Batanai Matsika 
DISRUPTION has proved to be an inescapable challenge for many businesses and industries across the world. The sad thing is that most companies have resorted to operating in survival-mode instead of actively shaping their future.
In fact, playing it safe amid disruption could prove to be very risky. According to an analysis of 10000 companies by Accenture (a global consulting company), US$41 trillion in Enterprise Value is already exposed to disruption today. The bottom line is that the way we live today is driven by new innovations while consumers are demanding more personalized and flexible services. Business leaders have been left to navigate an everchanging landscape.
Disruptions are not always technology-driven
Disruption is not completely unpredictable since it can be decoded. This means that understanding it better makes it more manageable. It should, however, be noted that disruption is not only driven by technological changes. Shocks that have a bearing on customer behaviours and norms can lead to massive disruption. The impact of the outbreak of Covid-19 has led to social distancing and this will disrupt a number of business models even after the lockdown period. Already, billions of people around the world are now under orders to stay at home, as governments grapple with the global pandemic. Mass isolation is giving business leaders plenty of reasons to worry about. We have witnessed worker strikes, mass layoffs and losses in market valuations. The demand for ride-hailing services, hospitality and aviation has fallen off a cliff. The travel and tourism industries have essentially disappeared, leaving companies like Airbnb and its hosts in the lurch. Bookings in some markets are down as much as 90 percent! The good news is that not all is necessarily negative for some companies. The current crisis could also present a real financial opportunity. Some companies that help users get things; namely in-home delivery start-ups have been overwhelmed by demand. For them, the pandemic is a chance to seize market share.
The Zimbabwean Situation
In a country where the unemployment rate is estimated at over 90 percent and the economy is largely informal, it has become clearer that the days of full-time employment are gone! Individuals and households should consider generating multiple sources of income. The big question should be; “How can you earn money without a traditional job?”
Enter the Gig Economy
In a gig economy, temporary or flexible jobs are common and companies tend to hire independent contractors and freelancers instead of full-time employees. The gig economy is growing rapidly in many developed countries and undermines the traditional economy of full-time workers who rarely change positions and focus on a lifetime career. The gig economy gets its name from each piece of work being akin to an individual “gig”. At the core of the gig economy, is the use of technology through app-based platforms. Gig economy workers can also work for more traditional companies. Delivery drivers for Vaya, for example, also work on a piece-by-piece delivery basis. Individuals and households can take advantage of the growth in the gig economy in different ways. In this article, we focus on different pieces of the gig economy and how one can take advantage of some of the money-making opportunities;
Online Trading and Investing
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Restaurant Food Delivery
The reason why pizza is so popular in many cities is because of home delivery. Here’s a way to take advantage of that tendency. Offer a service that turns every restaurant in your area into a “home delivery” restaurant. By offering a flat fee to home-deliver items from any restaurant, you will be absolutely swamped on the weekends!
Car Broking
Real estate brokers earn a 6.0 percent commission on every house they sell. That’s $6000 every time they sell a $100000 house. But a similar business – with similar profit potential – exists. Instead of brokering houses, what about brokering cars? Most people are forced to try and sell their used cars themselves. But if you offer to do all the work for them for a 6 percent commission, many people will take you up on your offer!
Tutoring/Coaching
In-home tutoring is an excellent way of earning extra income while providing a valuable service. Since it usually occurs after work hours, it’s especially nice for people who already have a day job.
Photography
When a major international news story breaks, every media outlet in the world needs pictures. Most of these newspapers and television networks have research departments, but in moments like this, every minute counts. If you’ve got good research skills, you might be able to beat them to the punch, find an appropriate graphic or photograph for them to use, and then sell it to them.
Open a Foreign Foods Shop
There are many expats living in different countries all over the world. They often miss having some of their favourite foods and beverages from home and find it difficult to obtain them. Open a foreign foods shop. Stock a selection of popular or unusual foods and drinks from a particular country or countries. Include a website for even greater reach and add a delivery service.
Resume/ CV Writing
People can be surprisingly bad writers. An easy way to take advantage of this is to offer a resume writing service for jobseekers. Your clients give you their relevant work and education data and you create a set of very attractive resumes – flawlessly executed – for a good price.
Private Tour Guide
If there are at least eight or nine interesting things to see in the area where you live, you can make some good part-time money by offering your services as a private tour guide. All you need is a comfortable van or SUV that offers nice views.
Other interesting areas could be ride hailing (Vaya/Uber model), Grocery or Beverages Delivery (Dial-a-Drink), Dog-sitting, Baby-sitting and Writing (eBooks and Blogs).
Overall, the advancements in technology through IoT (The Internet of Things) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) present vast opportunities for entrepreneurs to invest and build digital real estate as shown in the infograph.
●Batanai Matsika is the Head of Research at Morgan & Co, and Founder of piggybankadvisor.com. He can be reached on batanai@morganzim.com
