Greg Collett

SME and Start-up workshops

During my last B360 assignment at NUST in 2017 I held two cash flow management workshops for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Windhoek. The workshops were organized by the Centre for Enterprise Development (CED) at NUST. After the successful completion of these workshops the idea was discussed that this kind of training should not only be offered in the capital city but also in other towns in Namibia. One year later the idea was implemented and I was very happy to return to Namibia to run Start-up and SME workshops in Windhoek, Swakopmund, Ongwediva and Rundu.

All participants were very interested in the financial management topics and showed understanding, enthusiasm and willingness to implement what we discussed. A participant stated that “The workshop was absolutely appreciated. It definitely added a lot of pointers on what to consider when starting a new business or wanting to grow an existing one”. These workshops gave the first impulse and the follow-up on the impact is a great opportunity for NUST, namely by Helena Ilovu and Godwin Chisenga, to grow this offering by the CED. Throughout my stay and during the project, Helena, Godwin and also Nico Smit, the B360 contact at NUST, were very helpful. The project would not have succeeded without their input and local contacts.

Personal message

I highly recommend that Credit Suisse personnel make use of the opportunity to do an assignment with B360 and one of the institutions they work with. Someone once said that we make a living by what we earn and a life by what we give. The experience will take you out of your comfort zone in developed Europe and present you with interesting technical, strategic and emotional challenges all of which will make you a more interesting, rounded and confident individual. On top of that, the students and people you work with will end up knowing more than they did before your visit.