For long Zimbos have been known as some of the best employees across the globe. Hardworking, loyal and ethical, we have filled top posts across many industries in the world!

Our solid educational system ensured that we produced top quality graduates for the industry over the years.

However there is one area we have been found wanting and it is entrepreneurship on foreign soil. There are not many or there could be  no listed business entity formed by Zimbabweans based abroad.

What worsens the situation is the individualistic nature of Zimbabweans. Zimbabweans on foreign lands prefer riding it solo and perhaps justifiably so as experiences abound of Zimbos who biteth the hand that feedeth.

There are so many scammers, plenty have been burnt whenever they tried to work together on business or even social ventures.

The worst enemy for a Zimbo on foreign land has therefore become a fellow Zimbabwean!

However we have good news for the forum as we have some members who have decided to challenge the strongly held notion of Zimbabweans not  working in harmony.

They have formally registered in South Africa a company named BIG ( Big Ideas Galore). This is a huge milestone for the country as we witness a second generation of Zimbabweans who venture into serious entrepreneurship projects across Limpopo.

An investment firm, they will operate through a crowdfunding model harnessing resources from like minded Zimbos in South Africa. They mean business-serious business….

Of course it’s a long winding road but through perseverance, they will conquer. Expect more updates from our members as they undertake the entrepreneurship journey which will ultimately result in the first JSE listed Diaspora business.

We wish them the very best.

Most of our top priorities for the first half of the year have been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic but we managed to achieve a few such as;

1. Book Publications: We managed to publish our eagerly awaited 2020 Business Opportunities for Zimbabweans and launched it at Capitalk Gardens in Harare. We also got an opportunity to showcase the book on the national TV. The South Africa Business Opportunities Book also came with the Digital Marketing Book being the third one.
2. ZBIN TV: We launched our small Youtube TV Network and managed to feature a couple of our members.
3. Monthly meetings: We started holding monthly meetings with 2 in Harare and a similar number in South Africa. Well attended meetings attracting a total of 400 members in Harare and 26 in South Africa.
4. Partnerships: We partnered with Capitalk Radio for the use of their premises for our meetings and feature of our members on radio.
5. ZBIN RIDE: We launched the ZBIN Ride which helps our members to share rides and send parcels at preferable rates
6. Digital Marketing Training:We conducted a Digital Marketing Training for 700 members during the Covid-19 lockdown

Top Priorities for the next 6 months

1. Funding for members: We have been approached by a leading bank interested in funding  our members involved in agricultural activities and we are currently compiling a list
2. Crowdfunding Initiatives: We will ramp up crowdfunding initiatives targeting at least 5 successful projects
3. Women’s Forum: We were supposed to launch a women’s forum in April 2020 but due to Covid-19, we will push it to the later part of the year
4. Forum Tours: We will be conducting at least 2 tours during the last quarter of the year with provisional destinations being Nyanga or Mtoko
5. Telegram Account: As of 1 June 2020, our Zimbabwe forum has 70,000 members and our RSA forum 90,000. Our forum views per month up to 700,000. We have created a Telegram account with a target of 20,000 members by end of year
6. Monthly Meetings: We created suburb specific groups for Bulawayo, Chinhoyi, Bindura, Marondera, Norton, Chitungwiza, Beitbridge, Namibia, Zambia, Botswana, South Africa and various Harare groups. The objective is to have these areas conducting monthly meetings and fairs after the lockdown with a target of a total of 10,000 of our members attending by end of the year
7. More Virtual Classes: We will be conducting more online trainings and meetings online through platforms such as Zoom