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| Features |
| Little capital brings huge profit |
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by
Joseph Scott, Malawi News Agency, 02 May 2007
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06:22:37
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Someone once said: “Being disabled does not mean being unable.” Martha Hiwa of Ulongwe in Machinga, who sells fried fish to Lilongwe residents seems to prove that correct.
In fact, Hiwa thinks her being disabled has been a motivation to go into business and show the world that she walks the disability, not the inability talk.
“My family did not take me to the crossroads to beg but helped me discover my own talents,” she says.
Hiwa says her family gave her the confidence to scale the heights because they did not treat her with unnecessary sympathy. Instead, they expected her to do what her peers were doing.
“Mine was an excellent upbringing. My family was ready to help in whatever I set my mind on. I went to school up to Standard 8 in 1987 but failed to advance to secondary school for other reasons,” says Hiwa who is physically disabled.
“I was very fortunate because the Malawi Council for the Handicapped (Macoha) was monitoring my progress in school. And when they saw that I had failed to make it to secondary school they sent me to Magomero in Chiradzulu for a sewing and knitting course,” says the ever-smiling Hiwa.
After her course in 1987, Macoha gave her a loan of K250 to support her sewing and knitting business. And this is when Hiwa was introduced to the world of business.
“By then it was a lot of money and I had to use it carefully because I knew that I had to cultivate trust with the organisation. For eight years I laboured with my sewing business catering for the local community but the market was very small,” she explains.
Hiwa’s growing ambitions and hunger for success made her to switch businesses since the returns from the sewing venture were not taking her anywhere.
“The rural market was choking me with frustration. The energy I was investing was not tallying with the rewards so I made a bold step to try fish business which at that time was predominantly a men’s domain,” Hiwa says.
Her move was boosted when a local bank approved her loan of K13,000.
Says Hiwa: “By the time I got the bank loan I had already repaid the one I had from Macoha and had some small profits remaining. I divided the new loan into chunks, with some going to purchasing of utensils and the remaining as working capital.
“Because of my condition I could not travel to the lake, so I employed someone to do the buying and selling. But my line of business was not the usual buying and selling since I had to add value by frying the fish.”
According to Hiwa she saw a niche in the fried fish business (popularly known as kanyenya) in Lilongwe and since them she sends her merchandise there.
“In my first attempt I got K13,000 and this was good considering that from the initial amount I had bought items like utensils, condiments and other necessities. So, I knew I was stepping in the right direction and from there on I never looked backwards,” she says.
Hiwa says her unwavering commitment to business principles is the cornerstone of her success.
“I underwent a course sponsored by Macoha on how to run a small business. I always try to stick to the cardinal rules of successfully doing business, some of which are never to divert capital and to always account for whatever transaction is done,” explains Hiwa.
Besides her strict attitude to doing business, Hiwa says her family members have always been a driving force for her success.
“I can’t talk of my business without recognising the support of my husband. He is very understanding and always wants me to get the best of everything in life. It is his unconditional love that has made me believe that I am not different from everyone and that what they achieve I can also achieve or even do better.
“It’s not all men who treat their disabled wives like this. Sometimes when we go to the lake together he makes sure I am by his side and never feels embarrassed by my state,” says Hiwa with a gleam in her eyes.
Luckily, her business transactions are being ably run by her nephew (late sister’s son) whom she looked after since he was a child.
“I sent him to school like my own son and now it’s paying dividends. He is always suggesting new approaches and from my knowledge he has never cheated me,” she happily says.
The only problem the budding businesswoman is facing is the scarcity of fish due to dwindling reserves in the country’s lakes.
“Fish is becoming hard to come by and if by chance we get across it is very expensive. My secret is not to make a 100 percent profit but to offer my customers their delicacy at affordable prices.
“I also need to have a permanent place where I would be selling my products. As of now I am more of doing hawking, which is not safe considering that I am in the fresh food business. I want a place of my own that is covered so that I cannot always scurry for cover when the rain start falling,” declares Hiwa.
Though the fish business is bringing modest returns, Hiwa still feels that she can do better. So far her eyes are set on grander things and she says her mind is going to rest only when joins the league of big business people.
On motivation Hiwa says she always admired the late Allan Namoko.
“When I was young I would ask my father about this talented singer and he told me that Namoko was blind. Listening to his songs was like breathing life in me and my father told me that if I worked hard it would be like dumping the burden of being disabled,” says Hiwa.
But she does not have children of her own to return the favour and love she was showered with by her parents, sisters and bothers.
“Doctors advised me not to give birth because I had two pregnancies both carrying twins but they died during delivery. They then told me that if I continue trying to give birth I might die, so I stopped,” she says, and adding that she is happy looking after children left by her deceased sister and brothers.
With the future looking very bright for Hiwa, she advises other disabled people to emulate her and venture into businesses of their choice.
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