Miyanda Maimbo Kitawa on Facing Challenges (Wisdom from Africa’s Successful Women Entrepreneurs)

Although gender equality is on the rise in Africa, there are more potential challenges for women entrepreneurs than there are for men. However, it isn’t unusual for successful women in business to attribute their successes to the challenges that they’ve faced.

In this post, I share the wisdom of Miyanda Maimbo Kitawa, who set up the first human resources company in Zambia at a time when HR businesses didn’t exist there. As you’ll see, her story contains many lessons for women who are facing the challenges of entrepreneurship, especially those who are just starting out.

A tough start doesn’t mean you won’t succeed: When Miyanda Maimbo Katiwa drove to Zambia to start her human resources company, she had only a little money to split between her living expenses and what was needed to launch her venture. Having quit her job and been told by her boss that it was impossible for someone without prior experience to succeed in such a business, she knew she was taking a huge risk. “Trust me,” she explained in an interview with Faith Musonda in Beyond Limits, “what was going through my mind had nothing to do with excitement. There was … a lot of fear of the unknown.”

She spent her first few weeks sleeping on the floor of a rented room that had no bed and only cold running water. “I ate bread the whole week,” she said, adding that she was always the first to turn up at the internet café where she typed her proposals.

But it seemed like the money would never come. “I spoke to people who told me [such a business] wouldn’t work in this environment,” Maimbo Kitawa said. “But I pounded the streets every day. I would open the directory and get phone numbers of companies … because I knew that there was a need in the market.” By believing that her lucky break was coming, she managed to continue with her hard work.

Let your passion drive you through the difficult times: During her first tough months, Miyanda Maimbo Kitawa drew great strength from the passion that had driven her to start her business. She wanted to help people who were looking for jobs in Zambia, but were struggling. She wanted to be their bridge to potential employers, and she let this passion carry her to success. But she was still sleeping in that small room with no bed or hot water. She’d tell herself, “Just wake up one more time. The break is coming.”

Learn from your mistakes, even the early ones: Miyanda Maimbo Kitawa learned powerful lessons from “hitting the streets” every day. “One of the things I tell people is, when you open your mouth, how credible are you?” Without strong credentials and a wide-spreading network, Maimbo Kitawa learned that going in strong and claiming to be “a consultant” wasn’t necessarily going to get her good results. So she learned how to speak on her own behalf in a way that would reach the clients she needed. And it worked.

            Even as her business began to grow, however, she had to remember to carry on learning. “If a client says no to you, find out why,” she said in the interview, highlighting how a seeming failure can become a strength if you learn from it. “Every time you think you have taken twenty steps ahead,” said Maimbo Kitawa, “something happens and you have taken 40 steps backwards.” All the same, she kept moving forward. “We never lost focus,” she explained.

When you think all is lost, concentrate on service: Years later, in July of 2007, Miyanda Maimbo Kitawa arrived home to find her house had burned to the ground. All she had left was herself and her car. All the same, she had a meeting scheduled: “I said to myself, ‘I have a commitment to my client.’” Even though this was the point where she thought, “This is it. I’m not going to try anymore,” her commitment to serving others was what helped her to rise again. She used the little money she had in her account to buy a set of clean clothes and enough gas for the journey. Then she set off, focused on serving her client, and had a successful interview.

She never looked back.

These days, serial entrepreneur Miyanda Maimbo Kitawa continues to run her successful company ProSoft, and is also a coach and trainer. I hope her story provides women entrepreneurs in Africa with hope, determination, and courage. With perseverance, you can overcome your challenges, even after a difficult start. 

Want to find out more? I recommend you watch the full Beyond Limits interview with Faith Musonda, read more of Miyanda Maimbo Kitawa’s advice at Manic, and visit her website. 

--Chimuka Moore