Combine your baking and creative skills with a cake design service, from a shop, unit and/or the net. A cakes by post delivery service and getting into the lucrative wedding market could make you good money. Remember exceptional customer service is they key to success rather than a necessary evil; existing happy customers will provide you with new ones.

If your hobbies include art or photography, design and sell personalised calendars and calendars to order. Constantly seek customer feedback so your business evolves with their needs. Attention to detail makes a big difference to customer satisfaction. Separate your personal and business accounts to save time and money and to protect your personal assets.

Offer a calligraphy service to wedding planners and individuals. It's so important to return phone calls promptly and to keep both promises and commitments; this way, your reputation for reliability builds over time

If you own or rent suitable land at home or abroad, set up a caravan/camping site. Successful managers place great value on developing lifetime relationships with their customers, who will come year after year. Tourism is such a competitive area and they are aware that their customers have so much choice that their loyalty cannot be taken for granted. Maybe combine with caravan hire/sales/storage.

Making candles can be a fun hobby, and why not sell your designs? Always try to "go the extra mile" when providing service and turn your customers into fans, so not only do you keep existing customers, but they recommend you to many others.

If you're a great organiser and communicator, running car boot sales and collector's fairs could provide a healthy regular income, especially as more people are struggling with the credit crunch these days and want cut price bargains. Be prepared for quiet business at first, building as your presence grows. Many cash strapped schools, sports organisations and businesses will hire you land or take a commission. Always take the time to check out what your customer expects and tailor to those expectations.

Use your mechanical expertise to set up a vehicle search/check/delivery service on a commission. Again, in these economically hard times, people are increasingly looking for bargains but don't necessarily have the knowledge - which is where you come in. Consistently research how your customers perceive your image and work on giving them what they expect. Word of mouth will provide you with many referrals if you deliver exceptional service.

Set up as a personal organiser, offering a range of tailored services; for example a diaried card mailing service, present buying, party organising, grocery shopping, wardrobe and interior design. Knowing more about your customer's needs and expectations will allow you to customize the service you provide, using your customer service feedback system

You will need a sophisticated-looking website for this idea, with its appearance involving psychological insight into the colours and designs that will attract your very specific audience.

With a professional counselling, alternative therapy, or hypnotherapy service, assuming you are qualified, it's the personal touch that really makes the difference. Stay in contact and keep good records of meetings and phone calls. Record all relevant information. Track important contact dates such as client reviews and birthdays. Keep in touch, if the client is amenable, by emailing articles or information of interest, or set up your own ezine/newsletter.

Invest in professional equipment and set up a carpet/rug/upholstery cleaning business.

Build long term relationships with a friendly and reliable service, or you leave the door open for your competitors.

If you cook, why not sell your lovely cakes, biscuits, pies and so on to friends and family, and on stalls at fairs. Taking a risk with a new venture is always a big step, but the rewards of setting up a small business can change your life forever.

Set yourself up as a party organizer. Local pubs and bars might let you arrange barbeque parties, for example, on their premises for a commission. Imagine working hours to suit and the opportunity to organize your own timetable.

Offer your services as a babysitter, childminder, or set up an agency. Success however needs a firm foundation, so before you work with children, make sure you've obtained a criminal records certificate. Some kinds of business, such as child minders, require that you hold a local authority license.

If you know the music scene, promote or manage local bands, organizing gigs at local bars and clubs. Set out exactly what you want to do, who your target customers and competitors are, how you'll promote your clients.

If you're creative, make money designing your own beads and jewellery - sell on stalls, and the net. Research what your competitors call themselves and think up something better. Design your own belts, bags and accessories or import, and sell at fairs, and through your website. Consider renting your own premises. Escaping your tired old day job and finding your own perfect premises is half the fun of setting up a new business on your own.

Use your beauty skills top set up a training school, with courses for both professionals and amateurs. Check if you need certain qualifications to trade. Also design and market your own beauty products and offer services through a variety of outlets. Be aware many businesses and self-employed professionals these days need to be able to show that they have insurance, so check your options.

Pay those mounting bills by offering accommodation in your home, either by letting a room or attract tourists with bed and breakfast. Depending on the range of services you offer, you should consider taking out public liability insurance and professional indemnity insurance.

Sell the produce you make from soft fruits collected wild and fresh fruit and vegetables off your allotment. If you're working from home, such as cooking for profit, you may need to pay business rates and to obtain planning permission from your local authority, especially if clients or employees will be visiting the property.

Look for premises somewhere that you can afford for a bicycle repair/dealership and turn your hobby into an income. Stay close to your customer base and make sure you comply with all the relevant health and safety regulations.

These tips will help would be entrepreneurs on how they can go about choosing and starting a business.

• Choose a business that is right for you,i.e the one that you are mist comfortable with, you should take a good look at various business opportunities around you and select the one that is appealing to you based on your hobbies and interests. You can start by listing up to about 20 different business lines, and then choose the one you are okay with bases on your interests.
• Secondly, decide on the business model you want to adopt in your business, this may range from franchising, distributorship, retailing, service provider, or even home based worker. This will be determined by the scope and type of service /product you want to offer.
• Research the availability of market for your product or service, or if there is no large market, can you create a market? Who will need your service? How do you get to them? Who is currently involved in offering same services or product, how can you differentiate yourself? In case you decide to go the way of franchising or distributorship, you need to get as much accurate information as possible as regards the company you are joining, check the company's performance history, home office support, profitability, integrity and scope of their previous operations. Contact relevant organizations to seek information.
• After your research take time out to study the information you have and don't rush into the business
• Once a decision is taken regarding what you want to do plan the set up of your office, if it's a home based business, you must create a separate space for your business in your home, and put the necessary equipment in place. e.g. telephone,computer,fax,printer,minimum furniture etc
• Decide on which marketing technique you will adopt to reach your target audience
• Put in every effort to make you succeed but also know when to sign off, be disciplined, never forget the place of networking, get business cards, advertise advertise and advertise

The preparation for the establishment of any business will depend on the scope of such business and the product or service to be rendered but the few suggestions above plus a few others which will most likely be relevant to big businesses will go along way to assist the would be entrepreneur.

Other managers hire consultants; the hours or work and thousands of dollars spent on these consultants usually leads to few money-saving ideas but Tight-Fisted Managing is a collection of proven ideas, at a micro-fraction of the costs.

I have many other money saving ideas for business which I can forward periodically if this initial offering is successful.

Tight-Fisted Managing

If your company does not have a suggestion plan, it is losing out on important cost saving ideas.

Every day, workers come across easier, faster, and less expensive ways of doing their jobs. However, because the workers feel they gain nothing from helping make the company more efficient and profitable, they usually let the ideas die.

In offices and shops where suggestion plans are active, workers write down their often innovative ideas and methods and present them to management. If accepted, they are rewarded with cash bonuses or prizes.

It costs practically nothing to start a suggestion plan. Costs come later in the form of prizes for award winning suggestions, but the value of prizes or cash bonuses should not amount to more than 10 per cent of your total savings in the first year. That leaves you with 90 per cent of the savings in the first year, and 100 per cent in every year thereafter.

Following Up Winning Suggestions

Prize winning suggestions are being left to die in many large companies across North America.

The apathetic disregard for accepted ideas usually develops after the suggester is awarded a percentage of the estimated savings. The suggester, for example, claims that the purchase of a certain gadget will save x dollars annually. The investigator agrees with the projection and a monetary award is presented to the suggester.

The problem arises when the gadget is not purchased nor acquired in insufficient quantities to achieve the projected savings, or bought on a one time only basis. Suggestion plan administrators rarely follow-up on the accepted ideas, and thus the award winning suggestions become victims of apathy.

The suggestion plan department should be organized so that the plan administrator sees that all suggestions are acted upon. He should receive periodic reports on the progress of each accepted suggestion until he is assured the ideas have achieved their full potential. He should also review his files and enquire about past award winning suggestions to ensure they did not die prematurely. Without this type of back-checking, savings through new ideas are limited and the time and money used by the company to look into new money-saving methods are wasted.

Re-Evaluating Old Suggestions

If your suggestion plan has been in operation for several years, you have a potential gold mine waiting to be explored. Many ideas deemed impractical at the time of submission may be potential money savers.

Ideas which seemed to be nonsense to suggestion plan investigators five years ago, may merit re-consideration. It is highly possible that some suggestions were rejected solely on the basis of emotional reaction.

In order to capitalize on the dead suggestion file, you should select a group of knowledgeable people and have them investigate the defunct suggestions. They should re-evaluate each one in an objective manner. However fruitless some ideas may appear, discussing them can stimulate others.

$10,000 Ice Cube

A Houston factory solved a serious supply problem for the cost of an ice cube, instead of tens of thousands of dollars, because it encouraged employees to submit ideas.

The factory was making storage tanks with material it received from across the U.S.A. One material was a special plastic that had to stay frozen until it was treated during the manufacturing of the storage tanks. Otherwise the tanks made from it would fall apart.

Engineers and chemists proposed complicated and expensive tests to check whether defrosting of the material had occurred in transit.

A factory worker suggested instead to stick an ice cube in a sealed plastic envelope and to attach it to the frozen material at the point of origin. If the ice cube melted, then the material would obviously have defrosted.

Miniature Bottles for $625,000 in Savings

Changing miniature liquor bottles from glass to plastic could certainly have been the last place anyone would look to try and save on fuel costs. First, one would ask what rapport is there between fuel costs and a glass liquor bottle. Second, comparing the size of a miniature liquor bottle to the size of a jumbo jet, who would even bother?

Well, the new idea managers at British Airways have realized that no matter how small an idea appears, do not bury it. It could be the million dollar idea you have been looking for.

British Airways estimated that by switching from glass miniature liquor bottles to plastic bottles, the airline saved $625,000 in 1984.

British Airways said the minor change saved the airline about $25,000 per year in fuel costs alone for each of its 26 jumbo jets used on transatlantic flights. The miniature plastic bottles weigh only nine grams each, or 600 per cent less than a typical 63-gram miniature glass bottle. On a normal flight, 1,000 miniature bottles of liquor are on board. The plane is therefore 54 kg lighter.

$240,000 for Ditching Wine Bottles

Air Canada says it can save as much as $240,000 a year by ditching the empty wine bottles from its planes at foreign airports instead of hauling them back to Canada to be disposed off. The airline, which has been searching for innovative ways to save money, estimates that as many as 40 bottles of wine are consumed by passengers on some of its flights. Including carts, that translates into several kilograms per aircraft, the airline said recently in an employee bulletin.

An idea also being considered by airlines is to reduce weight by stripping paint off some of the planes in order to reduce consumption of pricey fuel.

Data Protection

Don't leave your company secrets in the trash

Whether you're recycling, selling, or trashing your computer you may be sending it out the door with a wealth of sensitive information onboard. A small business computer can be positively dripping with juicy information. A client database is loaded with personal information, and your e-mail inbox and outbox may also be filled with confidential information, passwords and other things that could compromise your security or the security of your clients. Obviously, you wouldn't just go and give this information away to random people on the street, so why would you just give it away with your old computer?

All it takes for identity theft to occur is name, address and date of birth, Credit card numbers and banking records are like gold for the crooks.

You should treat computer hard drives the same way you would paper files."

If you leave a client database on your machine and someone is able to use it for illegitimate purposes, you may be held partially or fully liable. If you end up the victim of data theft it could come back to compromise your company.

When "deleting" sensitive information, many people do just that: delete. But that's not good enough. Deleting data only removes the pointer to the information, not the information itself.

Data thieves are after client databases containing personal data, credit information, extended payment histories and the like.

It's worth remembering that no amount of hard-drive cleansing will protect your data if you treat your backups carelessly.

"If you're using CDs to back up your data, you should physically destroy those don't just chuck them in the garbage. If you have e-mail files on your hard drive, even on a backup disk, it's a wonderful way to learn a whole lot about you and your habits, who your friends are and who you deal with from a business perspective."

Physically damage the hard drive using either a hammer or a drill so it can never be reused. The drill and hammer is very effective."

It might sound excessively paranoid, but if a hard drive has been subjected to a few crushing blows from a hammer, there's no potential for data recovery at all.

Registered Mail Versus Special Delivery

If you want fast mail delivery do not use Registered mail. The service guarantees security not speed.

Registered mail safeguards the package consequently every transaction must be signed for and recorded. Sometimes the strict security measures delay the package to the point that delivery is is even slower than regular parcel post. For faster delivery use one of the special delivery services like express mail or priority mail. These packages marked special delivery always sit up front with the driver. No paperwork is required and unless specifically required no signatures are needed for delivery. This type of mail is delivered two to three times faster than registered and regular mail.

Picking Brains While Ripe

When an indispensable trouble shooter quits, retires, or dies, the loss is more than purely emotional. Often, because the boss failed to record his or her knowledge or procedures, there are devastating financial implications.

Certain employees excel in their work and many times prove to be indispensable. While these employees are in their prime and in a co-operative frame of mind, they should be invited to share their expertise with potential replacements.

The information these experts reveal should be stored on computer, and should become part of a master trouble shooting system that would allow anyone to type in questions and get answers. If the work involves repair operations, for instance, the employee performing and describing the operation could be videotaped.

Even while certain key men and women continue with your company, the recorded information could be excellent for training sessions and could become an integral element in controlling the costs of production planning.

Using Company Newspapers

Every time an employee learns a new skill, the company's stock goes up. You can force the stock up by persuading highly skilled individuals, through awards and incentives if necessary, to divulge techniques that would help other employees. One way of communicating the skills is through the company newspaper.

Company newspapers are expensive to produce and, judging by the general content of these newspapers - announcements and a few personal items - it is questionable whether the expense is warranted. Indeed, the same messages could be typewritten and handed to employees at considerably lower cost.

However, by featuring technical articles, originating from your key producers in the company newspaper, many employees would acquire skills that they would not have otherwise. Only then will the cost of publication be warranted.

Ideas Require Action

Only big ideas can save your company money, right? Wrong! Cost Saving ideas are everywhere. Most people just fail to cash in.

Take, for example, the September 1984 case of a terminally ill cancer patient living in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. He advertised that, when he died, he would deliver messages to dead friends or relatives of anyone who would pay $20 for the service.

To everyone's surprise, he made a small fortune before he died. He was swamped with calls from every part of the U.S. He even received calls from as far away as England and Australia.

ACTION! ACTION! ACTION! This is the key to saving money. And not one idea is worth a nickel without it.

Millions of terminally ill patients have probably had the same idea as the dying man above, but he is the only one to take the action. He has taught us that it is not the idea that makes a difference, but the energy and action of those who follow it up.

Sweeper Worthy of Respect

Several years back, in Montreal, Canada, a 26-wheel transporter entered Atwater Tunnel, an underpass connecting one of the major industrial sectors of the city to the heart of downtown. The transporter, travelling at 50 km/hr (30 miles/hr), jammed itself to a stop, against the concrete ceiling. Cranes and tow trucks, with steel cables, could not budge the truck loose, and engineers were contemplating cutting the roof from the truck.

A lowly street sweeper who witnessed the futile attempts yelled out, "Hey, why don't you let the air out of the tires:" Having very little choice, the tires were deflated and suddenly, enough clearance evolved to allow the truck to inch its way out of the tunnel.

The street sweeper went back to his work, picking the litter from the sides of the tunnel road.

And it happened again. In August 1984, a similar incident occurred on one of the major bridges leading into Montreal. A 50-ton transporter jammed itself under the steel girders. Unfortunately, there were no street sweepers around on this day.

Traffic was completely stopped for six hours while four engineers calculated a way of freeing the transporter.

A $1,000 an hour crane was called in to pull it loose.

Free Haircut

A young boy, accompanied by a man, entered a barber shop. The man instructed the boy to sit down and behave himself, while the barber proceeded to cut the man's hair, followed by a shampooing and shave. When finished, the man asked the barber to give the boy a haircut.

The man told the barber that he had to return to his car to feed the parking meter. The barber smiled and agreed and continued to clip the young boy's hair while waiting for the man to return.

The barber finished cutting the boys' hair and the man had still not returned. The barber turned to the boy and said jokingly, "Your father seems to have gotten lost:"

"My father?,” the boy answered. "He's not my father:" "If he's not your father, who is he then?"

"I don't know," said the boy. "He stopped me in the street and asked me if I wanted a free haircut"

Sex For Less

A couple, aged 69, went to the doctor's office. The doctor asked, "What can I do for you?" The man said, "Will you watch us have sexual intercourse?" The doctor looked puzzled but agreed. When the couple had finished the doctor said, "There is nothing wrong with the way you have intercourse;" and he charged them $15. This happened several weeks in a row. The couple would make an appointment, have intercourse, and pay the doctor and leave.

Finally the doctor asked, "Just exactly what are you trying to find out?”The old man said, "We're not trying to find out anything. She is married and we can't go to her house. I am married and we can't go to my house. Holiday Inn charges $160, Hilton charges $155. We do it here for $15, and I get $12 back from Medicare for a visit to the doctor's office:'

1. Decide your passion first, and pray or meditate once you think you have the perfect idea. This will give added clarity, so you are not just going with a whim.
2. Listen to your environment, and see what the markets say. If your idea is nice to you, but there is not a market, change it. You may not want to be a maverick at the moment.
3. Make sure that the business is not illegal, or prohibited in your area. Check with the local zoning department.
4. Network to see what kind of feedback you receive from the idea before starting. Perhaps, ask people already in the industry. Check with the local chamber of commerce and other events.
5. Take this information and start a 1 page proposal that will be used to gather investors and indicate to you the direction of the business. It is a quick snapshot of the business and some banks prefer it over the business plan for loans. Try reading, The One Page Proposal by Patrick G. Riley for more information.
6. Write the business plan, using some of the information from the proposal. It should be around 10 to 20 pages. Be sure to follow the format. To find more information about the format, read books like Business Plan in a Day by Rhonda Abrams. Remember business plans increase the success rate of new business, and investors look fondly upon them. Think of it as your guide to your home based business success.
7. After writing the business plan, get started with filing to operate by getting the Articles of Incorporation from the State, the EIN number from the IRS, and so on. These both can be done online relatively quickly in most cases.
8. Once all paperwork is completed, start marketing the business with ads and a Web site. The Web site should include a blog that features information about the industry. Use a free one from Microsoft or Google for starters, if something high tech is not required.
9. Use as many free marketing tools as possible, like Craigslist.org and Kijiji.com ads to get noticed.
10. Have fun and remember that it takes an average of 2 years to see profit, so prepare ahead to be financially stable during the beginning

Hopefully, these steps will allow some people to get started with their dream. In difficult economic times, it makes sense to have a home based business part time to create more security. Keep in mind over 100 Billion dollars of revenue came from home based business sector in 2006, according to Inc Magazine. Therefore, this is not a small sector and it is growing everyday. Take yourself to another level once you have strategically planned for it. Good luck with personal prosperity.

The term manure, from the Greek meaning to ensure against ruminants and bacteria in specialized nodes, was first used to describe the droppings of ravens and crows. The value of manure is well explored in Africa, where there is a risk of scarce firewood; thus the practices of burning Elephant dung for warmth. In many places poultry droppings are valuable fertilizers.

So much so, there are fairly strict rules concerning the destruction of dung in some agricultural regions. The truth is next to water, fecal matter is the most plentiful resource on earth. It can be found anywhere on earth even deserts where the soil has very little organic matter at all.

Along with the value of manure, the many associated dangers are also well documented. Many forms of composting manure are fairly combustible and dangerous and if you are not careful can spontaneously ignite. World wide fifty deaths a year are directly related to the mishandling of animal and human waste.

Dissolved and solid animal waste is composed of methane and nitrates making it a perfectly viable source of energy. It is not out of the range of possibility to one day power your car or even your entire home you're your own excess. Scientist in Japan are working to refine such a process. Although that idea has not been fully cultivated it is possible. Other scientists have already proven that using a plasma gasification method on methane and nitrate based solids will generate hydrogen, helium, and electricity. As well, this would lower atmospheric emissions and reduce the effects of global warming.

Spent hops left over from grazing-animal manure can make for a very interesting and satisfying beverage that can be sold in bars and taverns. Dealing with dung from pork factories, grazing cows, and chicken farms is also big business bringing in an estimated $1.5 trillion dollars a year in global financial impact. A reasonably intelligent manure enthusiast could easily become wealthy, so maybe we all would be wise to farm for feces. Proving once again that there is money to be made in anything. You just gotta know how to make it work.

This new drive has seen small to medium scale industries being created and run by ordinary Zimbabweans who previously did not dream of owning or running a business. While five years ago, people would jostle for jobs at factories in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe's second city and industrial hub, these days the slogan is: "Create your own job" and contribute to national development.

Government figures show that about 80 percent of the Zimbabwean economy is in the hands of small businesses, i.e. small farmers, small miners, small producers, small exporters and small marketers. All of these people combined form a big part of the economy.

The small to medium enterprises (SME) sector has grown to become one of the biggest employers in Zimbabwe, particularly at a time when employment within the formal sector has shrunk rapidly.

According to estimates from the Confederation of Zimbabwe Industries, at least 70 percent of Zimbabwe's working population is employed in the informal sector. This figure could rise as more and more people are developing their entrepreneurial skills through vocational training so as to be able to venture into product-manufacturing businesses.

Two young men in Bulawayo have demonstrated that building a successful business enterprise does not require one to have a Masters in Business Administration or plenty of capital, but sheer determination and focus.
The two, Derrick Dube and Easy Kazeze both aged 24, have been running a successful artifacts business along the Bulawayo-Beitbridge road, one of the country's busiest highways.

What started off as a hobby for the two young men in their backyards has turned out to be a vibrant business enterprise, earning their families much-needed income. Made from a special type of reed grass, their household range of products e.g. bar stools, hanging chairs, ornaments etc which are in demand locally are now finding their way onto the export market.

My success is a result of hard work and determination after years of suffering. I could not get a job because I didn't have any qualifications, in the end a friend convinced me to venture into business and become my own employer, said Kazeze.

This was not the case for his business partner, Dube, who was retrenched from a brick-making firm three years ago, when the company streamlined its activities following a dip in the construction business. "I toiled for years, trying to find another job, but companies were not employing anymore".

"I never really thought I could do something for myself, starting a business was never in my mind. I loved art so much and during my spare time, I used to make small ornaments which I displayed in my home. I never thought, this could be a talent that I could explore and develop," said Dube. Now, with a monthly turnover of around Z$55 million, the business has given their families a lifeline.

What makes their business enjoy so much success is the uniqueness of their products and the artistic flair exhibited in their designs. "We receive a lot of orders from visitors to the country, this way our products have attracted a lot of foreign customers. We get orders from as far as South Africa, Zambia and Botswana, this has helped us a lot," added Dube.

The business has also received a lot of support from locals who order products in bulk for sale throughout the country. The business has enabled the owners to buy equipment such as welding machines and it has also generated employment for three youths. "Our wish now is to expand our business and diversify our product range, but to do that we need capital," said Kazeze.

This is one of the major hurdles faced by local entrepreneurs trying to develop their businesses. The majority of small businesses are hamstrung by a lack of adequate financing, particularly in the absence of collateral security.

Government has however promised that it will do everything in its power to nurture and grow the small to medium scale sector. It has so far this year allocated a total of $55.4 billion in loan facilities to support small to medium enterprises. More than 3000 jobs have been created and a further 2000 sustained.

Addressing mourners at the national heroes acre recently, President Mugabe said "apart from a revolving fund for SME"s, Government was determined to establish bigger markets for locally produced goods'. He said, in order to equip business owners with the requisite skills that would enable them operate effectively; training in various business management programs was in progress in all the country's provinces.

I think in life everything can be better, done better or improved!

Furniture Builders:

This idea came to me from necessity, as most ideas do. I am a single father of four children, young children ages 3 to 7. Needless to say my sofas were constantly being damaged by a variety of child activities. After ruining about three sets of cushions in the wash I turned to slip covers.

1. First of all you have to buy 12 before you find one that semi fits, next creativity comes into play trying to invent way to keep them on, and then you give in and by a new sofa.

Here is Your Company's Big Win!




2. Rout a ¾ cut in each craves, fabric will be cut to shape and laid over top. Plastic tub press in craves to hold fabric in, thus giving owner ability to remove wash and dry with-out damaging. Up sell points Consumers are more likely to purchase fifty, sixty dollars worth of your custom fabric more often than they would by a new sofa. Make seasonal fabric for those who wish to decorate seasonally.

However, questions have been raised concerning the potential of the emerging industry since the country does not appear to have adequate infrastructure already in place; it is also likely to face strong competition from already established centres such as Antwerp and London.

Botswana is the source of about 25 percent of the $13.1 billion worth of rough diamonds produced in the world each year, diamonds account for about 70 percent of the country's export earnings.

Marking the celebrations of the 25th anniversary of the Jwaneng mine which is the world's richest diamond mine, President Festus Mogae revealed that his country wants to become a diamond trading centre, comparable to the likes of Antwerp.

President Festus Mogae

Kago Moshashane

He noted that "out of the 16 cutting and polishing diamond companies which have been issued with licenses, only six of them are operational. He said companies have cutting and polishing facilities in places such as India and Israel, there is a need to include Botswana as one of the viable centers". He added that "while the country cared about its own diamond industry, it also cared about the international diamond industry".

Speaking on his return from the Antwerp Diamond Conference held in Belgium recently, the Deputy Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Minerals, Energy and Water Resources "Kago Moshashane" supported the view that Botswana has the potential to become the next diamond cutting and polishing centre.

He said that "the country is going to trade at least US$500 million of its aggregated supply and that the balance will continue to be channeled to established markets such as Antwerp".

He expressed confidence saying that "as for our ability and capacity, the massive infrastructure that we are putting in place and the training of personnel that the country is carrying out speaks for itself. Other centres have their own well established markets for jewelery, it is unreasonable for any of them to feel threatened by the emergence of Botswana as an additional diamond trading hub".

It is now commonplace to find items made from cane in a wealthy persons home and also in restaurants, hotels and places of attraction.

Cane is derived from a type of palm plant, the stem of the plant is solid, strong and flexible, this makes it ideal for use in the manufacture of furniture, baskets and other woven products. It is easy to work with, requiring only simple tools and low-cost machines. Eighteen species of the plant can be found in Cameroon, however only three species have the required diameter, fibre wall thickness and density of fibrous tissue that make them most suitable for commercial use.

The increased demand for cane based products is proving to be a boon, many jobless Cameroonians are turning to the trade as a means of earning a living.

In Douala, those who design such products are clustered in different parts of the town, their goods are clearly displayed to attract customers.

24 year old Nwanawasa Paul has been involved in the trade for the past 7 years, he was previously jobless and got involved as a means of trying to earn a living, he soon discovered he had a natural ability with cane. We caught up with him to find out a bit more.

AG: What do you manufacture and what are the materials and processes you use?

NP: I produce chairs (sets), tables, baskets, cupboards and other general items, I use cane/ rattan to construct them. Larger sections of cane are used to create the frame and for strength while smaller pieces are interwoven to provide definition and beauty.

I use steam to bend the cane rather than a blowgun as it reduces discoloration and tarnishing through scorch marks. I then bleach the finished products to obtain uniformity of colour, this is especially important when cane from different species are used to make a product. I sometimes dip the cane in kerosene; this provides protection against insect attack. When I use varnish I apply it in two coats, I usually sand lightly before adding the second coat, this ensures an even and long-lasting finish.

AG: What is the profile of your customers?

NP: It varies, I have customers from all walks of life, both private and trade e.g. wholesalers and exporters, although exporters are the most difficult to come by.

AG: Why are exporters difficult to reach?

NP: The truth is I am not very well connected so I find it difficult to reach them.

AG: What other difficulties do you face?

NP: Rain, during the rainy season my activities are greatly interrupted. I can come up against material scarcity due to the fact that suppliers are also hindered by the rains.

AG: Do you work in collaboration with others?

NP: Yes, I need the expertise of a tailor who sews cushions, I also engage with carpenters who supply me with wooden components that I incorporate into some of my designs.

AG: Is business very good?

NP: The products I produce sell at between 2.5 - 500 pounds. I only know if I have made a profit at the end of the year when I prepare my yearly accounts.

AG: What is your goal?

NP: There are many. I dream of having a big factory that supplies wholesalers and exporters. In order to expand my business, I plan to seek the financial assistance of government and other organisations that promote small and medium size enterprises.

AG: Thank you for sharing your experiences with us.

In Cameroon, cane is considered an "open-access" resource that can be collected from forests, there are very few laws regulating its harvest and state control often does not adequately monitor its exploitation. Increasing urban growth has led to developments that are encroaching on forests and high demand for cane products has led to the threat of over-harvesting of the resource; this can lead to poor quality cane stems being used and thus inconsistent quality of products.

Cane is important at many levels in local communities, its exploitation through the cutting and trading of raw cane for transformation into goods, can occupy up to about 35 per cent of a households time. As it can be harvested all year round, it provides valuable cash income for much needed school fees and medical expenses

Cane is one of the most important non-timber forest products (NTFPs) in Cameroon. The gathering, selling and processing of it has many advantages and can help forest dependent people lift themselves from the margines of poverty.