07 Sep 2014

Hard work, clear goals and vision as well as focus and determination are the basic fundamentals to starting a successful business.  

Mr Edward Totego (46) who hails from Tutume is critical of entrepreneurs who easily give up when their businesses are faced with challenges. Some people venture into businesses that only last for a year or two before they collapsed, he added.

He attributed that to failure to grasp and implement the basic nitty-gritties of a business that go hand in hand with self-motivation and good planning.

“The world of business can be incredibly a cut throat and difficult to break into, but you have to remain focused and have a clear vision as to where you are heading to,” said Mr Totego.

Nyanyu as he is affectionately known is a self-made entrepreneur who enjoyed a spectacular rise from humble beginnings. He owns and runs Shumba lodge in Tutume, which has 31 rooms.

Before venturing into the business world, Mr Totego worked for more than five years as a corporal at Botswana Defence Force. He said he felt he could do better in life as an entrepreneur than serving in the law enforcement area, hence his resignation in 1992. “After my resignation, I came straight home to venture into business world; I started off with a construction company and a retail shop. 

It was not easy but I kept it in my mind that tough times never last,” he said.
He also said determination and passion towards his business kept him going despite the challenges.

 Later on in 2007, he used the savings that he made from his other businesses to start Shumba lodge, which initially had 16 rooms, conference facilities and a restaurant.

Mr Totego said though he stated the lodge from his own savings, he said credit should be given to Local Enterprise Authority and other entities that help to empower local entrepreneurs. He said LEA mentored him, helped him brand his business and provided him with basic training on how to run and manage the business. Shumba lodge has grown and has rooms that range from standard to executive and all the rooms are fitted with necessities such as air condition, hot water, television and other necessities.

Narrating his story, the married father of five said he has not forgotten where he came from and all the difficulties he endured to finally have the four star lodge and all that keeps him grounded.

“There is no doubt the business is doing well as government departments and other non-governmental organisations in Tutume and other surrounding villages always book out the facilities at Shumba lodge for their workshops, meetings and seminars and villagers also book out the lodge for their social events,” he said.

Though the business is doing well, Mr Totego does not sit back and relax, he continues to implement strategies that can increase his customer database.

One of the strategies, he said was that all standard rooms that are rented for P450 during weekdays are discounted on weekends to P350 on weekends while the executive rooms that range from P700 are reduced to P500.

“Shumba Lodge is not all about making profits or making customers happy although these are some of its initial goals, it plays a major role in the growth of the economy through advancing the objectives of job creation and economic diversification,” he added.

Listening to his story one can figure out that it was sheer determination and hard work that drove him from obscurity to a better life. Ends