There are very few platforms available for promoting entrepreneurs in Zimbabwe and ZBIN is one of them. We enjoy creating space for unknown entrepreneurs and our Premium Chats helps boost profiles of our members. Getting them known on the forum and beyond. ZBIN has a good number of deaf entrepreneurs and we bring you one of them, Netsai Kembo.

Below we cover her recent Premium Chat.

How I  started

In my hustling, cooking, and baking, I came across many people who were amazed that a deaf person can cook and bake nicely. So they became interested in learning from me….Initially, I lacked confidence as a person without hearing ….how I would interact with the hearing. But then I remembered my job….a deaf teacher who teaches both deaf and hearing students… So I mustered up boldness to teach people from all walks of life to cook and bake.

Building Confidence

To build confidence, I started teaching family and close friends….that helped me note some loopholes in my trainings and prepare for solutions. With the advent of Covid, we sat home doing nothing in the first lockdowns. Later people realised they could be productive in lockdown. So I took advantage of that ….and invited family and close friends….that helped me gain confidence to reach out to other people who wanted to learn cooking and baking.

Digital Marketing

I created, or rather founded a WhatsApp group Empowered Chefs where I would care for my students imomo…..their questions and answers…I also added any new interested persons who were in doubt that a deaf person can train cooking and baking to a maximum benefit of many….they watched posts from the group and many of my students were doing wonders….so the doubting Thomases became convinced and joined the trainings….teachers, police, medical personnel etc Did I lie….Not at all…..I don’t see gains in lies.

Professional background

Professionally, I am a secondary school teacher. I hold a Bachelor of Arts General Degree from UZ and a Post Graduate Diploma in Teaching Secondary School, from UZ again.

I teach at one school for the Deaf in Harare. Ironically the school introduced integration teaching (teaching a mix of Deaf and Hearing students together) and I found myself teaching both Deaf and Hearing students.This gave me some super powers that later benefitted me in my side hustling.

Wait and hear more on this….keep following

Initial Trainings

Initial trainings during lockdowns…..Pics coming…..hanging in network

I trained them, both male and female. Not one not two…..but many kkkkk

How the numbers quickly added up….

I took pics during training and posted on my status….

Also those I trained carried the word that kune mu Deaf arikudzidzisa vanhu cooking and baking….so the trickle continued quickly adding up to amount to over a hundred people..

Group Trainings

But hold….the people in the pics are not wearing their work badges like police, teacher, medicines and all…..NO….They are all wearing Kitchen work stuff…

I made it a point that munhu wese coming for training anopfeka white top and black skirt/trousers and flat shoes. I could identify my students coming for lessons while they were still a hundred metres away….I knew the dressing….I made it code. And the benefits….we all looked professional and into serious business that was.

Totem Cakes

Totem cakes….this particular one has a story…

Had an order for a Shumba cake…when about packing it for delivery I got a message for cake order for someone’s dad…the son was seeing to it to please their dad…so I kind of posted him the one shumba cake I was packaging, for Inspo….and he was like that’s my dad’s cake ….please deliver this one to us. I pointed out this one was for some other dad, and i was going for the delivery right away…he cried and said but that’s exactly my dad’s cake, he is a shumba.

I begged that iro muridzi waro akatomirira. So him too he begged to do the same shumba design for his dad and deliver it to them that same day….I noted time and told him that it would be late. He said time wouldn’t matter…apo he stays in Windsor Park Ruwa, ini Budiriro. He insisted that he wouldn’t get it anywhere but from me. I felt his please and sacrificed to make the 2nd Shumba cake and delivered it @CBD @2030Hrs of the day …what a client.

It is extremely complex to get Zimbabweans to work together. We generally prefer riding solo and where we agree to work hand in glove, it is usually for a brief period before squabbles kick in especially power struggles. So we have every good reason to celebrate the Jangano Crowd Fund for showing the light to many small business owners.

And our business model was very simple:

1)Drafting a simple constitution to safeguard investment-it took us 4 months of serious brainstorming,

2)Bank Funds with FBC Amarounds Account: Avoid handing cash

3)Secure land from reputable institutions. No purchases from individuals. Target new developments from small towns. In our case (Rawson Properties)

4)Transfer funds electronically and conclude the deal

Lessons Learnt.

-It is doable although you need tons of patience as decision making is collective.

-Some could reach the final line but decide to leave. So budget for withdrawals.

-Keep subscriptions low and avoid big figures or big land out of reach.

-The game is move slowly, acquire small land-develop and keep moving.

In April 2026 we are expecting our next Crowdfund called Thuthuvaka to also buy land after running for 9 months. Interested in land acquisition? We have a new one coming from mid January 2026.

*Meanwhile we urge you to subscribe as a member to keep this page running in 2026