Part 3: My unexpected foray into investment banking and brokering. https://twitter.com/mentorshipzim/status/1321924214429904896

1. When I was younger, I deliberately avoided commercial subjects. I thought all I needed to be was a scientist and make loads of money and forget about subjecting myself to all these commerce, accounting etc subjects. The Universe has a sense of humor I tell you.

2. One day during lunchtime I met a fellow lecturer who was also a businessman. He was into coal mining, so being a chatty person aka kutaurisa we became low key friends. It just so happened that one of my friend’s dad was an investment banker.

3. So as fate would have it, there arose an investment opportunity and my friend’s dad called me and asked if I knew someone who had a project that required an investment of at least 30Mln USD. I immediately called my fellow lecturer and told him about this & we had our 1st deal.

4. Before you get excited, no we didn’t seal the transaction but during the process of getting to understand his business and where the money was and also how the transaction was to be structured I learnt a lot of things.

5. My knowledge in mining, geology, gemology, energy, construction etc has been largely through project owners and project promoters. Another free MBA in investment analysis ...in order to present the project in a way that secures the $, you need to understand the business.

6. As someone describes their business and their journey, you pick up lessons and learn where the money is. As the investor grills you about how they will get back their money, you learn investment risk analysis, deal structuring and transaction processes.

7. I cannot claim to be someone who knows it all, I am intimately aware of my limitations so I seek to learn from those who are in the field and find ways I can be of use to them. The hope is that in the end, a mutually beneficial conclusion comes through.

8. Never restrict yourself, your brain has 180Billion+ neurons, you can learn anything and be anything you think of. In the end seek to extract as much value from your abilities, exhaust your abilities and extract value, that, to me, is the goal of life!

9. I find investment banking fascinating and potentially rewarding at a scale I never imagined. Again, I will emphasize this, investors invest into a person and not necessarily a project. If you are looking for an investment, work on yourself more so that people can believe in u.

10. There are billions and billions of dollars out there seeking a home, keep grinding at your craft and it is only a matter of time before it becomes a reality. Again, networking is crucial in this field and so is trust. Someone needs to trust you to bring business to you.

11. In the end it is all about relationships, whether you are an investor, project owner or the transaction broker. You need to be a good buffer between the 2 sides and bring them to a consensus. Transactions are anchored on relationships, structure the rlshp right & $ will come

12. Through my friends in this sector, we have managed to get a network of project owners across the entire African continent just waiting for the right investors to sweep in and invest. I certainly wish Zim ranked highly on the list though, but hey business is business.

13. Lastly, I want to end by saying that be prepared to be surprised by life. My journey has been filled with unexpected changes. Believe in yourself, don’t act as if you have already lived life, these are not corrections. Maximize on every opportunity/ability/skill!

Thanks to the team @mentorshipzim. I hope my various rumblings resonate with someone and they will be inspired to do what I failed even better! I will stick around till tomorrow end of day for Qns before handing the handle back to the owners.