteza wachoma nyama na washiriki wetu mashuhuri katika kushiriki tena kwa kuogopa fine maana ilikua sio kukosa mashine tu, hata kama unayo, umejisahau kutoa wakakukuta hata kwa mteja mmoja ilikua ni fine not less than 2.5 Mil TZS. Iliwaathiri pia sponsors ambao walikua wakishiriki wanauza na bidhaa zao pia so guaranteed return on investment.
So 2017 tukabadilisha ratiba na kufanya tamasha la kwanza Dar es Salaam 29th April..siku mvua KUBWA sana iliponyesha in years. Ile mvua ilikua historical, na Leaders Grounds bahati mbaya tulikua hatujashuhudia mvua ikinyesha kama maji yakijaa panakuwaje. It was horrible. Palifurika! First event of the year in Dar,( shimo lenu la hela) and this happens.
On top of that media partner wa kipindi hicho alituangusha ilikua tufanye media campaign kabambe lakini hadi Jumatano kabla ya event bado tulikua tunatafutana na MOU…labda promo zaidi ingesaidia.We were devastated. Not just because sisi kama sisi tulipata hasara ya 68 Mil+ ( mind you hamna sponsorship funds tunabeba budget wenyewe hapo na mdhamini mmoja mkubwa), but sababu hamna kitu huwa kinatuumiza kama mabanda ya nyama choma yakibaki na chakula. Kwetu sisi hapo ndio tunaona tumeshindwa kudeliver, even if the rain was out of our hands contrary to what people used to say about us eti tunastopisha mvua..smh.
Anyways, dusted ourselves off, head held high and marched on….so fast forward the next event in Dar..again ndio shimo letu hili. Tumepiga loss in April, we have 3 events to do before the Dar one..tulifanya..ila kwa mbinde. Ikaja ya Dar ya August, it wasn’t bad but it wasn’t good either, ndio sheria ya matamasha ilikua imeanza kutekelezwa, ikabidi tuzime mziki saa 7…tofauti na saa 8 au 9 tuliyokua tunaendaga.
Tukapiga moyo konde na kusema let's keep pushing, na tuwaze namna gani tunaweza endelea kwenye fani aidha kwa kuscale back au kucome up na njia nyingine ya kuwafikia wateja wetu. Tabata BBQ Fever was born, tukasema sasa tunafanya nyama choma kwenye vitongoji. Tukafanya matayarisho yetu ya Tabata, ingawa tulitapeliwa uwanja at first (si kwa hela), watu tuliokua tunaongea nao kumbe sio wamiliki na baada ya mmiliki kujua kidogo ikawa problem..lol..anyway tuliisort tukafanya set up Friday, Saturday event.
Come Saturday, event is ongoing..tukafuatwa tuzime mziki na kusambaratisha wanachi saa 4 usiku. Kibali chetu kilisema Saa 6 usiku ndio mwisho. Hapo tukawa tumeingia loss ingine, because kwa wale kwenye event business 2 hours is a lot and can give you 10 Mil Tzs easily. So hadi hapo ikawa ni loss after loss.
Bado tukaendelea kupiga moyo konde, tukapambana na za mkoani, Mwanza, Arusha, Dodoma huku tunaendelea kurecover loss na tuko na sponsor wetu yule yule mmoja maskini hajawahi kututupa #TeamGreen. Tukawa tunajipa matumaini Dar 2nd of December walau tutapumua. Uwanja wa Leaders ukapigwa marufuku one week before our event, with non refundable expenses amounting to 23 Mil TZS. Tulitoa tamko na kuwafahamisha wateja wetu, tukaomba sana ushirikiano kutoka kwa washiriki na wahudhuriaji maana kama nilivyosema, nyama choma sio ya waandaji tu, kuna wengi mno wanaotegemea jukwaa hili na ndio maana ilibidi tuappeal to the masses to save this.
Tanganyika packers was the only option lakini kama ilivyo desturi ya Watanzania, huwapeleki tu venue mpya, we saw this tulivyohamishwa toka UDSM to Leaders the first time. Tukajitahidi kufanya matayarisho lakini siku ya siku, masupppliers kutoka wenye mabati, mobile toilets, tents walituangusha MNO.
Washiriki wetu walijaribu kupambana na MVUA kubwa tu na hata baada ya kunyeshewa mkaa na nyama waliamka tena mvua ilivyokata na kuendelea. Kuna wateja walikuja mvua inanyesha wanatembea kwenye mvua kuja kutusupport. Kuna wajasiriamali wadogo walifanya wawezalo kutokana na mazingira ili biashara iendelee.
9 Dec jambo la msingi nililo kuwa najiambia ni ‘ I just want this night to end’. Everything was just going WRONG. Mziki ukazimwa na DJ aliyekua anatake over sababu aliingia kwenye mfarakano na walinzi katika kujitambulisha wakakosana lugha. IT WAS A HORRIBLE DAY. So another loss incurred, brand suffered. Kesho yake bado uamke uwaze ‘what is the next step?’.
Nimetumia wiki moja kukaa na kupanga tena mawazo na ARI maana yataka ARI kuendelea. Bado naendelea kujipanga na team, lakini ninalofahamu ni QUITTING is NOT an option. Leo nimeamka, mdhamini wetu #TeamGreen amepledge tena for 2018, lakini yabidi kukaa chini na re-strategize. At least thats good news and we are hopeful. I want to insist on these things, choose your partners wisely..kuna ambao tuliwategemea lakini wametuangusha vibaya mno. Some support systems are just there for material things and when you have something, We are not friend-less for no reason. You might have better luck than some of us. If you are a woman, Some support systems because of their sexism and male chauvinistic behaviours will turn on you when you don’t agree with their shenanigans or do not accept defeat..they will even go to the length of tarnishing your brand and when they fail claim you did not ‘appreciate’ them hence the retaliation. The other is resilience to keep going..kama hujazungukwa na ambao wanakwambia ‘unaweza’ inabidi ujiambie mwenyewe.
Some will just want to watch you drown because you were a good swimmer, so ‘kama alikua anajua kuogelea mbona leo anazama’ kind of mentality.
This happened to us 6 years down the line, and we were broken. You will fall, you will rise but you cannot STOP. Kama wewe unasoma hii sasa hivi na ulikua ndio kwanza unaanza au umekutana na misuko suko please, first know your purpose. My purpose is to use what I have to uplift others, and because of that I keep going…no matter what you throw at me, I will stand up and keep walking. GOD gave me a bullet proof vest that only HE can penetrate. Find your purpose and let it drive you! let it be the reason for you to keep going everyday no matter what.
Sympathy? why not for those filled with compassion and empathy will reciprocate. Only the evil spirited will mock. Tunaonewa? Hell YES! Walk in our shoes and tell us that is not true. It doesn’t stop us though! We keep pushing! Against all odds! Nilienda kuappeal decision ya leaders nikawa rejected na kuishia kuzimia mbele za watu..did I stop? No! Niliomba nionewe huruma? NDIO! Sababu this is bigger than me…way bigger.
I take my failures in what I do seriously because if I fail..Aunt Asia na Muhsin wa mabati amefeli, if I fail, Imani wa tents amefeli, If I fail, Abraham wa sound system amefeli, if I fail, G4S, JKT SUMA, POLICE wamefeli, if I fail, Aggreko amefeli, if I fail, Mabanda ya Nyama Zaidi ya 10 na wafanyakazi sio chini ya 7 wanaotegemea kipato hicho wamefeli, if I fail wote waliowauzia chochote hawa mabanda na hawakumaliziwa hela zao wamefeli, if I fail, watoa huduma wote wamefeli, if I fail, mamlaka ya kodi imefeli, if I fail my team imefeli, if I fail my family, my two beautiful daughters wamefeli, if I fail, my country has failed. I CANNOT AFFORD TO FAIL, and when I do, I CANNOT NOT TRY AGAIN. That is my purpose. All the best with yours!
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