ZBIN has members everywhere-from cities, rural areas, growth points or even diaspora! In 2018 we are going to deliberately cover rural and peri- urban areas. These are the areas which hardly get coverage and yet more than 70% of the population lives there. When it comes to numbers, rural areas do come out top in Zimbabwe. We kick start the process of featuring Mr Gondai Mlambo
Who is Mr Mlambo?
Iam an upcoming business person, a holder of a bachelor of technology honours degree in Process Engineering plus a partial Diploma in Marketing.
Tell us about your company
Gematechno Investments (pvt) Ltd is the name of the company we are professionals in Industrial Chemicals,Food Additives,pharmaceuticals, Vertinary Products,Agro based chemicals,Packaging & Allied items.
How did the entrepreneurship journey begin?
I started on a very small scale as vendor & distributor or stockist or agent of other manufacturing.
companies.
How many people do you employ?
The company is still in infant stage with myself as the Director and other 5 employees.
Tell us more about Checheche
Checheche is a growth point in Chipinge District under the supervision of Chipinge Town council in Chipinge South Constituency .It is growing rapidly but however still lacks infrastructure development and the hope is that solving this challenge will unlock plenty of business opportunities at the centre.
Top 5 business Opportunities at Checheche
Agro-processing , Printing, Furniture making , Poultry and Animal feed and Buying and selling clothes
Your understanding of Digital Marketing
Digital marketing is fundamental to business ‘s success in today ‘s modern era of engagement marketing,promoting brands ,products & services online ,social media platforms such as Facebook,twitter,LinkedIn, Whatsapp etc.
Top challenges faced by entrepreneurs at Checheche
1. lack of funding from banks and other financial institutions.
2. Price distortions in the market.
3. Lack of access to foreign currency
Any export activity?
At the moment we are no exporting anything, Iam planning to do so but the challenge is how to get the export licence.
Commercial banks at Checheche
In Checheche we have got 3 banks only
– CBZ Checheche
– Agribank Checheche
– POSB Checheche
_ Some Econet Ecocash Agents
Business Plans for 2018
I am aiming higher and need to grow beyond borders in 2018 & also to satisfy the local market .
Business Role Models
My business Role models are the following
-Startup BiZ Zimbabwe
-ZBIN
-Strive Masiyiwa’s Facebook page
Message for the Ministry responsible for SMEs
The ministry should set up satellite offices in each and every district to monitor and facilitate funding and other non financial assistance to SMEs. The ministry should not concentrate on big and established SMES only but have a deliberate policy to assist up and coming entrepreneurs.
