Diaspora Matters

One of our greatest contributions to Zimbabwe is championing the introductions of cruise ship jobs back in 2021. At the time there was solid rock resistance to the initiative. Even veteran members of the forum were not convinced that one could easily land a job in USA without much hussles.

Everything looked like a scam. If it is too good, then it obviously is a scam. His is the first rule of scams—and we perfectly passed the first test. And the more desperate we became in appealing to our members to participate—the more dubious the scheme became.

Lessons for business strategists—If it is too good, it will face strong resistance. If the price is zero—market dynamics could confuse you as demand could remain flat.

So 2026 here we are and millions of Zimbabweans now know about what we started—and thousands of Zimbabweans have benefited. So the trending topic is what sort of businesses can seafarers do when back home on vacation?

Here is our advice

1. Skills Enhancement: Learn new languages—French, Portuguese, Mandarin and others. This could help you in career development. In addition enrol for advanced courses in your career. Data Analytics, Artificial Intelligence, Client Experience and more.
2. Learn Trades: The Polytechnic and other colleges have courses on trades. Look for courses of interest and learn. This could even help you in career development in additional to personal growth.
3. Entrepreneurship Workshops: Scan the environment for workshops on entrepreneurship and learn from experts.
4. Venturing into Business: Read as many books as possible and this also include being part of many business forums. You may want to start and complete a project such as poultry, fashion design, and others. Don’t expect huge profits but focus on  skills and experience acquired—which you could use in future.

So vacation is time for your to relax, recalibrate and also find something to do. Travel to new areas, volunteer to help. Even visit former schools and present your experiences on cruise ships. You could improve your public speaking skills or any area you have weaknesses on.

Meanwhile have you read all of our books? They are full of business ideas and including the content shared in this post. You could also join our Premium Chat and learn from others.

Joining ZBIN is only $10 per year and we have a hundreds of seafarers on the forum,

We also share a testimonial from one of our members below.

Hi Ntate how are you? I wanted to ask if I could come with a testimonial. I work for Carnival and have been home on leave.

So during this downtime have been trying to find something to do so that I can grow and have a secondary income. We had a data analytics session some weeks back and Dr Mugomo helped shape out the idea I had to use Data for customer service analytics and audits. I wanted to reach out so he can know that I took his lesson and started a consulting firm for that with some of my colleagues.

I wanted to thank him for the insight and push because that session helped me see that I was sitting on a gold mine that I could tap into. Thank you so much for providing this platform and I look forward to bringing more testimonials from all that I am learning.

The writing is already on the wall for the NGO sector as traditional development partners are switching to trade and partnerships. Funding cuts now the order of the day with some even closing.

I have been engaged by a few International NGOs and covered this content.

• Family Financial Literacy
• Leveraging on skills acquired and exposure to business
• The future of opportunities
• Untapped Opportunities in Zimbabwe
• The Learning/Experience Curve
• Wearing many hats (Systems)
• Balancing Short, Medium and Long term
• Business Opportunities Identification Skills
• The B2E Business Model
• Crowdfunding & Partnership Model (Opportunities & Risks)
• Up-skilling
• Relocation (Opportunities & Risks)
• Virtual Opportunities
• 5 Short Business Plans
• Unwillingness to change course—and paying learning costs.
• Case studies of former employees

The most difficult topics are 1) Identifying Opportunities—A key skill not formally learnt at school and college, (2) Balancing Short, Medium and Long term cashflow management in the current VUCAH environment and 3) Appreciating the B2E Business Model (B2E doesn’t mean Business 2 Employer) , 4) Wearing many hats in systems development. Finally the Learning Curve—which often comes with heavy losses, but part of business life.

In Zimbabwe you can find a person juggling 5 businesses—Which is very confusing and one could be tempted to ask the rationale of doing it. Even running a small business which barely manages to Break Even. But there is a very good reason for doing so—it is not the main business.

It is almost impossible to juggle many roles as a first timer—but this is what the economy is demanding—being thrown to the deep end.

Lucky enough—this forum has almost a thousand articles. Our Facebook Page with 10,000 posts and loads of activity on our Whatsapp Forums. We have also compiled 6 books over the last decade.

Therefore do not just focus on Financial Literacy which has a lot of experts—focus more on what will be keeping you busy for the rest of your life. And you need tons of exposure.

Some of you may need inspiration from others before you plunge into business. How are others doing it? What challenges did they overcome? This is the whole essence of Premium Chats. Learning from others who have travelled different entrepreneurial journies.

We bring you Pastor Joel Chiviru and he shares with you the Premium Chat delivered last week.

Greetings ZBIN . It’s an honour to be on this platform with men and women of great focus and success . My name is Joel Chiviru. I am married and have a daughter. I am a young brother to Fine Chiviru , one of the most influential entrepreneur in ZBIN .I am also a founder and Pastor of a ministry called Fruitful Grace ministry which is based in Mozambique so I travel quarterly between Zimbabwe and Mozambique.

So you know being a Pastor, some people always think a Pastor is either in ministry for business and is surely making money by people offering and thithes. There is also another group people who think a Pastor should not live a good life, but should live a humble and kinda poor life while doing church the rest of his life. These two perceptions made me to make some crucial and deliberate life decisions which are:

1. I will never take church’s money but rather be the biggest giver in my every own ministry, currently no one gives more than me in the church I lead.
2. I will not be a begging Pastor who moves around waiting for the church to feed him.

………

Before I became a Pastor. I only worked two times in my whole life. The first time I was sales person in 2006 for two months , the second time I was a waiter in south Africa at Panarotis for only a month in 2008. My experience with working for people was very bad bcz I was very passionate for God and because of immaturity I thought my Employees are inhuman and don’t understand that I should serve God so they must allow me to do so at times.

So on these two jobs I left and this led me to another crucial life decision, that I will never ever work for anyone in my whole life and since then. This notion was further brewed by the mentorship of the Word of God from my Life Mentors. They made me understand it’s not really God’s blessing to work for someone. A blessed person is the one in charge and have control over his life, money and finances. So ever since I have never worked for anyone. In 2021 I started a company for fitted cabinets and this is how I started it.

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I have my friend who is called Sandiswa Chirinda , my Patner in business. He is also a Pastor and we met at bible skul. He had learnt to do joinery by observation and mastered it. Myself I was just hustling through what’s trending, most of my years I was a middlemen and making some money through that. I have learnt that if you solve someone’s problem, you can get money for that. If you spend time studying people’s problems, find solutions to help them then you won’t die of hunger.

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This Partner of mine in 2021 made me to see a piece which he did in carpentry by then and was amazed at the piece he did while he was working under some one. Right away I persuaded him to leave work and we start our own thing. At first he was not confident, I guess he was afraid of leaving work and struggle. So I began to create fliers and I developed a deep passion for marketing . I did this until I came to him with a job that needed to be done.

This job was from a diaspora lady in UK. From that job I gained more confidence and began serious marketing and began to win jobs until my Fellow Pastor began to see the light. He now believed he can be his own boss. I bought the needed equipment and encouraged him to leave. He was still hesitant and as a religious someone who believes in God I just to him I am firing you from your work so soon you will be fired at work and we will be registering our company soon. It didn’t take a month. He had issues with his boss concerning payment of cluster job they had done. From there he wholeheartedly joined me and we registered a company Josan Interior Luxuries Jo el and San diswa.

…….
Our experience in this field has been amazing. We did more than 300 since 2021. Most of our clients were generally from UK, US, Australia, Ireland but mostly UK. 90 percent of our clients came and still come from disapora. 10 percent are locals. I am delighted that on locals we managed to do jobs for some ZBIN members and that is an honour.

A Bbg opportunity we had was that upon the hardwork we did. We got one of the biggest suppliers of boards to enter into a partnership with us , in this partnership allows us to get all materials we want and pay later. This opportunity made us to start our program FIT AND PAY LATER. A initiative where our clients pay a deposit, we do work for them and they pay balance in three to six months. This initiative has made us to live a very sustainable life bcz we are guaranteed of something every month.

Good day ZBIN family. My name is Rutendo Nemapare (Masithole) 65 years of age on the 6th of this month. Would like to start by thanking God for yet another year. Am a mother of 4 and grandmother of 5 living in Chitungwiza.

History

I worked in administration and secretarial positions during my working days. Growing up my hobbies were knitting and knitting. I have always enjoyed making stuff with my own hands (kushandisa maoko). When my children were growing up in the 80s I never used to buy jerseys for them, my husband even for myself. I used to hand knit. Unfortunately in those days we didn’t have mobile phones to show off our work.

UK Experience:

I then left for the UK and when I came back I brought a few knitting patterns and knitting needles but people were now into machine knitted jerseys and fleeces and even the wool was now hard to find.

I joined the FB and saw an advert for beading lessons. I took up the course for 3 days and perfected it on on my own. I then joined the ZBIN family and asked Ntate if it was OK to design and see if I can make a ZBIN bag and got a positive response . This is the bag shown in the pictures.

Zimbabwe Flag

I also decided to make a go at the Zimbabwe flag bag and other designs including church colours. The Zimbabwe bag was a hit with the Diaspora community. I once joined a group of ladies on a trip to Tanzania to source the material originally from China.

Then when sales dropped I decided to go on YouTube and learnt how to make beaded key holders as well as bracelets. These I advertise on the FB Market place. I also have a FB page RN Beaded Bags & Accessories. Please check it out and like my page. All my beaded work is displayed there. I also have this flyer with some of my work.

ZBIN Impact.

I also thought about doing a different kind of project having followed J@J Rabbitry’s journey on the group whom I approached and he gave me an online training on rabbitry and still he is still my mentor. I took up rabbitry because of lack of space and it’s something I could do at the back of my yard. I then bought my cage and all the necessities to start the project. I started with 3 rabbits 2 females and 1 male they were 8 weeks old at the time. I specialise in New Zealand White breed and sell to those who want to start their own so I sell breeding stock. Rabbits take long to start multiplying but when they do they can give birth to average of 8 at a time and only carry for a month. They only feed on rabbit pellets, hay and water. I start selling at 6 weeks but they start breeding at 6 months old. Am glad to say I can also share my experiences with other upcoming rabbit farmers. I am also a member of the ZBIN rabbit group and other groups.

Herewith are pictures of my small rabbitry project.

Contact No: +263 73 536 9100

Did you know that every year we hold a Sports Day? Yes the only Sports Day dedicated to small businesses owners in Zimbabwe. We are looking forward to our 4th Sports Day in September this year. Below we feature a recent Premium Chat featured below;

Good evening everyone.

My name is Audlin Matsika, also known as Swift Sisi.

I’m an endurance runner, fitness coach, and author of two practical fitness guides.

My work focuses on discipline, consistency, and sustainable fitness not quick fixes.

…….

My journey started from a very real place.

In December 2024, I weighed 82kg, and although I was active, I wasn’t consistent with my training or nutrition.

I was so depressed with my life to the point of giving up

I found myself repeating the cycle many people experience starting, stopping, restarting.

The truth is I didn’t lack effort.

What I lacked was structure and discipline.

……..

Everything changed when I made one decision:

To stop negotiating with myself and start building simple daily habits.

I began running consistently, cleaning up my nutrition, and focusing on systems instead of motivation.

Running became my anchor habit the one habit that aligned everything else.

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At 4 am I will be running no matter the weather

……..

Through that process I developed what I now call The Swift Sisi Method.

The core idea is simple:

What you do consistently matters more than what you do occasionally.

This method focuses on:

• Simple nutrition

• Consistent movement

• Discipline over motivation

• Sustainable habits.

……..

As my body changed from 82kg to a leaner and stronger version of myself people started asking questions:

“What are you eating?”

“How are you staying consistent?”

“What is your routine?”

That’s when I decided to document the system in two books:

 The Swift Sisi Method: The Lean Body Reset

 The Swift Fitness Implementation Guide

These books explain how to build discipline, structure daily habits, and stay consistent even when life gets busy.

……..

One of the biggest lessons from my journey is this:

Most people don’t fail because they are lazy.

They fail because they depend on motivation, and motivation is unreliable.

Discipline is what keeps you going when motivation disappears.

………

A physical transformation is a spiritual awakening that is disguised as exercise.

My life changed in ways I never thought possible.

Depression left through the window.

I could think clearly and I started thinking of ways to regain all I had lost in business.

Every run was a business meeting with myself planning and planning.

Now

I have managed to re start most of the business I had lost building step by step.

I re-registered my Zim Company

I re-registered my South African Company so that I can offer payments online to people who but in South Africa.

Now I have reopened my Avon Account and my Inuka Account, I am ordering again and selling.

Managed to secure a printer I offer printing services where I stay.

All this came from taking a firm stand on my Fitness Journey.

………..

Fitness is a necessity it can transform your life .

It changed mine in ways I never thought possible.

………

My journey is proof that transformation doesn’t require extreme diets or punishment.

It requires structure, patience, and discipline.

I’m happy to answer your questions.

What is the biggest challenge you face when trying to lose weight or stay consistent with Fitness?

And Also Thank you  for listening

…….

I also Share daily fitness tips , nutrition on my WhatsApp channel I’ve started a WhatsApp Channel called SwiftSiSi Fitness

Did you know that this site hosts 20,000 visitors every month? We would like to thank you for your time going through hundreds of posts dating back to 2016. We urge you to visit our Facebook Group with 150,000 unique viewers and also subscribe to our Whatsapp Forums where there are 20,000 active members. Today we feature the leader of our Elders Forum, Mrs Masocha. She has a beautiful guest house where we have hosted events in the past.

A family owned business founded by serial entrepreneurs, W & P Masocha in 1988, then a young couple in our twenties.

We started with a Bottle Store and Takeaway at Marlborough Civic Centre Shopping Complex, in 1988.

We sold the Bottle Store and Takeaway in 1991 and started a Canopy Manufacturing Company called Headway Enterprises (Pvt) Ltd in Willowvale Industrial Area.

In 1994 we opened another Business. Executive Hair Salon in Union Avenue.

In 1998 we added another Venture Ashley’s Garden Nursery and Landscaping. We were contracted by Old Mutual to Landscape Westgate Shopping Centre, Highglen Shopping Complex and 3 other Industrial premises in Willowvale.

We sold the Hair Salon to raise funds to Build the Headway Industrial Complex in Willowvale in 2004

We were forced to close down Headway Canopy Manufacturing Business in 2017 due to the very difficult economic hardships and corruption.

In 2018 we subdivided the Headway Industrial Complex into 7 Lettable Units or Bays currently being rented our to successful SMEs . Website: www.headwayenterprises.co.zw;

In 2019 we opened Ashley’s Guest House, a Hospitality Business, which is still currently operational. Our website: www.ashleysguesthouse.com

We have a very successful backyard vegetables gardening venture, where we grow covo, lettuce, spinach and shallots. We wholesale to big retail shops in the Western and Northern Suburbs. We also grow boiler chickens for sale to our community and to Makoronyera.

Our strength: Mentoring young and upcoming entrepreneurs on resilience and never to give up on their dreams.

Our weakness: We are getting old, although we have enlisted all our four children as beneficiaries and Directors of our family Business, they have successfully established themselves abroad and we are currently enticing our last born son to relocate to Harare and be the New Face of our Businesses.

There are not many platforms in Zimbabwe where entrepreneurs network and share their experiences. We are fortunate to have ZBIN and this year expect hundreds of posts showing experiences from our members. Some have grown to become national brands and today our focus is on Panel Beating and Spray Painting.

My name is Fine Chiviru Marume

There was a time when this was just a dream in my heart.

The automotive industry is known to be male-dominated. Panel beating and spray painting are not fields many women are encouraged to enter. But I have always believed that passion and determination matter more than gender.

My journey started with a simple vision — to build something of my own, something that would create value, restore vehicles with excellence, and serve my community with integrity.

I did not start with everything in place. I started with courage and zeal.

There were challenges:

• Limited resources

• Doubt from others

• Financial pressure

• The physical demands of the industry

Some people questioned whether a woman could run a panel beating workshop successfully. Instead of being discouraged, I used that doubt as fuel.

I learned.

I observed.

I asked questions.

I worked hard.

I focused on mastering quality workmanship and building trust with every customer. I have built a team of skilled artisans focused on quality proffesional repair work with great turnaround and customer satisfaction.

Whether it was a small scratch or a major accident repair, I treated every vehicle as if it were my own.

Slowly, word began to spread. Clients returned. Referrals increased. Confidence grew.

I also got value from my facebook page,instagram page and whatsup business page

I believe and comprehensive service delivery

 Accident damage repairs

 Panel beating and dent removal

 Chassis straightening

 Professional spray painting & colour matching

 Scratch and minor damage repairs

 Rust treatment and body restoration

 Bumper repairs and alignment

 Insurance claim assistance

 autoglass replacements

 upholstery

Building my business has not just been about fixing cars — it has been about breaking stereotypes, creating employment, and showing other women that they can step into any industry and succeed.

Today, my workshop stands as a symbol of resilience, faith, and persistence. Every repaired vehicle tells a story — not just of restoration — but of a dream that refused to die.

And this is only the beginning.

We are based at 1188 Tynwald Industrial Area,Harare

Call or whats up 0718933866/0773676992

https://www.facebook.com/gremspanelbeaters?mibextid=LQQJ4d&mibextid=LQQJ4d

Before you enter into a business partnership, you may need to refer to this Premium Chat by Taku Maziriri. A Zbinite previously based in South Africa and currently based in Gokwe.

Good evening good people ndipeiwo malikes ndione kuti muriko

……

My name is Takudzwa Maziriri aged 33 holder of a Diploma in Accounting and Diploma in Secondary teaching majoring in teaching commercials ndiri wezhira wezhara wezheve…mutupo mancube…mother of 1

……

Today m going to share with u my story From Hero to Zero…..I completed my Diploma in Secondary teaching in 2017 then 2018 kwakuenda paNamibia ikoko was working as a maid…ndirimaid kudaro ndakaendeswa kusports events yemwana svikei ikoko wanei kuti chikoro chacho is owned by A Zimbabwean ndipo pakabvawo shungu dzangu kuti aikaka l can also do this in Zim so 2018 wese ndokubva ndabatana nefriend tichitenga zvinhu zvedu zvepreschool tichiiuudza kuZim then 2019 kwakuuya kwakuzama kuvhura kuZvishavane unfortunately ikoko zvakaramba kubuda marentals aiva akati nyanyei stereki

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So takatombogara from 2019 to 2022 pasina anything chabuda regarding kuvhura preschool

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My Journey of Starting and Failing a Preschool in Kwekwe

In early 2022, I took a bold step to pursue my dream of running a preschool. I’ve always wanted to be my own boss and give back to the community by creating a safe learning space for young children. With passion in my heart and big dreams in my mind, I partnered with a friend, and we were offered a house to rent in Mbizo 15 by her sister.

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We opened the preschool in February with just 4 children. It was a humble start, but we worked hard, and within a month, the number grew to 10. This gave us hope that we were on the right path.

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We closed schools in March 2022 for the usual term break and reopened in May with renewed energy—and even better news. The number of children had grown to 17! Our dream was becoming a reality. We worked hard to create a fun and loving learning environment, and the parents appreciated our efforts.

By November 2022, we celebrated our first big milestone—7 ECD B learners graduated. It was a proud and emotional moment for us. As 2023 began, we reopened in January with 18 enrolled children, showing steady growth and support from the community.

……

Second Term 2023, our enrolment grew to 25 children. On the outside, everything looked like it was going well. But behind the scenes, that’s when the real challenges started.

I was running the preschool with a business partner, and sadly, this is when conflicts began. If a parent delayed paying fees, it would spark serious arguments. I started hearing harsh words and even insults being thrown at parents—and that really hurt me. I believed in kindness, respect, and building trust with our community, but the atmosphere was changing.

What was once a shared dream slowly turned into a battlefield? I started to feel like we no longer had the same vision. It was no longer just about the kids and their future—it became about control, ego, and blame

…….

Another big challenge we faced was late payments by parents. While some tried their best, many would delay fees for weeks or even months. This made it difficult to run the preschool smoothly. We couldn’t plan properly—buying food, paying the teacher we had hired, or even getting basic learning materials became a struggle.

I would use my personal savings sometimes just to make sure the kids didn’t go hungry or miss out on learning. But as time went on, the pressure grew. Financial instability created more tension between me and my partner. Every cent became a point of argument, and trust was slowly eroding.

Deep down, I still wanted to keep going, but I was mentally and emotionally exhausted.

…….

During the second term of 2023, I made a bold move—I purchased a food trailer through a ZBIN member. My hope was to expand and increase income, thinking that since the preschool had grown to 25 kids, it was now stable enough to allow me to start another venture.

I underestimated the pressure.

My routine became overwhelming. From 7:30am to 3:30pm, I would be at the preschool teaching and managing the children. Right after that, I’d rush to the food trailer to start preparing and selling chips. The physical and emotional strain was immense. Worse still, I didn’t have enough funds to hire someone to help me run the food trailer.

By third term, I decided to shift my focus more toward the food trailer and left the preschool under the care of my business partner. That decision came with consequences. Some parents began to complain—they felt the environment had changed, especially with how fee issues were handled. I believe the absence of my presence and the way my partner interacted with them over payments caused dissatisfaction.

……

During third term of 2023 was the real turning point—and not in the way I had hoped. Word had started to spread in the community that the teachers at Bright Minds were “rough.” In the preschool business, word of mouth carries serious weight. It builds or breaks trust. The challenge was that in 2022, I had been the familiar face parents knew and trusted. Now that I had stepped back, the shift in leadership and tone was clearly being felt.

Even though I returned in November to prepare for our graduation, and worked hard to make sure the children were confident—speaking fluent English, smiling, performing with pride—I didn’t know that, behind the scenes, damage had already been done. The community had begun forming opinions, and trust had slowly been eroded.

But on December graduation day, we celebrated 20 children moving on. It was a beautiful, vibrant event. The joy on the children’s faces made me proud. I told myself, *“At least, with this graduation, we’ll remind the community who we are.”* What I didn’t realize was that the fall had already begun—the damage was deeper than I thought.

……..

Ironically, November and December are usually the busiest months for ECD enrolment inquiries. Parents start searching for schools for the upcoming year, visiting centers, asking about fees, and checking facilities. But for us—it was silent. Painfully silent.

Bright Minds, which had once been full of energy and the sound of little voices, was now quiet. Zero enrolments. January came… and still, nothing. It was heartbreaking.

What made it worse is that I had invested emotionally and financially in preparing for a fresh start. I repainted the whole creche—inside and outside—hoping that when parents walked in, they would see brightness, hope, a place they could trust with their children.

But no one came.

I stood in that freshly painted classroom, the toys neatly arranged, posters on the walls, chairs set… and no child to sit in them.

The silence was loud.

……….

Even with everything falling apart, I held on to the creche, hoping that maybe—just maybe—parents would start bringing kids again. But things got worse. Another creche opened just a few streets away, and that competition hit us hard. Parents who were already unsure quietly moved their children elsewhere.

By April 2024, I had run out of funds to support both businesses. The food trailer was no longer making enough profit to carry the creche. Worse still, I couldn’t afford the creche rentals anymore. It was like watching your dream collapse in slow motion—painful, helpless, and deeply personal.

I would cry silently. I could feel things falling apart around me, and I couldn’t stop it.

……..

From Hero to Zero… and Back Again

By May 2024, I was emotionally drained. I made the painful decision to shut down the creche and convert the premises into rental rooms. The food trailer? It also came to a standstill, parked uselessly where the laughter of children once echoed.

I left Kwekwe for Harare, carrying nothing but disappointment and hope.

Then in February 2025, I got a job at a private school in Domboshava. It wasn’t the dream I had built before, but it was a new beginning. A fresh page.

………

10 Powerful Lessons from My Business Journey

1. Don’t Expand Too Fast

In business, growth is exciting—but it must be strategic. I moved into a second business (the food trailer) without stabilizing the first. Instead of growing, I spread myself too thin. Focus and build strong foundations first.

2. Partnerships Need Clear Boundaries

Running a business with a partner sounds good, but without clear roles, expectations, and respect, it can lead to conflict. Avoid overlapping responsibilities and ensure open communication from the start.

3. Customer Service is Everything

No matter how good your services are, how you treat clients matters more. Harsh words to parents over late fees created long-term damage. In the service industry—especially education—people remember how you made them feel.

4. Word of Mouth Can Build or Break You

In small communities like Mbizo, your name is your brand. One parent’s experience becomes everyone’s story. Guard your reputation fiercely through professionalism and respect.

5. Business and Emotions Don’t Mix Well

………

I got emotionally attached and made impulsive decisions—like investing in repainting during a downturn or pushing through stress. Always let data guide your choices, not just feelings.

6. Diversify Only When You’re Ready

A second business requires resources, time, and energy. I underestimated how much the food trailer would demand. Never start something new until the first venture is stable and can run without your full-time presence.

7. Poor Cash Flow = Business Death

Late payments from parents meant I couldn’t plan or pay bills on time. I should have introduced payment structures like deposits or term-based fees to stay afloat.

8. Marketing Isn’t Optional

I only tried serious advertising when the damage had already been done. Marketing should be consistent, creative, and part of the monthly plan—not an afterthought.

9. Know When to Pause or Pivot

Sometimes, the most courageous thing is knowing when to stop. Closing the creche and food trailer gave me space to breathe, reflect, and rebuild.

10. Every Failure is a Setup for a Stronger Comeback

Working now at a private school in Domboshava is not a step back. It’s a reset. I’m learning, gaining experience, and preparing for a stronger return—smarter and wiser.

……..

Thats my story hopefully pane vadzidzawo something.

As an entrepreneur make sure that you balance generating profits with building your brand. It is not easy to balance the 2. And ZBIN is one of the business forums that help you to balance generating sales whilst promoting your brands. Below we cover a premium chat done by Estery.

Greetings  everyone hope l find you well. l’m glad to be here and have such an opportunity to share my journey with you all.

I’m….. Estery Chitangirofa 38 years old, became a School Prefect in Form 2 first and 2nd term only then from 3rd term became a head girl up to finishing ‘A’ Level. I studied up to A’ Level then joined the Police Force which l later resigned after serving 12 good years. Within this period also acquired some certificates in Etiquette and Grooming

…..

That was from 2007-2012 as an officer based in Harare but as l served l started looking for something to do as a side hustle. Firstly took advantage of where I was working as we prepared uniforms for all Police Officers then l ventured into buying winter tracksuit materials from Namibia, prepare hoodies and full tracksuits for kids and sell using the organization’s machinery and utensils.

……..

What next now. I joined the Musina crew to go buy and sell clothes and shoes but eish this wasn’t easy at all imagine the long ques at the border, come back and sell to fellow officers who would only want everything for free and pay later, but what was the guarantee they will pay.

………

In trying to make a living, along the process lost a lot of money to those who didn’t pay giving stories. Also at home quarrels began that you are drowning in business and you are a failure l can’t continue helping you.

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Taking you back a little l started selling sweets and popcorn at primary level grade 5 and at Secondary level even ran the school tuckshop – entrepreneurship started way back.

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Now heard of the online businesses and was completely blank and with no idea how it goes, never knew that l had to study first before l can sign up.

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Fell in the wrong hands – Ponzi or let’s say scams these were companies who would say invest a chicken today and get a cow tomorrow. Poverty is not good eish.

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Now can laugh but back then you would have a heart attack losing that $100, how much was l even earning as a civil servant  it was little not to waste in scams but experience always is the greatest teacher

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In trying all that l started with a product based network marketing company in 2007 l pushed sales like crazy with bitterness of losing to scams and in 2 months recovered it all selling products.

…….

But something was waiting for me again, haaa wonders shall never end. I missed my new rank in business with only 2 points out of 25 haaa l gave up l was so frustrated and drained. I decided to quit and move to another company.

……..

Stupid me l started jumping from one company to another

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2018 l joined another company, remember l was a good seller when it comes to products and team development so l grew well in this company that truly made me decide to resign and go full time in Network Marketing Business.

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Kindly note l started Network Marketing in 2007 till date and as l jumped from one company to another there’s one company l didn’t drop along the way because l truly fell in love with the products as l love being the natural me.

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Early 2020 l resigned but before doing so the top leaders at the Police Station I was had to call for a meeting, we saw your resignation why have you decided to resign are you being abused or something happening, you are still young blah blah aah why would l listen when l had mapped my way out and was even earning times 10 my income from the side hustle. They had to let me go after all.

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February 2020 l began my full time entrepreneur journey, boom Covid-19 shut down came  this was something else not prepared for it but God was with me, business moved well in this era and sales were increasing.

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But now business is booming the health industry noticed something, because we were selling health supplements our company was stopped to operate by MCAZ, It took years to acquire the certificate but you know taking years not operating some new companies emerge, you lose customers etc

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Then l thought of that my company ( ORIFLAME) l never dropped, if l can give all my efforts l think l can yield better results.

Subdivided efforts are truly a challenge especially if operating different companies but with the same method of growth but just different names and products

Instead why not put all the efforts in one company and see how it grows

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2021 l pushed and then was getting products from Nigeria the only depot in Africa it wasn’t easy, orders taking a month or more, sometimes losing orders but l and my team decided not to give up.

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With hard work, commitment, discipline, determination our work was rewarded by the company and they decided to open a new market for us in South Africa being way closer and from 1 month of receiving orders to only a week or less to getting orders.

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Oriflame launched in South Africa May 2025 and now only 2 months and guess what in those 2 months the growth is exceptional and already having qualifications for Sun City Trip 2026 and on track for Paris 2026.

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One thing all along l can be grateful for is the strength to endure all but never give up and quit completely, l kept on soldiering in good and bad times, l’m not fully where l want to be but I’m happy being on track

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Last but not least thank you for following on my story l might not have given all the information but my advice to you, In whatever you are doing don’t give up, remember why you started, check and follow those who succeeded in life they have great inspirational stories that can inspire you too, YOU CAN DO IT.

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If you are looking for a side hustle or love going natural get in touch with me for all your natural and organic Swedish Cosmetics that includes skincare, perfumes, Feetcare, Haircare, personal care like Feminelle Wash, shower creams, soaps, oils, wellness supplements, men’s skin products etc

Love you all and stay blessed. 

On ZBIN we try our best to promote small businesses and developing new brands that later go on to become national brands. Our latest member shares her own experience in business.

Hello good people l hope you are all doing well.

My Name is Chipo Mukucha (Shekinah Granites) a subscribed Zbinite.

Contacts:+263 78 011 7999

History:

I did my O’levels in Murehwa Uzumba High passed very well during my A’levels l became a house wife (a story for another day).

Tried applying for nursing netuma courses twese twaibuditswa ne Ministry of Health zvakashaya basano response, kufamba nema CV yuwi takazvirega.

Entrepreneurship

Tried buying and selling sweets, mabhero chii zvakatotanga kufamba paye.

Working with husband

At the same time my husband was working for someone achiita zvema tombstones izvozvi, fast forward l started telling my relatives, friends and churchmates kana muchida matombo my husband anokugadzirirai.

I then realized kuti zvatikutoitisa munhu mari whilst my husband akungopihwa basic salary.

We then gathered (zvivindi) let me say this word 2023 April, We started Shekinah Granites getting one- two customers especially people around me, my first customer was makuva ekumba kwedu tTakatoitawo tu profit zvakutoitawo.

Digital Marketing

Then a daughter of mine Eugenia introduced me to Facebook Marketing.

l started joining more groups ndokuzosanganawo ne ZBIN then boom Shekinah Granites is now a huge brand receiving customers from all-over the world, doing tombstones designing and installation, window sills, kitchen tops, snooker slits, fire places, counter tops. With the help of prayer also ne knowledge yechivanhu kuti zvinofambiswa sei about matombstones.

Diversification

Come 2025 l realized kuti pane pandirikushotesa unveiling gravesite deco, tents,, chairs catering takatanga kuchimhanya. We’re now a one stop shop for all your tombstone unveiling services.