Inspiring: Motivational speaker and writer Emillian Busara. PHOTOI BY COURTESY
What you need to know:
In 2005, this man angered his employer after he refused to be an accomplice in a corrupt deal. The next thing that happened was for Busara to find himself looking for another job.
To many Emilian Busara is not a new name. He is an investor, writer and one of Tanzania’s famous motivational speakers. But few know the story of his life – how he rose from ground zero to being an entrepreneur after he lost his job for standing against what he says was a corrupt boss.
In 2005, this man angered his employer after he refused to be an accomplice in a corrupt deal. The next thing that happened was for Busara to find himself looking for another job.
“I cannot say what exactly happened but I did not want to be part of a corrupt system. I stood by my principles, and that did not augur well with one of my bosses,” he recalls the beginning of his misery on the streets, where jobs were hard to come by.
He had resigned on his own volition because the workplace “had become a nightmare” after he refused to be part of shoddy dealings.
“It was disappointing to leave my job because of someone else’s selfishness. That job was the only thing I depended on,” he says.
Finding a new job was a Herculean task. But after a long struggle, a door of opportunity opened, and no sooner had he started his new role than he began looking for ways to be an employer.
“I befriended two women at the company, seeking their advice on how I could stop depending on my salary alone,” he recalls.
One of the women advised him to try reading books by the likes of Warren Buffett, a US businessman and financier, who was to inspire Busara a lot about investing in shares.
Open his mind
He also read books by Robert Kiosaki, Donald Plans (building and real estate) and George Solosi (forex). Little did he know that the books would open his mind to the world of investment.
Today, Busara is on course to reap the benefits of investing in real estate, farms and shares. He started buying shares from CRDB, Tanga Cement, and Twiga Cement.
“I decided to use 50 per cent of my salary to buy shares, and within four years, my dividends totalled Sh12 million. I have not stopped buying shares since then,” says Busara, who has since started his own company, Mwekezaji Makini.
For Busara, the secret is financial discipline. Without proper finance management skills it is difficult to save money to start a business, or for a rainy day, he advises. He has also carved a new niche in motivational speaking.
“I help people by teaching them what they should do to make their dreams come true. I teach them through TV stations like TBC and radio stations like TBC Taifa, Praise Power Radio and Wapo radio.
A polite, soft-spoken man, Busara, also shares what he has learnt and discovered in the world of business through seminars.
Writing books
But it does not end there. The father of two, who is married to Mrembo Grace, juggles family with motivational speaking, training and writing books, a passion he had developed over the years.
He wrote his first book Hisa, Akiba na Uwekezaji, from a hotel in Arusha. When he realised that it did well on the market, he penned down the second titled Elimu ya fedha na Uwekezaji, which was followed by Auditing and Governance and Financial Analysis.
His other books are Kazi na Kipaji, Hekima, Maarifa na Ufahamu, Kulinda na kuongeza fedha, Mali na mtaji, Sadaka na Baraka and Fursa za Mafanikio.
“I decided to write because I want to help the new generation; I want them to learn about the proper ways to success through saving. Hisa, Akiba na Uwekezaji will be used to teach at primary school as an extra book,” he says.
For a man who juggles this much, it does not surprise that Busara sleeps only four to six hours per day.
“I have lots of things to do but time is limited, so usually I write in the dead of the night. I am looking forward to being the best author of Kiswahili motivational and financial literacy books,” says the University of Dar es Salaam alumnus.
He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and holder of a Master’s degree in business administration from the University of Dar es Salaam.
In September 2011, Busara joined the Management and Development for Health (MDH) as the chief operations officer.
The NGO plans and implements clinical services. Before that, he worked as the head of finance and administration with the African Wildlife Foundation, Engender Health and Plan International.
A board member of VSO Jitolee, Busara also teaches business studies to undergraduates, postgraduates and CPA professional students.
