Strive Masiyiwa is a notable reference when it comes to business wisdom. He is currently listed by Forbes, as the wealthiest man in Zimbabwe. As of 24 February this year he was actually listed as the 11th richest black person in the world. Thus, any other issues aside, Strive Masiyiwa is worth noting when exploring the world of entrepreneurship. There is always a lot to learn from what thought leader in a particular field says. Strive Masiyiwa is undoubtedly one of the most remarkable thought leaders in African entrepreneurship. In this article, I shall share 35 notable quotes by Strive Masiyiwa.
“After running my business for about four years using loans and supplier credit, I knew I needed to get equity capital, if I was to continue to growth and get to the next level.” – Strive Masiyiwa
“I also find it very difficult to work with people who are happy to be blissfully uninformed about what is going on, locally, nationally, and globally. Such people are actually dangerous to a business.” – Strive Masiyiwa
“The world is rapidly depending on numeracy as the basic skill now, because of computerization and now things like Artificial Intelligence (AI). The countries that are excelling, like China, India, Singapore, and South Korea, totally drive their education system on numeracy…” – Strive Masiyiwa
“It is not enough to articulate a great vision. You must articulate exactly how you are going to make it happen, including its financing.” – Strive Masiyiwa
“We have to get involved in the education of our children, beyond the school gate or the sports field.” – Strive Masiyiwa
“A successful business is not built simply because you got a license or tender. It is built by #People and #Processes.” – Strive Masiyiwa
“If you are not willing to learn, no one can help you. If you are determined to learn, no one can stop you!” – Strive Masiyiwa
“We have now reached the point where if a teacher has no access to a computer, we are being criminally negligent towards the future of our children, and with it, our nations!” – Strive Masiyiwa
“As parents, it is our job to inculcate the right value system into our kids, including about education, and its power.” – Strive Masiyiwa
“Corruption undermines the value to education to our kids.” – Strive Masiyiwa
“This is how you must react when faced with someone seeking a bribe, or something corrupt. It must invoke a deep sense of indignation, like someone is trying to defile you.” – Strive Masiyiwa
“If you cannot be faithful with solving a just a small problem, why should you be given a bigger challenge?” – Strive Masiyiwa
“No one can tackle everything at once. Focus. Decide. Say no if need be. Do not give up, unless you figure out that the road you are on really is a waste of time after all. In that case, dust yourself off. Move on. Time is precious.” – Strive Masiyiwa
“…you have to stop and ask yourself at least one core question (which at some points in your life could be harder to answer than at other times, is this decision in line with my values?” – Strive Masiyiwa
“Experience garnered over the last 32 years in business would lead me to recommend to you strongly not to engage in political financing.” – Strive Masiyiwa
“Family holidays are important, and it does not have to be overseas; just visit somewhere in your own country a few times a year.” – Strive Masiyiwa
“High performance requires great health and well-being!” – Strive Masiyiwa
“Not having enough, does not mean we have nothing! Extending the capacity of the little we have is real entrepreneurship.” – Strive Masiyiwa
“My fastest growing and most exciting businesses are all based on the ‘shared economy’ business model – they are disruptors of traditional business models.” – Strive Masiyiwa
“The ‘shared economy’ business model allows you to do smart things with very little capital.” – Strive Masiyiwa
“As an entrepreneur, you must also relish competition to make you better. You must never see your rivals in business as ‘enemies’ who must be stopped, hacked down, or even frustrated.” – Strive Masiyiwa
“The key business relationships around the world are brokered by banks. For instance, if I want to know someone in business, I call a banker.” – Strive Masiyiwa
“Make it your business to be constantly learning and paying attention to what is happening that could one day be very helpful to you.” – Strive Masiyiwa
“Being a good entrepreneur does not mean you have to own a business. Some of the most successful businesses in the world are run by entrepreneurs who do not own the business!” – Strive Masiyiwa
“We need entrepreneurs who can really study business models and understand how they make their money, to the extent that if they were asked to replicate them, it could be done successfully.” – Strive Masiyiwa
“When you have worked out exactly what you must do, and how you must do it, then focus on timing. Product, People, and Processes can build a big business, but Timing will decide whether you take off successfully or not.” – Strive Masiyiwa
“99 percent of the people who say they need capital, fail to impress potential investors or even bankers, simply because they speak with the language that suggests they will lose the money!” – Strive Masiyiwa
“It is virtually impossible to tackle unemployment if we cannot #Re-ImagineRural.” – Strive Masiyiwa
“We will never truly develop Africa until we can take entrepreneurship to these areas.” – Strive Masiyiwa
“Do not simply focus on what you yourself see as the need; also do your homework to understand the problem from many different angles. You do this by never stopping the process of listening and learning from others, including customers and other credible experts who you respect.” – Strive Masiyiwa
“Maintain your dignity and poise when provoked.” – Strive Masiyiwa
“Do not confuse investors with donors, who want to do something to help young people. A donor is a donor, and an investor is an investor.” – Strive Masiyiwa
“…if I were a young entrepreneur starting out in business now, I would seriously consider agriculture, and especially with the exciting new technologies emerging, I would look at what the experts now call the ‘agri-food’ sector.” – Strive Masiyiwa
“Unless you are holding an exclusive license or patent, be careful about talking carelessly to people, and writing about your idea openly.” – Strive Masiyiwa
