What I didn't know about Zambia

Wrapping up my second week of 25 entrepreneurs that have come to see me so far was Pythias Chabala, a former pastor of a Pentecostal parish, who fares from the African country of Zambia. Pythias found his way to me by literally running into one of my earlier brainstorming session, Cheri Hull, who was carrying lots of papers and smiling as they passed each other in our parking lot. He inquired as to what she was so happy about and she told him a little about Club E and the brainstorming sessions I was offering to people. He quickly came into the office, met Sonia and scheduled a time to get together, which was my last appointment on a late Friday afternoon.

Now, I'm pretty good at sizing up a person's talents and putting together a series of connections that can result in great opportunity but I can tell you this one almost stumped me. An out-of-work minister from Africa with little or no resources and only the dream to embrace entrepreneurship...is a tough one.

I knew nothing of Zambia but over the hour I learned that English is a required language and that the economy is very small business driven. I learned that education is key and highly competitive and that the residents, or at least some of them, actually have money to spend on that education. I quickly surmised that if Pythias was interested, I might enlist him to help on a new College of Entrepreneurship program that I was just offered through my friends at Southern States University in San Diego. They had just acquired an accredited online school and asked me to bring my entrepreneurship program to their new acquisition. Since SSU specializes in foreign students and indeed, has 1000 resident foreigners enrolled in their California campuses, they felt (and I agreed) that an online entrepreneurial education program would be very well received across the world. after all, what better export did America have than her innovation and entrepreneurship?

I gave Pythias a number of papers regarding my educational programs and asked him to research the possibilities of bringing my new online entrepreneurship program to his native country. Coincidentally, the next day, I received an article from a "Google Alert" on entrepreneurship entitled "Zambia: Government Should Formulate Programmes To Train Students in Entrepreneurship."

Coincidence? I don't think so. Providence? Yes, I do believe so. Pythias is coming to see me a second time this Thursday and we have lots to talk about now!

Best to all,

Peter J. Burns, III
Founder