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 cheetah is the fastest land animal in the world. A cheetah can reach 112km/hr in just three seconds! Its body is built for speed, with long legs, an elongated spine, claws to grip the ground, and a tail for balance.

Sprinting at such super speeds obviously takes up a lot of energy. A cheetah chase is usually limited to 20-30 seconds with few pursuits exceeding 60 seconds. Due to their limited endurance, the pursuit of their prey must be well-timed out. Unlike most other wild cats, cheetahs do not ambush their prey within springing distance. Prey must be spotted within seconds or stealthy stalked for hours. The success rate of catching its prey is usually about 40%.

Strategic planning

Cheetahs are the smallest of the big cats and as such, have the potential to lose their hard-won kills to larger competition like lions and leopards. Therefore, they hunt during the day and usually early in the morning or late in the afternoon rather than at night.

As a business, what’s your niche? Who and where are the potential consumers whom you can target with your products and services which your larger and more established competitors can’t or won’t reach? Nowadays it seems that everyone else is proving the same services and products. How many times have you heard people saying that they are not making any sales because the market is oversaturated? Yes, the market is flooded with mabhero, cheaper solar products, auto spares, etc. What is your USP? What sets you apart from competitors?

Who is your target audience?

Are you leveraging your strength to attract new clients? Do you know why consumers are not buying from you? What are your limitations and what boundaries can you set for your business?

I usually ask my clients, “Who is your target audience?”, but often get wrong answers every time. Imagine if the cheetah would prey on every single animal in the animal kingdom, the giraffes, elephants, and hippos, it would not end well Stop saying that your target audience is “everyone.”

Finally, the rapid pace of a cheetah is only made possible by the coordinated movement of a body optimized for speed. Imagine your business’s marketing strategy working in perfect harmony towards a single common goal.

Mambo’s Chickens never miss a stride when it comes to digital marketing. They’re always on top of things. But some of you are a little too slow in catching things and following the latest trends.

Your turn: What other marketing lessons do you draw from the cheetah?