By Frank Tagarira I don’t mean pipelines as in a bunch of pipes laid out. I am talking about business systems that will continue working (making profits) whether the owners are there or not. Examples of famous business systems are Coca Cola, MacDonald’s, KFC and Microsoft. Coca Cola invested in a formula recipe that it patented, making Coca Cola one of the most successful business systems of our time. In Namibia entrepreneurs like Harold Pupkewitz and Dr Frans Indongo created business systems that can run with or without their presence. I am sure Pupkerwitz or Dr Frans Indongo can go on a holiday for five years and will come back to find their business not only operating and generating more profits but expanding into even bigger, stronger market leaders. Such business systems ensure much needed employment for those who are interested in being employees. Real wealth creators built business systems that not only create much needed employment but also enable other stakeholders to make profits off that business system. Some successful business people list their companies on the stock exchange, enabling the public to also invest and share in the fortunes of such a business system. Companies like Old Mutual are listed on several international stock exchanges across the globe, including Namibia. Old Mutual is a business system that has over a hundred years business experience. In Namibia, for example, Quinton Van Rooyen of Trustco Group of Companies listed his company on the Namibian Stock Exchange. This is a good sign that Namibian entrepreneurs are building competent business systems. I am sure Trustco Group of Companies will create enormous wealth for its shareholders and business stakeholders. When such systems list on the stock exchange they allow another breed of Wealth Creators to emerge. This breed is called Investors. Internationally people like Warren Buffet built and accumulated massive fortunes trading shares on the stock exchange. One of the recent world’s authorities on wealth creation, Robert Kiyosaki, the author of the famous Rich Dad Poor Dad book series wrote that true wealth is often created in what he terms the right hand side cash flow quadrant. In this quadrant there are business owners and investors. I agree with him that these two groups of people have an upper hand when it comes to wealth creation. It is quite logical really. Business owners often build successful business systems (pipelines) usually from scratch and may end up listing their businesses on the stock exchange. This will enable them to raise cheap capital and at the same time enabling the other breed of wealth creators (investors) to make a fortune. I am not, however, advocating that investors always make a killing. Sometimes just like business owners, their investments also go through lean times and their fortunes may even be lost in some bad investments. The good news is that building a business system or a profitable investment portfolio doesn’t always require one to have a Harvard Business Degree. The world’s most successful business systems were built by men with very little formal education at all. Henry Ford had but little schooling but he pioneered the automobile manufacturing industry giving birth to Ford Motors. The wealthiest man in the world, Bill Gates, dropped out of Harvard University (not because he was incapable) to pursue his dreams and formed Microsoft. Thanks to Bill Gates and his team I am actually writing this article using Microsoft word on Windows XP software. These people end up creating employment even for the most educated people. They make use of other people’s knowledge and time. These people are often driven by a business dream and they think outside the box. They challenge society’s ideals and create their own ideals. This is a really special breed of people. They see opportunities where other people see doom and gloom. True wealth creators build successful systems or invest successfully in existing business systems. Most successful business systems today started out as SMEs but the entrepreneurs behind those companies had the persistence and courage to make them billion-dollar business systems. Most SME operators I know in Namibia usually end up in a comfort zone as soon as they make a couple of millions, buy a house on a hill/beach and drive an SUV. Very few have the courage to enter the international, let alone the SADC region, market. I am urging our SME operators to think beyond Namibia. The sky is the limit. It takes a vision and a lot of patience and sacrifice to achieve international business success but I am confident of our entrepreneurs. Just imagine if you start your business with a vision to have business operations on the international market. I am talking about a bold vision where the sky is the limit and not the house on the hill and a N$500ÃÆ’Æ‘ÀÃ…ÃÆ”šÃ‚ 000 SUV being the limit. The expensive house and the SUV will certainly be small accessories for an entrepreneur with a bold vision of building a successful business system that can qualify listing on any international stock exchange. That is the essence of real wealth, creating successful business systems (pipelines) or investing in business systems. Do not bother yourself with artificial wealth (material possessions financed by a soaring debt against dropping business income). Aim for real wealth and not artificial wealth. It takes time, patience, commitment, hard work and being an entrepreneur savvy but it will pay off one day. Be bold, be brave build real wealth, not artificial wealth. Frank Tagarira is a Business Development Consultant and Business Coach.