The current state of entrepreneurship in Zimbabwe vs. entrepreneurship around the SADC region

Entrepreneurship is the ability and readiness to develop, organize and run a business enterprise, along with any of its uncertainties in order to make a profit. The most prominent example of entrepreneurship is the starting of new businesses. Entrepreneurs comprise a fundamental constituent of urban economies around the world (Pasteur, 2001). Their reasonably priced goods and services provide consumers with convenient and accessible retail options. Entrepreneurship as a livelihood strategy has existed for hundreds of years (Pasteur, 2001) and varies in scope, quality as well as time. Entrepreneurs are usually seen broadly as those who sell goods or services in public space (ILO, 2002). These goods and services range from food stuff, fabrics or clothes, shoes, cosmetics, flowers, traditional herbs, craft or artwork or pottery, kitchen ware, plastic products, hardware, electrical appliances and general merchandise such as stationary, school supplies, books, sweets, brooms, tobacco, air time and newspapers among others (Pasteur, 2001). The goods are traded on streets and other public spaces like sidewalks, alleyways, and medians. The diversity in their place of function and goods traded also signifies the differences in their orientation in terms of expansion. Zimbabwe has a high incidence of these entrepreneurs but very little has been done to establish their orientation in terms of growth