PICTURES: A woman should make it a point that she keeps supplying standard products to her consumers in order to maintain a good reputation for her business.
IN the previous episode we discussed what rural women should consider before undertaking tourism businesses. In this article we shall focus on what they should practically do when their businesses are running so that they keep themselves in business.
Financial discipline
A lot of businesses have gone broke not because they were not viable but because the owner lacked financial discipline at one stage or another. Money sourced for the purchase of raw materials should be invested in the business and should not be taken for other purposes, especially personal use.
Another form of financial discipline is to keep savings of her money. A woman should introduce and keep an accounting system where she can trace her income and expenses. A bank account is thus necessary. It would be up to her to keep a business savings, fixed deposit or asset management account.
Maintain a good reputation
Most artists don’t have image for their businesses. Even without an image, a business can sail across with good reputation. Consumers don’t need people who cheat or supply sub standard products later but would have initially started by supplying standards products. A woman should ask herself if she has created and maintained a good reputation for her business.
Is she giving all consumers value for their money? If she gets some raw materials on credit, does she pay her suppliers within the agreed period? In case of emergency, is she honest in her dealings? Is she trusted by both her workers and her consumers? If she manages to keep such a reputation, a woman would definitely keep her business alive.
Promotions and marketing
Sometimes it is good for a business to offer promotions especially to loyal consumers. This will strengthen the two parties’ relationship. Such promotion will help maintain repeat consumers. Repeat consumers tend to bring in friends and other business associates that by end of day, the woman would acquire new consumers being referred by her loyal clients.
Promotions may help a woman keep her head above the water in case products have flooded the market. In such instances, it might not be necessary for her to change a product range because the market is flooded. Promotion would help her push huge volumes. She can only change her marketing model. If she waited for consumers to come to her, she might now shift to direct marketing like door-to-door marketing.
If she used to target tourists at tourist resorts, she might need to exhibit at trade fairs, agricultural shows and galas. Mrs Shirley Mathonga whom we featured in our previous articles laid her success on effective marketing. She has taken all what it takes to exhibit at local trade fairs where international clients come. This has helped her to unlock new business opportunities.
Diversity
An old adage says “It is wise not to put all your eggs in one basket.” A woman might consider to diverse her business for constant cash flow. Diverting to another business, say poultry, can help her to keep cash in case the mainstream tourism industry is facing challenges.
Some areas aren’t accessible during rainy season that tourists do not come in numbers during that time. If she doesn’t diversify her business it means that the woman shall experience a negative balance sheet for the four months of rains. When diversified, she can generate from other projects like poultry.
Networking
The tourism industry of today requires players to network. A woman can subscribe or affiliate to such networks so that tourists from one region may be networked with her if they happen to visit her region.
Conclusion
A lot can be done by women to make their businesses profitable. What women need to do is to gain and remain confident that like their male counterparts, they can achieve great success in the tourism industry.