Enhancing video, photography and print projects

Entrepreneur

About Me

My names are Musenge Charles Kombe, a Zambian male born on the copperbelt province on 4 February, 1997. The first born of three born to a military man (soldier) and my mother a house wife. Raised in the Provincial Capital, Kabwe, I was exposed to a number of things growing up.
In 2003, my father was assigned on a military peace keeping mission for about a year in Sierra Leone, West Africa. On August 28, about four to five months of him being away from home, a message was passed in the military camp we resided in saying three soldiers have died while on peace keeping mission. In the evening of the same day, we heard a loud knock on the door I rushed to the door and the warrant officer I found outside asked for my mother. As mother got back, all I remember seeing is her teary eyes and later a loud cry. My father was part of the soldiers that were killed Sierra Leone. That was the minute my life changed.
During the funeral, I remember seeing my late father laying lifelessly in a wooden box (I thought to myself) not knowing it is called a coffin. After about a month or so, my dad's relatives came home and looted all the property we owned this included; the appliances, beds, sofas and kitchen appliances. Back in the day, that was a common practice here in Zambia, mostly if the husband died, the relatives would get everything he owned from the widowed wife and single orphaned children.
Growing up with a single mother was not easy at all, yes, she managed to take me and my siblings to school, taught me all the good morals and because Iam the first born, I was the main center of attention because she knew that I am the only way through which my siblings would be raised right and would have a promising future. I spent most of my time drawing and painting pictures (even though they didn't make any sense) which I really liked, in short I have always been an artistic person. On my 9th birthday, my aunty Christa bought me what I'd call the best gift ever and that was a somewhat versatile camera. I used to take pictures of almost everything around me, I remember this one time I told my friends that I could tell which one of the mangoes on a tree is ripe and sweet if I viewed through my camera lenses. And to my surprise, every mangoes I captured always turned out to be ripe and sweet and this then led to my friends asking for my camera just so they can pluck the right one, and so I would charge them saying if you want the camera, bring me two ripe mangoes! and the camera is your for a few minutes. The camera saved me the stress of climbing trees.
I completed my secondary school from Serenje Boys Technical school in 2014, at that time it was the only technical school in Central Province. The challenges came in after I completed school because the finances at home were not enough to take me to University. I applied for bursaries and scholarships but was never picked. That was when I first thought of starting a business.
Nothing other than video production and photography crossed mind. I knew that what I needed here was a digital camera the one that would bring me money and not the mangoe fruits.
I went around planting maize for commercial farmers, digging drainages for the local municipal council and as well as being gabbage collector during the weekend. This was not easy at all. I raised enough money for digital camera and did not hesitate to buy one. I firstly started by taking passport size photos for about 3-4 months in 2015 but that did not give me enough profit to save for my university and also get groceries and pay for the electricity and water bills.
In 2017, I was enrolled at Rusangu University in Monze and I am currently doing my fourth year in Ba Mass communication.

My Business

I then thought of the other way I could raise enough money to meet my bills.
So I started this photography and video production business in 2016, four years ago. I take pictures for all kinds of occasions like wedding ceremonies, birthday and parties, come together functions, and also shoot music videos for upcoming artists. This business brings in so much profit because I have all the tools needed for production. My customers praise my services. I am usually booked over the weekends for so many different functions.
I wish to expand the business by building my own studio, arts center and video production including t-shirt printing. With the knowledge I have, I wish to mentor my youths for around my area on how to operate and shoot videos because most of the people around here have nothing to do. In Zambia, being a political cadre is somewhat becoming a career because of the high numbers of unemployment among the youth. Youths here are being used as tool of political violence. So my aim is open up multi media company and gather up all my fellow youths who have been called outcasts because of the way things are in my country and also just to save them from all these bad vices like alcohol and abuse of various illegal drugs. I also want to identify acting talents and people who can do poetry cause I do act, write movie and play roles just like poetry too. The Corvid 19 pandemic has affected me and my production alot, since March this year, the government had raised lockdown and so most of the events that have me huge profits like wedding ceremonies, kitchen parties, birthday parties, public gatherings were stopped. Unfortunately, the bills at home did not in any way pardon me too. In September, the government eased the lockdown restrictions and so this is when people are beginning to prepare for their events. I have also run out in my savings account meaning I might miss out on school
And this is why I need an addition to the loan amount. Please, your assistance will be highly appreciated.
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Loan Proposal

As mentioned in the previous section, when the printer arrives that's in two weeks time, I hope to start designing company t-shirts, work suits and also logos so as to add more identification to a firm.
My photography business also needs new camera stands, about 3, to carter for all the three cameras owned. I also wish to purchase a new canon D from a certain shop around.
My videography business is at a stand still for now as there is need for cinematic lights I wish to purchase.

Income Source

With the introduction of the print machine in the business, profit is likely to to yield even at an unexpected level because the demand for the print business is quite hight around my area. Many people wish to have their events more memorable by having the event details printed on some clothing. For example, birthday parties, family gatherings, funerals and also workshops.
I have a couple of booked photo shooting projects lined up for the next few weeks and work done is equal to work paid. I also have a wedding video shoot on the 6 of February of which the pay is equivalent to the loan.

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