Reginald Mengi

Philanthropist, Entrepreneur, and a man who has really made SOMETHING
from nothing.

Born in a mud hut in Northern Tanzania, Mengi would struggle for one
meal a day, shoes were hard to come by, he walked long distances to
school in BARE feet. Poverty was a CHALLENGE to him, not a problem.

Mengi says, "You must believe in yourself, that you have power to make
things move." Just like the childhood story of The Little Engine that
could, I think I can, I think I can, I think I CAN. I MUST and I
WILL. Mengi is an exceptionally inspiring/motivational individual
with multi-faceted perspectives.

BUSINESS
(Mengi's perspectives con't...)

Having no capital is NOT a problem, but a CHALLENGE. Mengi told us
about his story, how he built himself up & is continually trying to
build Tanzania. Some entrepreneurial advice from Mengi...

1) You need to WORK HARD. Even while you're still employed by
another company.

2) When you go to work for yourself... Think BIG, but Start Small.

3) You need a destination in mind for yourself. People don't usually
know where they are going in their lives. Don't go through life lost.

4) Make a Plan for Your Journey

5) The moment you accept anything less than #1, You Fail. Put the
highest price on yourself & your position.

One for the women... Walk with Intent & Confidence.

6) Believe in yourself AND your delegations, delegate with trust. You
also must build a sense of BELONGING in the people you've recruited.

Lastly...
Now that you've made your money, you need to remember to GIVE back.
Give back to the People and give back to the Environment. Social
Responsibility is a growing necessity in our world today.

*** You should definitely Google or Wikipedia Reginald Mengi ***

Business Meetings

(Picture: from the left is Reginald Mengi, then Ambassador Mwakawago, and Bruce)

Today we had the pleasure of meeting two very busy businessmen, both
of whom are playing an extremely important role in the development of
Tanzania.

All thanks to the help of our friend, Ambassador Daudi Mwakawago & our
professor, Bruce Bachenheimer.

First, I will tell you about our meeting with Reginald Mengi. Above is
a picture taken at the Holiday Inn where Mr. Mengi treated us all to
lunch (this was not the Holiday Inn we are used to back home, but a
really good, nice, fancy one). I had some yummy plantains, salad, Indian beef, and shared a delicious shrimp & ginger stir-fry with Sarah.

Brainstorming Session with Bruce

Later in the morning we had a brainstorming session with Prof.
Bachenheimer to exchange our thoughts, ideas, and feelings on the
business opportunities for Tanzania.

Lots of students expressed feelings of wanting to develop business
plans for
Improving the quality of life, expanding education & social
development of children, and overall improving the economy &
attraction for tourists in Dar Es Salaam.

Later today we will be meeting with the National Micro Finance Bank.

FISH Market

HUGE FISH

Day Five

We started our morning at the fish market.

It was really an interesting process: bringing in fish from the small
boats, hundreds of women and some young men stripping & gutting the
piles of fish, there's suppliers to the side with large blocks of ice,
and tables & tables of large fish layer out for buyers.

Look at the HUGE fish in the above post!!!