Zed Finance Analyst

𝕆𝕡𝕡𝕠𝕣𝕥𝕦𝕟𝕚𝕥𝕪 𝔸𝕝𝕖𝕣𝕥 - 𝕋𝕖𝕒𝕔𝕙𝟜𝕊𝔻𝔾𝕤 ℂ𝕠𝕙𝕠𝕣𝕥 𝟜

The goal of Teach4SDGs is to equip primary and secondary teachers with the resources needed to educate the next generation to achieve a sustainable future. The project will provide teachers with the knowledge, skills, and tools needed to effectively teach their students about the SDGs, and support the integration of the SDGs into the existing curriculum. By integrating SDG-based education into the curriculum, the project aims to promote sustainable development, increase awareness, and encourage action toward achieving the SDGs.

Read more and apply through the link in the comments...>>>

𝐎𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐀𝐥𝐞𝐫𝐭!
(Link in the Comments)

𝐁𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐃𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐬 𝐀𝐜𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐲: 𝐀𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐦 𝐃𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 - 𝐉𝐚𝐧𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐲 𝟖, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟒

BDA is a 10-month virtual fellowship starting on February 9, 2024. This program aims to address the underrepresentation of Black employees in the Public Sector and Global Diplomacy Careers by providing Black Youth Ages 18-35 with specialized training and learning opportunities.

𝐄𝐥𝐢𝐠𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲:

- Currently attending or recently graduated (within 24 months) from a College/University program
- Identify as Black/African descent
- Interest in Diplomatic and Public Sector Careers
- Available to participate in 4 hours of online module delivery/week.

𝐎𝐛𝐣𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐃𝐀 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐠𝐫𝐚𝐦:

- Prepare participants to interface with regional, national, and global policy issues ranging from sustainable employment and future work in the digital age.
- Program delivery in collaboration with national and international partners.
- An opportunity to explore different career paths, and gain valuable insights, coaching, and mentorship.

𝐋𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟑 𝐟𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐫...

My major focus in the previous quarter was 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐃𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐒𝐌𝐄𝐬.

I acquired important knowledge and skills in developing successful strategies for SMEs across different sectors. The past 3 months exposed me to various challenges faced by SMEs and I worked tirelessly around developing sustainable solutions.

We have high-potential SMEs in Africa that can change the face of international trade and increase income generation across borders. These are businesses with innovative solutions to the current global challenges coupled with high social impact.

I would highly advise different financial institutions to develop financing packages that best fit these low-risk and scalable SMEs to build economies across the continent. With the little time left for the 2030 SDGs, partnership for the goals is the best way to go.

Financial institutions can develop packages suited for businesses falling under different categories such as; 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧-𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐝, 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫-𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐝, 𝐰𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧-𝐨𝐰𝐧𝐞𝐝, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐭𝐡-𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬, and many others.

With increasing talks on the 𝐀𝐟𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐥 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞 𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐚 (𝐀𝐟𝐂𝐅𝐓𝐀), investors and financial institutions should seek profitable ways of being the early beneficiaries of the AfCFTA through impact financing for SMEs.

Let us find ways of supporting incubator programs around the region to ensure we build resilient businesses across the continent. We can build today's SMEs into tomorrow's corporate firms.

I am calling on entrepreneurs around the continent to join me in lobbying for 𝐰𝐢𝐧-𝐰𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 across the continent to build innovative businesses in Africa.

#𝒔𝒖𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 #𝑺𝑴𝑬𝒔 #𝑺𝑫𝑮𝒔 #𝒗𝒊𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏2030

Understanding Revenue and Revenue Models

Do you want to increase your revenue generation as a business? Yes! Who even asks such a question? Oops, I just did maybe you are a not-for-profit entity.

Sorry back to business 😁

Do you want to know why I am asking such a laughable question?

Good, you are still reading. Grab a glass of water and enjoy this short reading that will improve your business revenue generation and finance management.

First let's understand the meaning of business, revenue, and a revenue model.

1. A business is an individual or institution that offers a product or service to its market (customers) at a fee to cover the cost of producing/offering the product or service plus an appreciation amount to the owners called a profit.
2. Revenue is the fee charged per unit in 1 above.
3. A revenue model simply is an explanation of how you intend to achieve 2. Excellent you are a good reader, Yes a revenue model is simply a pattern that dictates how you earn revenues from your customers.

Take a sip as we introduce Hilton Garden Inn Lusaka a business hotel in the heart of Lusaka City. Thank you for saving me the time to explain what a hotel does, you are indeed a genius reader.

Let's assume you are planning a business trip to Lusaka to meet up with potential partners you objectively need on board for your business to reach its full potential (more revenue or profit). You decide to book two nights at the Hotel since it's within the Lusaka Central Business District offering convenience and flexibility to have meetings with potential business partners.

You look at the cost per night and you are wondering why the hotel is charging you that amount. Let's understand why from the hotel's perspective.

For the hotel to deliver that comfort and productive stay in their prestigious and adorable rooms, they incur costs. These costs include direct and indirect costs which might take some time to ascertain.

The hotel has to come up with a model for how they earn revenues to cover the costs of maintaining such a beautiful home away from home. They charge you a fee for every night you spend at the hotel. The fees mostly likely depend on the room type booked and other add-on services.

The plan for coming up with a fee for each type of room and how to ensure that customers pay for this is what is referred to as the revenue model.

As a business, you need to understand the product or service you offer and ask yourself if you would pay for such a service if you were the customer and how you would be willing to pay for it. Do not confuse the revenue model with setting prices (chat for another day).

Customers will pay extra for extra satisfaction offered, the opposite is true. No one is willing to pay extra for an inferior (offering lower satisfaction) product.

The next post will detail how to set prices as a business and the methods used to arrive at prices.

Business Entity Concept
This concept simply considers a business entity separate from its owners. Do you ever wonder why such a concept was introduced?

Let's break this down into a delicious healthy breakfast on a Wednesday morning.

Let's take for example Esther Phiri an experienced Sales and Marketing + Personal Development personnel. Esther has 3 sources of income as highlighted below;
1. Income from employment
2. Income from business (entrepreneurship)
3. Income from any other side hustles like part-time marketing, or public speaking events.

Esther holds a current account with Zanaco. She receives her emoluments (salary) from employment through this account. The account is also used for her business transactions.

Last time Esther was invited to give a motivational talk to young people by an NGO at an event held in Lusaka. She received payment from the NGO through this same account as always.

Esther has been complaining of not knowing why she isn't making progress despite having multiple streams of income. Her business' records are hard to track as everything goes through one account.

There is no witchcraft or bad luck here, only mismanagement of funds at play. This is the toughest thing for most entrepreneurs to do, "separating their personal lives from their businesses."

Your business should be treated as an individual on its own, do not mix your personal transactions with your business' transactions. This makes it difficult to track your business transactions for financial or taxation results.

Separating yourself from your business is the best thing you can do as it will give you an objective look into how your business is doing and how you are doing as an individual. It will help you understand the financial performance of your business in terms of income being generated and your financial position at a point in time.

Open a separate business account to ensure you avoid mixing your individual transactions with the business transactions. Add some signatories to the account to ensure no one person as the authority to transact without approval from other business units. No business is too small to run professionally. This will also help you to run better audits (independent examination of financial accounts for your business).

To become a giant you must start thinking like a giant and acting like a giant.

Hope this piece will help you realign your business ventures and assist you to properly manage your finances.

Happy Friday, finance enthusiasts! Today we're taking a closer look at the investment opportunities in Zambia. Here are just a few of the reasons why you should consider investing in this vibrant African country:
Strategic location: Zambia is strategically located in the heart of Southern Africa, making it a hub for trade and investment in the region. It is bordered by eight countries, which makes it an ideal location for businesses looking to expand their reach.
Abundant natural resources: Zambia is rich in natural resources, including copper, cobalt, gold, and other minerals. It also has vast agricultural potential, with fertile soil and a favorable climate for crops.
Growing economy: Zambia's economy has been growing steadily over the past decade, with an average growth rate of around 4%. The government has implemented policies to attract foreign investment and promote economic diversification.
Supportive business environment: Zambia is committed to creating a business-friendly environment, with policies and incentives in place to encourage investment. The government has also made significant investments in infrastructure, such as roads and electricity, to support businesses.
Get yourself some good coffee with Nestlé

Investing 001
Investing is essentially putting your money to work in order to make more money. There are many ways to invest, but the most common ways are to buy stocks, bonds, real estate, or mutual funds.
When you invest, you're buying an asset with the hope that it will increase in value over time. For example, if you buy a stock, you're buying a small piece of ownership in a company. If the company performs well and its stock price goes up, your investment will increase in value.
Investing is not a get-rich-quick scheme, and it involves some level of risk. There is always the possibility that your investment could lose value instead of gaining it. However, over the long-term, investing has historically provided higher returns than keeping your money in a savings account or other low-risk investments.
To start investing, you'll need to determine your investment goals and risk tolerance. If you're new to investing, it's always a good idea to do your research and seek the advice of a financial advisor.
Remember, investing is a long-term game, and it's important to have patience and discipline when investing your hard-earned money. With the right approach, investing can help you achieve your financial goals and secure your financial future.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/hi-john-help-me-understand-investing-john-lukwesa

Minister of Finance Dr. Situmbeko Musokotwane says the continued poor performance of Zambia’s local currency is attributed to protracted debt restructuring talks.

The Kwacha has continued on a downward streak, reaching worrisome lows of K20.5/US$1 in March 2023.

Read more here: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/susiku-i-nasinda_protracted-debt-restructuring-putting-pressure-activity-7042264844179226624-gy96?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

Happy weekend, finance enthusiasts! It's the perfect time to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the week and reflect on your financial goals. Here are three tips to help you get started:

Set a budget: If you haven't already, create a budget for yourself and stick to it. Knowing exactly how much money you have coming in and going out each month can help you make better financial decisions and stay on track towards your goals.

Review your investments: Take some time to review your investments and make sure they align with your financial goals. Are there any adjustments you need to make to your portfolio? Are there any new investment opportunities you should consider?

Plan for the future: It's never too early to start planning for your future. Whether you're saving for retirement or a big purchase, make a plan and stick to it. Remember, small steps can lead to big results over time.

Have a great weekend, and happy investing!

Welcome to Zed Finance Analyst,
This page brings to you free information on sound financial education and analysis of the most trends,
If your goal is wealth, then do not hesitate to follow this page and to turn on notifications.