6 Business Lessons Young People Can Learn From Richard Maponya #RIPMaponya

6 Business Lessons Young People Can Learn From Richard Maponya. Last week Monday we woke up to the sad news that Dr Richard Maponya was no more. The business mogul died at the age of 99 following a short illness. His funeral took place at the University of Johannesburg’s Soweto campus on Tuesday.

A lot of people have learnt a lot from the formidable Dr Maponya. When it comes to business it goes with out saying we should all learn from him, especially the youth who are affected the hardest by unemployment.

1. Resilience

Dr Maponya is best known for building a business empire despite the restrictions of apartheid. He was also determined to see the Soweto township develop economically.

2. Be Business Minded

At the age of 24, Dr Maponya took a job as a stock taker at a clothing maker and subsequently won a promotion for both himself and his white manager. In gratitude, the manager sold Maponya soiled clothing and offcuts, which he resold in Soweto. With the capital acquired he attempted to open a clothing retailer in Soweto,

3. Consistency

Dr Maponya is the epitome of consistency. Even though there were political and economic challenges along the way he managed to overcome them and be the success he was.

4. Take Risks

Dr Maponya never shied away from taking risks because he was never afraid of failure. He understood that as human beings you will make mistakes.

5. Responsibility

You are the master of your destiny. Ultimately, you are responsible for your fortunes. No authority, whether individual or institutional, should hang on the proverbial cross for your failures.

6. Hard Work Pays

There is no such thing as easy money to riches. It’s sheer hard work that yields sustainable good results. During the best of times, if you have integrity, the fruits of your industriousness will protect and shield you from the feeble and wicked efforts of those that seek to destroy you.