Diaspora Matters

By now millions of Zimbabweans should be aware of boundless job opportunities on cruise ships. The good news is our forum played a crucial role in promoting free information on access to job opportunities last year. Interestingly there was at first strong resistance before floodgates were opened.

Over the past few weeks cruise ship made rare headlines in Zimbabwe over a leaked Msc Memo banning Zimbabwean workers from exiting the Miami Boarder from cruise ships. But is it a blanket ban? It depends on circumstances affecting each cruise liner. The good news is there is massive recruitment going on. However competition for jobs has shot through the roof. The good news is from the 1st of February 2023, Carnival Cruise liner is now paying for airfares for successful candidates!

2 Approaches for landing jobs

The first one is online and this is why we are sharing them here. The second one done through Walk In Fairs and conducted in South Africa and to a limited extent, Botswana.

First learn the basics of making your own resume which is tailor made for cruise ship jobs.

Then follow the links below for applications.

www.carnival.com

careers.royalcaribbeangroup.com

https://virgin.myapollocareer.comhttps:

www.allcruisejobs.com/https:

disney.cmail20.com

https://grisa.hirecentric.comhttps:

cast-a-way.com/southafrica/https:

careers.hardingretail.com

virgin.myapollocareer.com

https://www.ncl.com

https://cast-a-way.com/southafrica/https:

grisa.hirecentric.com http:

www.seabourncareers.comhttps:

www.jobtrain.co.uk/https:

www.shosholozaoceanacademy.co.za

https://leisure.vcrew.com/

www.windstarcruises.com

www.PG.cruises.com

We have excluded email addresses as this is PII (Personal Identifiable Information). So look for more links over the internet and who knows? You could join thousands of Zimbabweans who managed to land great jobs on cruise ships. Words of Advice–Expect to work your socks off. The salary is good but expect to work long hours.

The forum has some Subscribed Groups where we assist on latest information and onboarding processes. However you may not even need our services. Just use this information shared and you are good to go.

Kindly note; no direct calls but you can send Whatsapp messages.

The biggest benefit from joining our forum is access to opportunities information. You get to learn from experiences of others in the business sectors of your interest. In this article we feature Zbinite Mzoe whom we featured on our Premium Chat where he shared his experiences of starting a hardware.

My business name is Javelin Hardware & Construction

My motto is: A Mark of Excellence

Construction is a big industry with vast opportunities in supply, construction, interior deco and others,

Opportunities

One who solves the affordable housing market niche will reap huge rewards.

There is huge demand for entry level low cost housing schemes with demand far outstripping supply.

The supplyside has few headaches although the margins are low so it’s a volumes business

Risks

Clients who fail to honour payment terms,

As a capital intensive venture, one risks all profits when there is a huge supply side push and less demand for materials especially during ran seasons.

Advice to start-ups

Hardwares is a good business and one needs a minimum of US$10k to have a small decent hardware shop.

I have resorted to cutting deals with suppliers and accessing credit and also doing online business with diasporans. Diasporans prefer cash on delivery.

Interestingly most high value sales are done online.

How He Started: I became a middleman. Yes, I found a man with trucks and told him I will sell your sands and for every load give me $10.In my first 2 weeks I moved sands worth $1600. getting a commission of $300. One episode that really pushed me to go into hardware…

I got a job to renovate a house and showed the lady mikoto of cheap items and helped her get discounts. We bought paints, sands tubs, sinks, electrical items worth $7000.When I charged 1800 to do the renovations she said you want to buy a car? I was pained and left the job as I had saved her in excess of $900 using my contacts.

Let’s go to stats a bit: 1. Zim has a housing backlog of over 1 million and it’s still growing, 2. In Bulawayo over 2000 plans are submitted yearly, 3. A house needs between $10 000 to $60 000 in materials to be completed. These are items that a bought on cash.

Startup Figures:To start a hardware business you need between $0.00 like me to $10 000. There are these types of hardware, General hardware or specialised hardware, eg paints hardware, electrical or plumbing,

Shifting to Supply: However, in my journey as a builder I discovered some things that made me move towards supply.1. Even if you direct prospective home owners to the cheaper mikoto they wont thank you. In fact they want a further discount on your labour charge.2. Its the suppliers who give you ye drink for bringing a client.3. Labour fee is paid over a long period but all materials are paid up front on cash. I decided to move over to supply.

Requirements: A general hardware is capital and human resource intensive as construction is very broad. You need manpower who understand, plumbing, electrical etc.

Mostly those main items you need to build.

Cement Tricks: The curious case of cement, cement has a profit of 70 cents a bag. But cement is a client puller. Low profits but it pulls people who buy other items.

We have compiled a good number of business opportunities for Zimbabweans books starting with our debut in 2018 followed by the 2020 and we officially release our 2022 book for free to the public. Despite the small business sector playing a pivotal role in the economy, not enough is being done in terms of producing resources for use.

So our forum playing a small part in compiling and publishing books for use by Zimbabweans. Is the process easy? Not at all as it involves a lot of time in researches, conducting field tours, forum surveys and then reviews before publication.

The focus is on opportunities–the missing link in terms of available resources. In order to appreciate the book fully, we encourage you to read the 2020 book which is available on this site. The 2022 edition is a continuation of the journey we started in 2018. We hope you will find the book relevant to your needs. Meanwhile we are finalising the 2023 book which will be available exclusively to subscribed members.

So yesterday I was 70 kilometres away to the East of Harare, what did i see?

Anyway after passing the Mabvuku turn off an idea struck me,

How about a shopping mall at the turn off?

Mabvuku and Tafara residents have not experienced any new developments over the past decades. How about something exciting such as a mall that will also cater for Eastview, Ruwa and Highway Traffic?

Anyway back to the highway.

Surrey Stop Over

The big pies are still tasty and Surrey has replaced Halfway as stop over of choice along the Harare-Mutare Highway.

Big City, Big Mall

Marondera not yet a city but the massive expansion in residential population likely to make this the first City in Mash East

Most of the developments hidden from the highway but Marondera is one of the fastest expanding towns!

Residential area expansions. Looks like the diaspora dollars are doing the trick in oiling the real estate sector.

It’s therefore no suprise why a ‘new’ roofing material manufacturer has set up a plant in Marondera. Who owns it? Looks like the Chinese?

But the biggest news has to be a new massive mall coming up. A sign of Marondera telling the world they mean serious business!

And a town expert summed up the developments in the town.

‘A decade ago I needed 5 litres of fuel to drive around Marondera but today 15 litres not enough’

Looking for land? Put Marondera at the top.

•No traffic congestions,

•No pollution,

•Cost of living affordable,

The only challenge is ZESA but some of the surrounding farms could be turned into Solar Farms?

Our first Premium Chat in 2023 should be on Town Planning and we are inviting Town Planning Experts to tell us about developments around the country.

One easy entry point for new products especially groceries. Mealie meal, candy, rice, biscuits, flour, cooking oil…it’s a long list.

Problem Definition: Most tuckshop owners do not have capital to order goods and pay instant cash,

However they are willing to stock your goods, sell, keep profit and settle debts!

Provided…

You quickly collect your cash otherwise they will start giving you stories.

You need to develop strong relationships first and also play your part in marketing.

Success not instant as Zimbos generally do not accept new brands.

Theory?

No this is something I was hands-on involved in with our forum company Nutricio and this is well illustrated in our 2022 book.

Look at all the tuckshops around Zim and they should be +50,000.

This is one of the biggest markets for Innscor where is supplies bread. But you need to be mobile.

Struggling with launching new products, or pushing existing ones? Try the tuckshops model.

So you have to deal with family issues such as where to stay, education for young ones and others. After this what sort of business to do—but if you have been on this forum then you have plenty of ideas of what to pursue. The good news is that the forum is DIASPORA FRIENDLY!

On the streets of Zim you need at least 3 sources of income:

Daily Cashcows: There is not much profit to be obtained from daily cashcow businesses—sometimes they can even be break-even or losses but they help you meet daily expenses without putting pressure on your long term investments. Tuckshops, mshikashikas, buying and selling etc. Low capital outlay and may not last for long for new players. The businesses give you hardknock experience of how Zim operates. However pride may stop you from pursuing these ventures but over time you will appreciate the advice.

Medium term: Capital outlay higher and use the experience from daily cashcows to build your business and I would highly recommend setting up businesses where if they fail, you remain with buildings or equipment to start again or even lease. Invest in commercial buildings where you can afford—don’t limit yourself to towns—even growth points or rural areas targeting the peri-urban or mining areas. Building yako unoramba uinayo, chigayo chinoramba chiripo. Consider manufacturing equipment too—freezits making, oil processing, soap making—unorasika kwete zvakanyanya. The good news is you won’t run out of those interested in selling (B2E model)

Long term: Sometimes overlaps with medium term and includes houses for rentals, students accommodation, colleges, buses and lorries (make sure you insure), plots, ZSE investments, JSE investments, Crypto etc

Avoid renting if you can unless you are trying out a new business opportunity. Visit Seke, Dema, Domboshava for ideas and inspiration—but don’t be duped naanasabhuku. So a minimum of 3 areas you should pursue and you can add more depending on your situation. The good news is you can still find ways to use your skills whilst in Zim. A lot of SA companies likely to still need Zim expertise either as short term consultancies or virtual work.

If you can afford—attend several ZBIN Meetings and be inspired by others in business. Get advice from someone who has followed the same path of returning, engage a financial planning expert, visit others already doing what you intend to do, and take notes. In all of this include your spouses and kids too. All The Best.

Some 9 years ago, in 2014 – I was looking for land to do layers. My idea was large numbers of small stocks, consistent supply of product, a sustainable agricultural business morel. I had done thorough research, raised USD 5000 in capital and I was ready to start – I just didn’t have land close enough to my workplace.

In come this former college mate of mine, returning from SA and ready to take the market for cattle breeding. The man had worked for the Brahman Breeders Association here in SA and was knowledgeable of the record keeping, cattle calendar, breeding processes, inspections, disease control and marketing of cattle.

Preparation

He gathered 10 of us, friends from college and former workmates. Each was to put in $5000, to make it 50k. He had a small 15ha farm that his father had apportioned him from the family land and had deemed it good enough for a start. We all agreed and 10 of us signed the papers. We had 6 months to raise the said amount.

Problem 1: Of the 10 of us, at the end of 6 months only 2 had paid the required 5k – me and the guy who brought the idea. Another guy had paid $2k, two formally resigned from the initiative citing their doubts. The rest went AWOL.

Solution: During the 6 months the two of us did as much research as we could about cattle in Zim. We travelled to Matebeleland to see cattle ranges, we knocked doors on offices in the ministry and different breeders associations, we visited successful cattle breeders such as Mark Hook and Forrester, and also some up and coming black cattle breeders in the country, we attended auctions to understand the pricing and process. We improved our business plan, the business model, adjusted the budget accordingly. We tried recruiting others, and many shunned the idea, citing that the 5 year to profit was too long.

Finally, one guy was emigrating to Europe decided to throw a USD7k in – and we raised our capital to USD25k – now from 4 people.

Launch

We bought our first registered Boran Bull from Forrester for USD5500. Then started buying cows and heifers cattle from the community. We built a kraal of pole and fence – 1ha in size. We had a total of 22 females when we officially started. We continued and consistently bought heifers from the hood, at least two each every month for the three of us, one guy lagged behind as he was not sold on the idea entirely.

Operationalisation

As our numbers grew we needed labour and closer monitoring – we hired two guys from the community. Gave the accommodation, a salary and food. Our staff compliment is now standing at 10, including a Operations Manager and a resident Vet Technician who monitors and ensures animal health, keeps records and manages the calendar.

Problem 2 – Teaks and disease from cattle in the community. Rural folks dont manage their cattle as well as we wanted. So when cattle mixed ours would pick up teaks and disease. Our bulls we were accidentally servicing other peoples cows and got STDs (yes they are there in cattle too)

Solution – Isolation – we fenced off our pastures, built our own spray race (to avoid the public diptank), we quarantined the sick and new animals

Problem 3 – Small land means less food – we had to start buying supplementary feeds, especially for the dry season. We needed protein and mineral supplements, plus the starches.

Solution – Growing our own maize for starch. Its working so far but as numbers increase and as the business pivots, it may become unsustainable

Problem 4 – Bulls fighting – yes, that $5k bull starts fighting others. They need to establish hierarchy and who mates first.

Problem 5 – Uncontrolled breeding – yup, calves dropping unexpectedly are a problem, the mothers needs specialised care, you dont know who the father of the child is, and you cant know the performance of the bulls.

Solution to problem 4&5 – Keep the bulls away, and put them in twice a year for a period of two months each. It reduced the cost of managing the maternity ward (we know when we need to have our Vet doctor close), synchronised weaning and ended the bull fighting as each bull would go to a separate paddock of 40-50 females for 2 months., Afterwards, the bulls come back to their kraal. They never fight when there are no women to fight for – apparently. This also helped us to have “same age steers” which can be taken to auction together. Controlled breeding was a game changer for us.

*Commercialisation*

The 4 of us – shareholders – have strategic roles in the journey of our business. We have a

– Research & Development person who researches constantly on possible operational improvements, improving the business model and carrying capacity

– Finance Person – budgeting for strategic expansions and business growth, prioritising on ideas and options

– Community Relations – engagement with community and other key stakeholders

– Operations and Logistics – sourcing materials that we need and managing inventory

We have bought a number of farm implements to make our business efficient – cattle handling tools, borehole and a trucks. We are seeking a baler and a tractor for this year. We also have a motorbike for our operations manager and vet, to improve their mobility and availability.

Our herds are managed in 4 permanent groups

1. Bulls

2. Active Cows

3. Weaners

4. Bulling heifers

and temporary groups

1. maternity group

2. steers going to the market

3. new arrivals

4. hospital

Our numbers are closer to 400 now, with 8 active bulls.

*Pivot*

In 2020 we were operationally certified as Boran Stud Breeders, after a long gruelling journey of improving operations and transparency in record keeping. We are therefore focusing more on quality than quantity. This is the elite cattlemen’s club.

We are also moving into pen fattening, so we dont sell our steers for the cheap.

*Critical Success Factors*

1. Community – our community relations person was highly effective in engaging the community. We get maize and stover and extra pastures from community members, we give them milk everyday. They also help protect our cattle from thieves. Sometimes we do community auctions for people looking to buy oxen for draught power. We even have people who buy dead cows to feed their crocs, and some who bring broiler droppings to us for free.

2. Planning & execution – we always have a 5 year plan and a 2 year plan both being executed concurrently, we monitor and improve consistently

3. Staff – we live our team, we resource them and send them for training, we also pay them good salaries and benefits

4. Learning from the best – everything we did was not an innovation. We copied from other bigger market players

Who am I?

I am just another IT guy who hangs around people wiser than me, eager to learn and eager to teach for the betterment of the society I live in. Through all this, I have learnt deep lesson in personal finance, business, insurance, taxation and life in general.

I did not start the cattle business, I was fortunate to buy into the idea early. I have other businesses that we can talk about some other time.

Zvimwe zvacho zvinoda round table – but hamuuye kumisangano.

The name Mwandayi is well known in Honde Valley including most parts of the Eastern Highlands.

It is a business name from the late Mr Mwandayi who passed on in 1992 after a long business journey that began in 1948.

I welcomed an engagement from the family during the Easter Period back in April. An engagement to restructure the business and maintain the legacy of the founder.

More about Mr Mwandayi

Despite being orphaned at an early age, he rose despite the odds to set up an expansive business.

His seed capital: Hawking beads and bangles in exchange for agricultural produce in Nyanga (Chikomba Area) and selling in Rusape.

He used funds raised to set up a business in Hauna amongst people who had relocated from Tsonzo area in Mutasa.

The business expanded into a GMB Approved Buyer, Wholesale, Supermarket, Butchery and Bakery.

Business Model

His main business was buying grain from farmers and selling to GMB.

Transport farmers with their grain to his shops. Weigh the produce and pay them.

In return farmers would buy from his supermarket and later get free transport back home!

So most of the money in Honde Valley circulated in his hands. He bought 7 brand new trucks to ferry farmers and their grain and had Tax Authorities sending whites to do his tax computations!

Pause and calculate the present values of 7 brand new trucks to appreciate his phenomenal achievements.

Despite little education background, he endured all children had access to education including female children.

After passing on the children took over as he had groomed them well but most of them had married and living far away from the business.

Then 2008 happened…And adversely affected the business.

So 30 years after the demise of the founder we assembled at Mwandayis business and brainstormed on maintaining the legacy.

We took stock of what had happened and putting in place mechanisms for new strategy implementation.

I enjoyed the business ventures for vazukuru, the future Mwandayis.

The DNA has to continue for centuries!

To you entrepreneurs for legacy purposes, invest in commercial properties irrespective of location.

The money capital will inevitably evaporate but infrastructure will remain and becomes a starting point for future generations!

If you go visit the Mwandayis, there is ongoing progress with a new surgery being put in place. New lessees are coming up too.

The Girl Child? On inheritance planning don’t leave out the Girl Child. Yes they maybe married and start own families elsewhere but the Girl Child is passionate about legacy. Great checks and balances too!

So deeply ingrained in the success and maintenance of the legacy of Mr Mwandayi.

A business hero you are unlikely to see recorded in business books, but on ZBIN we will capture his story in our 2023 Book.

Location: North Eastern side of Zimbabwe, a distance of 96km from Mutare. Area is bordered by Mozambique to the East and from Hauna Business Centre the Moz Border is 40km away,

Hauna Name Source: What is the link between Honde Valley and Hauna? Well Hauna is in Honde Valley. So where did the name Hauna come from? According to legend, in the 1940s white settlers bought a farm and decided to relocate locals using a segregation system;

Une mari? Yes enda kuline uko uchagara pa farm,

Une mari? Hauna? Join queue iyo,

So those without cash found their way to the tsetse and mosquito infested Hauna area. So Hauna basically means Hauna Ca$h but is this necessarily true? Far from it—Hauna/Honde Valley could be argued to be the richest district in Zimbabwe! Blessed with rich red soils, constant water supply with most villagers connected to piped water what else can rural villagers ask for? Sprinkler mumunda?

Fruits & Veges: Your source of bananas, beans, avocados, potatoes, magogoya, oranges etc

Hauna Business Centre

I had a professional engagement of business scale up meeting over the Easter Holiday and enjoyed the slow development at the place. Population steadily rising with services such as grocery shops, hardware shops, small business manufacturing, flea markets etc. Ideally business centres should be developed through mega loans or institutions such pension schemes—NSSA, Old Mutual etc. However like the rest of business centres in Zim, development is funnelled through private investment hence slow development.

No bakery: Bread comes from Harare which is +300km away or Marondera. Previously bread used to be baked at the expanding business centre and a bakery exists and is lying idle,

Agro-processing: Zim is throwing away food –can you believe it? A lot of fruits just going to waste as locals have access to market challenges. An agro-processing plant was set up and is gathering dust—unbelievable! Perhaps private players should simply move in and tap into the agro-processing opportunities. Azere mabanana –avos, oranges, guavas—some transported to far and wide but there is still a lot more discarded.

B2E Model (Make others make money): Don’t cry foul when the Chinese take over the place as they are making inquiries.

Tourism: With Mutarazi Falls enjoying a lot of publicity, then tourism players—your opportunity on a silver platter,

If you prefer fully built areas—then stay where you are, But if you enjoy building and creating new opportunities then Hauna is the place for you.

To returning diasporas, include Hauna for exploration purposes. Target fresh produce for exports! If you fail to get land then consider leasing it and a lot of outsiders are doing it.

The year 2022 was no doubt was of our most action filled years with a lot of activities that included a Seedco Field Trip, Cruiseships Job Fairs, Business Showers, Suburb Chapter Meetings and others. We return to more activities in 2023 after a break and our first meeting was held in Mutare and was followed by the Carnival Cruise Liner Zbinites. The Carnival meeting was a historic one as it marked the first ever launch of our main staple food-sadza!

We will share the dates for the launch of the Business Showers as we seek to build on the 2022 momentum. We will also add business tours to Chiredzi and Honde Valley and be sure not to miss them.

Our South Africa Chapter will continue holding regular meetings and in Botswana we hope to hold our first forum meeting.

So keep checking the forum and do not be left out of the many events coming.