Hello and welcome to thefirst edition of iShaH magazine! On behalf of the iShaHteam, allow me to say thankyou for being a part of our journey to promoting, supporting and embracing female entrepreneurs and women in business.
Believe me not, women are still underrepresented in key fields. Despite trending statistics showing growth in female workforce, sectors like finance, engineering andtech still tendto be male dominated.
Yes, Genderbias in the workplace is still existing, while most executives agree the best person regardless of gender should get the job, thestories of women finding more success with a male or gender-neutral name on their CV demonstrates thatunconscious bias still exists.
It is undeniablytrue that women are still are still less successful when it comes to salary negotiation. According to experts, women’s own reluctance ask of higher pay is often cited as a factor behind the gender pay gap.
PAUSE! And thinkabout it-
A diverse work force is an innovative workforce. Men and women inevitably have different experiences and backgrounds, which shape their approach to business.
Challenging each other and collaborating with people who think differently can breed creativity andpromote innovative ideas thatpush institutions andorganizations forward.
WHAT is wrong with that? Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time to prioritize and benefit from a diverse and inclusive work environment!
The late African theologian, Desmond Tutu once said, “If we are going to see real development in theworld then our best investment is women”. – Yes! When a woman thrives the whole community benefits. When female entrepreneurs succeed, they are more likely to invest back into their families and communities- into education, nutrition, wellbeing and children’s health. Now that’s development!
Research has shown that women excel at the soft skills needed for business leadership and that’s a great advantage to an institution that wishes to grow. Yes, technical skills and knowledge are fundamentalto career success.
CEOs consistently cite soft skills as the most desirable professional attributes. Soft skills andemotional intelligence are a naturaltrait that women possess, so why not take advantageof such characteristics?
It’s time to look at women with a different perspective! It’s time to appreciate women! It’s time to let themothers, sisters and grannies take up their fair share of space and help develop the better world we all wish for!
Once again welcome to iShaH, we love, andwe appreciate you for being a part of our journey. Let’s support and embarrass the female gender
“Communications,Marketing and Advertising are indispensable tools towards success and growth in any business venture…”
Darik Solutions in Partnership with Zim Women –Led Micro Enterprises offersadiverse range ofbusinessand marketingsolutions, strategiesandideas that are customised to meetour clients’ standardsand exceed their expectations.
Zim Women-Led Micro Enterprises is a Proudly Zimbabwean,100% female owned company located inHarare,registered as a private company .Our iShaH Magazine isbymonthly to be officially launched in2023. The publication will focus on entrepreneurship advice,wealth and careers, work-life balance elements and culture forwomen, though articles.
Through the powerful stories shared inthe magazine, weaspire to givewomenthe courage to launch their owninitiatives Wehope to growour influence through targeted social media and givesupport to women to build profitable businesses.
OUR OBJECTIVE is to diversify the storytelling in this space in hopes that there are more Zimbabwean women participating in influencing in the NDS. We want to give Zimbabwean women the tools they need to rise among the ranks of the self-made by whatever means that they choose. We will create and curate content that helps ambitious women from multicultural backgrounds build their empires, achieve financial freedom.
Yourvision… our drive
Sinikiwe Marodza sinikiwe@ishahmagazine.co.zw +263 71 693 67 87
NGOs, Managers, Heads of Procurement, Tenders and Purchasing Officers, and the Private Sector.
EDITORIAL
CONTRIBUTORS
Contributors Universe Hangombe Deborah Kabongo Takunda Chakadya Kizito Sikuka
MAGAZINE DESIGN & LAYOUT
Darik Solutions Zw Victoria Chidarikire victoria@dariksolutions.co.zw Advertising Universe Hangombe universe@ishahmagazine.co.zw
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Zim Women-Led Micro Enterprises
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All editorial, business and production correspondence should be addressed to iShaH Magazine, Office Y10 NationalSports Stadium Manuscripts, illustrations and other material must be accompanied by a stamped, self-addressed envelope. No responsibility can be accepted for unsolicited material. The editor reserves the right to amend and to alter copy and visual materialas deemed necessary. Copyright by Zim Women-Led Microenterprises Allrights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted by any form or any means without prior permission of the publisher. The opinions expressed iShaH Magazine are not necessarily those of the publishers.
March 2020 may not be easily erased from many people's mind.
“This is the month that saw the “earth stand still” as most countries in the world imposed stringent socio-economic lockdowns, including travel and business restrictions in abid to contain the spread of the deadly novel coronavirus commonly known as COVID-19.
For example, business hours were significantly reduced from the normal 8am-10pm period to 8am3pm. In fact, some informal traders and entrepreneurs were forced to shut down with only well-established and multinational companies allowed to operate under strict trading hours.
However, for MelissaMwaleChiyangwa, the COVID-19pandemic presented an opportunity to tackle and seize these hard realities and turn them into opportunities to grow her business.
Chief Executive Officer of Messe Foundation or Messe Inc – alocal online lifestyle store that offers digital innovative solutions for Africa – saw the advent of the virus as a conduit to embrace the digital world and “expand wings”.
“The pandemic challenged minds and brought about the deep conversation of how the future of work looks like,” Mwale-Chiyangwa said in an exclusive interviewwith iShaH.
“We learnt during the pandemic that an organization or business is not authenticated by brick and mortar or having physical buildings. There are quite alot of online services that have since proved to be essential and offer agreat quality of service and www.messeinterior.com is one of them.”
But how exactly did MwaleChiyangwaand her company Messe Inc take advantage of the hard realities of the COVID-19 pandemic where people wereunder strict lockdowns and encouraged people to work from home?
“New technologies are also agood source of employmentand young people should now focus on investing in those skills to match the current requirement through the development of these new technologies,” she said.
IM: How did you become a young woman in business? Take us through your business start up stages..
IM: What influence did the Covid-19 Lockdown bring to the way businesses delivered services to their customers ?
MC: “Thepandemicaccelerated or fast tracked the need for online services because peoplewereon mandatory lockdowns and yet still needed services and products,” she said. “E-commerce businesses experienced massivegrowth in terms of customer base and sales.”
As a result of this massive online marketing becoming the main business marketing element, “COVID-19 had apositive impact on the growth of businesses to adapt to the technological eraand doing business was no longer restricted within one’s borders.”
IM: What would you advice to fellow young entreprenuers, now that we past covid-19 harsh lockdowns?
MC: I urge the youth to embrace information communication technology, saying technology is a good source of employment for the youth”
MC: What inspired me at first to start this business was financial freedom and time, but along the way I have realized building this business is no longer about me but changing the narrative of services and products in Zimbabwe “In fact, the story of my entrepreneurial journey began when I was 19 years old as an undergraduate enrolled at Midlands State University. At the time, I lived off an allowance of US$150 from my elder brother. I used US$50 to buy my foodstuffs and invested the remaining US$100 towards buying recharge cards to resell to college students.”
She said this business managed to sustain her throughout her college life, and after she graduated, she diversified into second-hand clothes.
“After completing my first degreeI got an internship at one of the local power companies, but I still continued my business of secondhand clothes.”
Being an entrepreneur at heart, Mwale-Chiyangwa continued with her entrepreneurial journey. However, her main aim was to make a positive impact on sustainable development in Africa.
IM: What inspired you to professionally get into entrepreneurship?
MC: After a deep introspection I realized I was strongly passionate about Africa
“As a continent that still requires much change, it dawned on me that I was the change I was seeking, I wanted a business that could change not only my life and that of my family but the lives of everyone around Africa, especially women I wanted to connect Africa to the rest of the world and to create digital innovative solutions for Africa I strongly believe technology will bring empowerment and transparency to African communities”
However, to start such a business required substantial capital of about US$50 000, which MwaleChiyangwa did not have This prompted her to sell her car, however the amount including her small saving from her proceedings were not enough Despite these setbacks, she never gave up but followed her dream “Whenever I am asked how I started my business I humbly and unashamedly say it was with a borrowed laptop and unpaid rent
IM: Where are you now in your career and what have you achieved so far?
MC: “And when I look back at my journey, I am happy,” MwaleChiyangwasaid, adding that one of her biggest achievements include being awarded the AfricaForbes 30 under 30 award.
Another notable milestone was being invited to Paris by Afrobytes in June 2018 to speak and share the African story about opportunities in E-Commerceand Blockchain in Africa.
“Sharing the African story to international investors made my dream more tangible. I believein creating solutions for Africathat work for Africainstead of duplicating the West and being given such aplatform served to cement the driveI have for Africa,”
IM: Share the impact that Messe Inc has on female entrepreneurship in Africa.
MC: “The overall impact for Messe Foundation has been positive, though we are growing at a slower pace than I had anticipated, we have had significant growth and impact through the females who have participated in our programmes” she said.
“We do hope in the future to have more partnerships and grow our platform to be able to give more access to African female entrepreneurs, access to skills development, personal development, entrepreneurship knowledgeand funding to grow their business beyond the African continent.”
On if entrepreneurship is an areathat is increasingly attracting young people to venture into, she said entrepreneurship is no longer a choice but more of away of life.
IM: Advice to fellow women in business?
MC: “The advice I will giveto young African women who would liketo become entrepreneurs is always be committed, always be disciplined because it’s not every day that you will feel motivated but even when you don’t feel like it, even when the odds are against you, show up! Never fear asking for help and don’t be afraid to fail, learn from your failures and start all over again until you get it right.”
IM: Locally whats your take on entrepreneurship?
MC: Entrepreneurship is increasingly attracting young Zimbabweans. However, I have seenas though in Zimbabwe it is no longer amatter of choice for one to be an entrepreneur or venture into whatever kind of business, it is now away of survival,” she said.
Mwale-Chiyangwasaid various factors have contributed to this trend including the rising unemployment rate that has forced many young Zimbabweans into entrepreneurship.
“I strongly believe that entrepreneurship should be strongly pushed by the passion for change and innovation rather for ones need to survive,” she added.
MESSE FOUNDATION or MessInc is a local online lifestyle storethat offers digital innovative solutions for Africa. The company has several subsidiaries including Messe Designs and Interior.
messedesignsandinterior.com
The past year into 2022 2022 has proved to be a great year for women in business across the country
As the iShaH magazine we did research and came up with areport that has shown great progress towards gender parity in leadership roles across businesses and institutions in Zimbabwe.
Our 2021 Women in Business report identified the window of opportunity that post-pandemic working practices could create for women to move into senior roles. In the wake of the pandemic, as economies slowly recover and businesses refine altered ways of working, that trend looks set to continue.
In our 2022 research, we see businesses taking deliberate, necessary action to create more inclusive working practices. They are prioritising employee engagement and opening the door to allow female talent access to senior positions in greater numbers than ever before. “It is essential for companies to become more equal,” says VictoriaChidarikire the chairperson of ZW-Led Micro Enterprises . “It is arequirement for being attractive to both customers and employees.
Gender equality is something weas leaders must prioritize every day, in every decision wemake.” These proactive policies have resulted in an overall increase in the proportion of women in senior management around the country, rising from top leadership positions.
Nationally Our 2022 research of the national state of play for Women Leaders offers an opportunity to see the big picture and challenge the status quo as we look across gender diversity benchmarks in different impact industries across the country. COVID-19 continues to have a disproportionate impact on women, for example, whether through job losses, caring responsibilities or discrimination in the workplace. It is our collective responsibility as women to take diversity in all of its forms much more seriously and urgently to ensure industries everywherein the countryrealizethe benefits of diverse leadership.
Now, despite all of this, change is being made for women in leadership. Especially in today’s political and socioeconomic climates, technology, organizations,
We spoke to some of the women different business sectors, and this is what they had to say..
The way we train future leaders will change
“Currently, women are trained to reach leadership positions the way men reach leadership positions through competition for power. However, as more employees and organizations are shifting toward more purpose-driven, peoplecentered business models (dueto COVID), I believe theconstruct of leadership will change. Instead of fighting for power, leaders will advocate for purpose – which is where women excel.Instead of the future leaders being trained to emulate men,they will be trained to emulate women.”,
“The shared experience we have all lived through over the last couple of years has encouraged us all to think about what we really want in our lives and in our careers Women especially are emboldened more now than ever to be the change they wish to see in their own lives and for the world we live in I believe in the year ahead, we will see more women make the moves from their current roles and careers they’ve built to take on entrepreneurship and build the companies, products, cultures, teams, and workplaces they want to see in the world and be a part of Frankly, I can’t wait to see more women make this jump ”
Lungi Dlodlo, CEO and Founder, VIP Hosting ZimbabweWomen leaders will continue to invest in one another’s success “While we certainly have a long way to go, I’m excited by the increasing number of women CEOs leading IPOs and large funding rounds As this moves from an anomaly to an expectation, we will see more investor support for women leaders at all levels in 2022 giving a chance for more voices and styles to build the next generation of companies ”
Mellisa Mwale Chiyangwa, CEO, Messe Luxe Apartments
Personal brands will inspire women to reach their full potential
“More women in leadership will have visible personal brands In previous years, the percentage of well-known “influencers” in many industries seemed to have fewer women That has changed over the past year and will continue to increase throughout 2022 Building in public or telling your story is a great way for women to lead by humanizing the journey they took in their careers
“There is abundant evidence that women want formal mentorship, are willing to mentor other women, and benefit greatly from having amentor at work. In addition, we know over the past year, companies are increasingly struggling to retain talent and prevent burnout – this problem is even more pronounced with women in the workforce who have disproportionately had to shoulder the burden of the pandemic. In 2022, I believe mentorship for women will(and should) be a big focus for organizations.
Companies see that their women employees need mentorship and starting a formal program will lead to more engaged and productive employees. As aleader at Zim Women Led Micro Enterprises Mentorship program, I’ve seen first-hand the benefits mentorship can have within dozens of leading organizations.”
In conclusion it is evident that companies will adopt more flexible policies that support women in and outside of work.
Companies have areal opportunity to show up for their employees and meet them wheretheyare. In 2022 and beyond, our hope is that more companies will adopt similar strategies and policies focused on flexibility so that women can continue to feel empowered and supported in the workplace, companies nationwide need to prioritize diversity and representation across roles, particularly at senior levels.
We have realised that equal teams offer more perspectives, something highlighted during the pandemic, when companies’ agendas have looked different. Many invisible structures and traditional networks are being torn down, which contributes to amore equal climate. This means that more women are more likely to take on more responsibility and step up to senior positions.”
Along with an overall rise in the percentage of senior roles held by women, we have seen all of the worlds regions perform positively.
The global increase is largely driven by improvements in Africa, Africacontinues to represent a success story for female leaders, reaching 40% of overall senior roles, well above the worldwide average. This is an increase from 39% in 2021, and a significant step up from 30% in 2018.
Ultimately, we would hope to see an even spread of female talent across all senior positions. Then the concept of gender specific skillsets and attributes will be abandoned, and individuals allowed to excel where their talents lie.
Women will create the type of companies they want to work for..Women leaders will continue to invest in one another’s success Mentorship will play a larger role in career development for women Clara Mlambo BoardChairman of ZimTrade receiving an award as the runner up for the Women Director of the Year Awardsat the 2022 AwardsCeremony Victoria Chidarikire Founder at Darik Solutions Zw
nternational Women’s Day is a global holiday celebrated annually on the 8th of March I to commemorate the cultural, political, and socioeconomic achievements of women.
The theme this year is #BreaktheBias - and campaigners were urging people to call out gender stereotyping and discrimination when they see it.
The campaign asks that people show their support for this year’s theme by posting selfies to social mediaposing with their arms crossed along with the hashtags #BreaktheBias and #IWD2022.
There are various ways to celebrate International Women’s Day.
Observance can include participation in all manner of digital and in-person social gatherings, including festivals, art exhibitions, and awards ceremonies among others organized by all kinds of governmental, nongovernmental and corporate institutions.
Locally we take you through the insights of an dinner event hosted by Zim Women Led Micro Enterprises which took place at one of Harare’s popular female owned restaurant's Chez Zandi’s which is in Lanark road in Belgravia.
As the Covid pandemic eased up, ZWLed MSMEs, hosted the event to help women bounce back and find themselves again after along pause in society. Accommodating and harnessing feminineenergy from all walks of life.
All Covid-19 protocols were observed at the entry point without interfering with the admission or slowing down the event commencement.
The ZW-Led MSMEs teamalso ensured attendees had easy access to tickets through the use of Click n Pay Africaa popular local events ticketing systems company.
The event kicked offwith introductions of all the guest speakers, media houses, sponsors and a virtual welcoming speech by the founder of the movement Zim Women-Led Micro Enterprises Miss VictoriaChidarikire
The line up of speakers included former Miss Zimbabwe OslieMuringai Matsikenyeri who gave an IWD speech on the topic “ Women at Work and how they they can forge change using our personal development skills.
After her speech the famous Zimbabwean MbiraQueen, Hope Masike gave amemorable treat with a thrilling reading of her recently released poetry book called "Dzevabvazeraas she shared her essay on women creatives followed by her amazing vocal performance.
Alongside other headline acts was performances from Nkatha, Dj Naida, Am Deboh and Anita Jaxson. Their messages revolved around women empowerment and the growth of the art industry as we also celebrated achievement by WOMEN CREATIVES.
This year women in sport and health were being celebrated for breaking the bias.
We see more women being involved in sport at an international level and winning global awards as well as breaking records at international level competitions such as the Olympics.
In the medical field, women are in the fore front leading in helping the world save life's especially during theglobal pandemic breakdown.
Coleen Nyamubarwa from Zambezi Beach Volleyball alocal new recreational sport in the country encouraged women to support women in sport followed by a motivational message from Zimbabwe’s body-fitness and figure athlete champion, Precious Mujuru who is the current biggest winner at the 2022 edition of theArnold Classic AfricaMulti Sport and Arts Festival.
Other topics in this year's theme included women in tech which was covered by Tsitsi Makoni a representative from mPOs a Zimbabwean mobile app company which supports SMEs to operate business using latest technology in their daily operations.
The dinner was graced by the backbone of our community, from athletes, radio & tv personalities, mediahouses and many more.
We concluded that Achieving gender equalityand empowering women and girls is the unfinished business of our time, and the greatest human rights challenge in our world And the continued fight for women’s rights is marked each year by International Women’s Day.
Celebrating Woman is away of feeling gratitude to the each and every woman in one’s life, be it in the professional or the personal life.
International Women’s Day is observed every year on 8th of March, and it is observed around the world to celebrate the velour of women.
In most of the countries the day has been observed as anational holiday. Women from various cultural and ethnic groups come together crossing all the boundaries to remember their struggle of many decades for peace, justice, equality and development.
The day allows women to raise her voice for an equal opportunity in whatever field shewants to participate in; same aman is provided with.
The bottomline ofcelebrating women’s day is dueto the widespread differences invarious fields-thepaydifferencebetween men and women, onlyfewseats for womenin parliament around the world, lack of awareness for womeneducationand many more.
International women’s Day all about feeling womenrealizetheir worth and giving themboost to achieveas per their actual potential.
On this day, the world unites to appreciate their courage to cross all the hurdles and make such tremendous improvement in all most all the spheres of life. Besides that, it is the most important thing to be given emphasis is the work that still needs to be done to fill that gap completely that had existed from ages.
A general myth that exists in the society is that issues related to women empowerment can only be addressed at an infinitesimally slower pace.
Many people out there in society believe that the gender gap not really exits, and some are also of the belief that the efforts made by individuals cannot actually make differenceto the gender gap that exists in the society.
These beliefs have over the years debilitated the power of women. The first in this Endeavour to eradicating this deep-rooted menace is realizing that the problem can only be identified and solved by interacting with the people who are irrational taboos of the society.
On this day we must realize that every single person’s contribution towards fighting athreat of the society counts. International women’s day is all about knowing everyone must work in their own way for changing the ugly face of the society.
www.zimwomeninbusiness.co.zw info@www.zimwomeninbusiness.c o.zw
Roughly eighteen years ago She was the reigning Miss Zimbabwe arepresentative of the country at the 54th edition of the Miss World Pageant.
She is testament that there is a fountain of youth in this world as she continues to glow in ageless wonder Oslie Muringai-Matsikenyeri is one of the most successful stories to ever emerge out of Zimbabwe’s modelling industry She stays relevant to this day for her work as an Image Consultant I sat down with feisty former beauty queen for aquick chat
IM: Brieflytakeus through thememories from Sanya City China and being runner-up at the Miss TourismWorld pageant?
OM: “Possibly one of themost life changing experience I’vehad, it would require its own interview in fact . I travelled to the Miss World a month and a half after winning Miss Zimbabwe, so the preparations were quite hurried, and I had no clue what I was about to experience. A month-long camp with some of the world’s most intelligent, ambitious, kind and beautiful and very diverse young women, albeit in a contest;
So, it was avery enriching, challenging and memorable experience all rolled in one. I made life ling friends from there and still in touch with alot of the ladies as we are part of Mission Onlus, an NGO founded by Miss Italy 2004 and has over 150 country representatives.
The Miss Tourism World pageant came afew months after Miss World, so I had obviously gained some valuable experiencefrom that.
I had a lot of support from our government through the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority and we were hosting the pageant, so I had to really do well for my country
Being the host, again to a bevy of queens of around the world and having the honor of taking them around Zimbabwe was an experience I will never forget. I have also maintained some relationships from that pageant..
IM: Fast forward to thepresent day tell us a bit about your line of work and thephilanthropic side as well?
OM: I am aqualified marketer and I currently work as an Image Consultant. My areaof specialty is Personal Branding, so it covers awide range of aspects from Personal grooming and etiquette training to professional image management.
OM: Almost as important as it is to build your business brand as an entrepreneur, it is also important to create and manage a personal brand because most times as an entrepreneur when you go out there to sell your business, you are also selling yourself A personal brand boosts your credibility, improves your work opportunities and differentiates you from your competition
IM: Whyis personal branding important? Why would an entrepreneur want to build their personal brand?
IM: How can onegrowtheir personal brand as a woman in a professional business environment?
OM: I believemostimportantly there should be strategic intent to build and grow a personal brand.
Do aSWOT analysis of yourself as a professional. Strengths,weaknesses, opportunities and threats.
What are your goals professionally? What personal brand do you want to grow in order to achievethem?
Take the necessary steps required to grow or manage your personal brand. This may be in theformof personal, professional or online image management or self development.
Finally, personalbranding is not once off. It’s about building acoherent and consistent message about yourself thereforeis an ongoing process.
IM: What do you thinkit is themain reason womenfail to advancein business seeing that thewealthiest business owners are still men?
OM: There are several factors that point to global gender gaps in business, work, education and the society in general and achieving parity is still a long way off. However, I wouldn’t say ‘women fail in business’ as your question state because statistically, women makeup a larger number of entrepreneurs.
IM: What’s moretrustworthy: personal or business brand?
OM: Naturally, consumers tend to trust personal brands more than business brands. This comes from the notion that business are generally created for profit so are driven by ‘selfish reasons’ per se. Consumers are not inclined to think the same way about individuals. That is way there is an increase in personal brands endorsing business brands.
IM: What’s needed to havea profitable personal brand?
Just like product or business branding, there is also personal brand equity and there are several dimensions to it.
Some of the dimensions of personal branding include brand recognition
For an example; Am I known in my professional field?), brand appeal
Do I have a positive profession reputation that will make others want to work with me?)etc.
So, in order to have aprofitable personal brand, one needs to build in their brand equity through all those dimensions.
IM: How do I build a personal brand alongsidea business?
OM: With resources nowavailableto us, I believeit is noweasier for entrepreneurs to build their personal brand alongside their businesses, ifthey choose to do so.
Digital media allows for entrepreneurs to market their businesses whilst simultaneouslyusing their personal brands therefore somewhat establishing themselves as an ‘expert’in that area of business.
Hybrid brands are increasingly becoming popular as peopleare now using their personalbrands alongside their business brands.
IM: How do you think the modeling world has in Zimbabweand what needs to be done to makeit a lucrative franchisefor business owners?
OM: Zimbabwedoes not have a ‘modelling industry’ to talk of anymore and that’s the honest truth. However, if you are referring to pageantry then REBRANDING is what needs to be done to make it lucrative.
IM: I understand you are married to Stuart Matsikenyeri and you have two lovelykids. Describe married lifeand motherhood how has it altered your existence from pageantry?How do you jugglemarriage, motherhood, and business?
OM: Wehave been married for almost 17years, we have a15-year-old son and a 12-year-old daughter. I can only give thanks to God for His grace upon our lives.
As for trying to balance those 3, I am no juggler so yes there are certain areas that have suffered seasonally whilst others thrived. And I am ok with that. I believe women should not be pressurized to try and balance everything. It is ok to for support. It is ok not to do well in some area because another areaneeds you more during a certain season.
As I have been studying, I have learnt not to beat myself up for missing my son’s cricket match because I have a weekend lecture.
IM: And aboutthat glow?So many years ago, you werethemost beautiful woman in Zimbabwe, and it looks as if you haven't aged at all! Kindly share with our readers your beauty secrets?
Good genes firstly, Then basically respecting my body and understanding it’s the only I have, and I must take care of it. That includes wearing sunscreen and drinking alot of water but does not exclude agood glass of red wine (lol)
IM: How do you unwind after a long day at theoffice?
Well, I only get to unwind very late at night when everyoneis gone to bed. A glass of wine helps there too
The Ministry ofWomen Community Small and Medium Enterprises Development embarked on a country wide four day Start Up
development program from the 28th of March to 1 April for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the productive sector in abid to facilitate the growth of new businesses to achieve thenational manufacturing targets and promote rural industrialization in line with the set target of having 15000 new SMEs by 2025.
The workshop which was held in various points around the country saw convergence of various SMEs around the country not only to share ideas and network but to learn more about the problems and possible challenges that are hindering development and growth of businesses and how they can be mitigated.
Under their current mantraof “Supporting Business Management Training, Market and Financial, Linkages , Coaching and Mentorship", the ministry gathered various small business owners from vast sectors in Manicaland and the Midlands province to impart knowledge on effective ways of business management and growth opportunities within different sectors.
SMEs were implored to embrace the concept of research in order to penetrate new markets and cater for various market needs in line with the major goal of rural industrialization.
The Start up workshop saw presentations from vital stakeholders in the business sector including the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (ZIMRA), Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (PRAZ) and Standard Association of Zimbabwe (SAZ) in in order to impart knowledge about the requirements and major steps in setting up and operating successful a business in Zimbabwe.
Major focus was given on issues relating to registration and formalization of SMEs in order to facilitate growth and compliance which are major steps in building a successful business.
Given the magnitudeand spread of the sector throughout the country in both rural and urban areas, channeling support services to reach out to individual SMEs is a mammoth task for the Government,
Therefore, it is important for the SMEs to be organised into associations to facilitate effective support interventions": Hon. Dr. Sithembiso Nyoni.
The workshop ended with awarding of certificates to all aspiring business owners who were in attendance.
One answer could be“the broken rung” Women remain underrepresented in software engineering and computer related jobs.
The global research shows women in tech statistics shed light on the causes and effects of the gender gap in the technology business. Only 25% of computing jobs are held by women. The percentage of femaleSTEM graduates is about 19%. Women leave the tech industry at a45% higher rate than men.
What leads to low representation of women in tech?
The death of women in tech positions is often attributed to alack of enthusiasm for technology-oriented subjects at graduation level and high dropouts. Apart from that, unfairness or mistreatment withinawork environment is also cited to be amajor reason why women do not continue their careers in this sector.
The most female-dominated majors are Social Work Healthcare, Administration, Anthropology, Nursing and Human Resources whilst themale dominated occupation/fields are Commercial and industrial designers. Marketing managers, Management analysts, Producers and directors, Chemists which are all techsavvy jobs.
But as of 2022 even with efforts to increase diversity and inclusion,the technology industry remains amaledominated field. At large global technology firms, women account for about 33% of the workforce in 2022.
We can go on to askwhy is it important to includewomen in tech Why is it important to include women in technology?
Having more women in techcan foster the growth of women-related tech products. The men in tech are less likely to design products not associated with them. But women with tech skills can help make tech products more balanced. For instance, voice recognition systems need to portray male and female voices.
We can not argue that gender affects the use of technology, Among the general population, sexand gender have played asignificant role in determining the intention of accepting new technology. Additionally,men were more adept at using technology, specifically devices such as computers, email services and electronicdata managements.
The term “women in tech,” though well-meaning, has become degrading and disempowering for women. I believe women should thinkof themselves as technologists, not as “women in tech.” If “women in tech” is about gender equality, then it’s well past time that we definegender equality at work and fight for it.
In the beginning of my career till now most of the working environment I have been, I am mostly surrounded by men who sometimes thinkas adigital marketer, I am likely to under perform my duties unless am monitored by a male colleague as my supervisor .
I believe the movement for “women in tech” is stuck. I can’t say definitivelywhat it is asking for, but if it wants to elevate women because of their gender instead of their skills, If you want women to feel morewelcomein tech, stop using the term
Steps to boost women’s digital power and involvement in technology should include:
• Integrating digital literacy skills into women’s programming. This should go beyond simple introductions to technological devices and platforms to learning how to use them strategically to best support their efforts.
• Supporting and funding programs that help women develop technology-based businesses or organizations.
• Advocating for women’s use, access to technology and social mediawhere it may be restricted. Attention should be paid to communities that hinder women’s use due to economic or social standards; these are the communities wherewomen could benefit from its power the most.
The Zimbabwe Women’s Microfinance Bank (ZWMB), disbursed loans worth $224 552 647and
facilitated the opening of 98 876 accounts between last year (2020) and this year (2022) so far to support female entrepreneurship, Thebank, established in 2018 to support aspiring female entrepreneurs, wants to support women living in rural areas with limited access to conventional commercial banks.
They have been going around the country in each province to inform women about abank that supports the financial needs of their small soletrader projects and businesses.
They have been working hand diligently with the Ministry of Women Affairs. In a speech at one of the ZWMB events in partnership with the Women’s Affairs, Small and Medium Enterprises Development Minister; Sithembiso Nyoni said “the bank disbursed $224,5 million to support financial inclusion and entrepreneurship among women “.
The Zimbabwe Women Microfinance Bank has performed exceptionally well since its establishment. The bank has become avital conduit in promoting financial inclusion and entrepreneurship for women through the opening of banking accounts and facilitating the provision of business loans,” she said.
For more information: Contact us on: HarareBranch (024)2251531,704871 www.womensbank.co.zw info@womensbank.co.zw
ZWMBat the DetergentsGraduationinGwanda, MatebelelandSouth, Openingaccounts
As a result of the loans, the ZWMB created 123 019 jobs and sustained 153 771 jobs.
The revelation by Nyoni comes over a month after the bank’s chief executive officer, Dr. Mandas Marikanda revealed that demand for loans to female-led companies was robust, with many potential recipients currentlyfinancially excluded
MSMEs need to improve on business management skills and relationships with their bankers in order to take advantage of the Funding initiatives that are available for the marginalised groups from the Zimbabwe Women's Microfinance Bank. Dr. Marikanda, the CEO of Women's Bank presented the products that are available for Women and young people to enable them to set up sustainable businesses and better participate in their respective value chains.
Congratulations to ZimbabweWomen’s MicrofinanceBankfor Winning the ZNCC Mashonaland Region 2021 Financial Institution supporting Micro Smallto MediumEnterprises Award…..Creating A Woman With Power!
Shingi Gundu is a Human Resources Practitioner and consultant with well over 35 years of experience 32 of which she has been running her own company, Flair Employment Agency & H R Consultancy since 1990 She is a licensed and certified Master Coach accredited by the International Coaching and Mentoring Foundation (ICMF)
Her coaching niches are that of Life Coaching, Human Resources, Leadership, Executive and Business Coaching
Master Coach Gundu has a Master of Commerce in Strategic Management and Corporate Governance (Midlands State University), master’s In business administration (Zimbabwe Open University)
She is also a holder of a Diploma in Personnel Management (IPMZ), Certificate in Public Speaking (ICMF), Qualified Human Resources Auditor(SABPP) and Strategic Management Trainer for Small-to-medium Enterprises (ILO Certified)
She is also a published writer and has authored two books namely Liberating Your Talent Gifts And Divine Purpose as well as a business must have for women in business, Ten Commandments To Run Your Business Successfully
IM: How would you definecoaching?
SG: Coaching can be defined as a relationship in which a professional or trained coach supports the development of a coachee who is willing tobe helped
A coach will not prescribe but lays bare all the information and options that a coachee should be able to make a decision from A coach helps you toget from point A to point B
IM:
SG: Everyone needs a coach First and foremost, those who want to become the best version of themselves Those who want to change their mindsets, to be transformed and toachieve setgoals
IM: Whatare the benefits of coaching with regards to individual growth?
SG: The coachee goes through a self discovery process leading to more life/ job satisfaction Some benefits are that one is assisted to achieve goals, and they become self reliant
The coachee will also be able to account for their own actions leading to becoming a better person In short, they become the best version of themselves
IM: Whyshould oneconsider Life Coaching as an importantaspect of business administration and Strategic planning?
SG: Because Business Administration and Strategic planning are crucial for business success, it is beneficial for employees and management to get the necessary skills required to have winning strategies The assistance of a coach is vital because most organisations do not take time to coach management in Strategic planning They need a qualified coach in the area of strategic planning
When it comes to building a business, there are many entrepreneurs who build for the short-term. They look at abusiness to make an extra couple thousand bucks. Instead, they should be building something that’ll last for years to come.
Focus on building a business with a legacy by doing what you do so often that you do it better than anyone else. Like theRomans, you should focus on high-quality products and like the Chinese manufacturing replicaindustry you should have a well-defined niche.
The selection of thenicheis where people often realize they’ve made a mistake. If you go too broad with a general business, you might struggle to know who your audience is.
If you’re too specific with abarre class socks store, you might find your niche is too narrow. Not only that but there’s also aseasonality aspect. For example, if you’re selling maternity clothing, women are only pregnant for nine months. After she gives birth, she likely won’t be shopping on that store anymore.
So, when it comes to deciding on a niche, choose aniche that’s popular year-round (Google Trends can show you how stable a niche is). You’ll also want to choose a niche that’s popular such as at least hundreds of thousands of monthly searches like fashion, beauty, fitness, or home decor. And finally, aniche that isn’t short-term so avoid maternity, weddings, or any niche business you won’t be able to build a long-term email list with. Try some unusual business ideas instead!
An important business tip for new entrepreneurs is to create abusiness that solves aproblem. If you asked most failed business owners what problem they solved, they either can’t answer or the problem they solved wasn’t urgent enough.
The problem you solve doesn’t need to be complicated like curing a disease. It can be simple, such as we help people overcome boredom by providing an entertaining experience. But ultimately,you need to know what you’re trying to accomplish with your business. By knowing what burning problem you’re solving, you can use that in your marketing to help people understand how you can help them best. For example, if you sell antisnoring products, you’ll want your ad to show the frustration a snorer can have on a person’s sleep. And then showcase your product as the handy solution that’ll allow them to sleep through the night again.
One of the biggest sources of conflict in business comes from unmet needs. If a customer doesn’t get the service or product they were expecting, their needs won’t be met, and they’ll feel frustrated. Themost important business tip when it comes to managing customer relations is to always empathize with the customer.
When you recognize their frustration as pain from not having their needs met, it’s easier not to take the insults they hurl at you, personally. Instead, you can focus on trying to listen to what they say by mirroring the intent behind their words. And eventually, you work on coming to a resolution that meets their needs and leaves your customer feeling heard. By doing this instead of simply giving a refund, you open the doors to building a long-term relationship with them even if they were upset with their first experiencewith your brand.
When it comes to building a business, there are many entrepreneurs who build for the short-term. They look at abusiness to make an extra couple thousand bucks. Instead, they should be building something that’ll last for years to come.
Focus on building a business with a legacy by doing what you do so often that you do it better than anyone else. Like theRomans, you should focus on high-quality products and like the Chinese manufacturing replica industry you should have a well-defined niche.
6.
Most entrepreneurs are obsessed with revenue. “I made $900,000 in eight months,” they claim.And you can’t help but ask, “Did you really though?” Because digging deeper, you’ll often find that profit is much more important than revenue. Sure, you made $900,000in revenue but if your profit after eight months is only $10,000 was it reallyworth the work? And is that even sustainable? Probably not.
Make the switch to transition from thinking about revenue to thinking about profit. The more profit you have, the more money you have to reinvest in your business, employees, and your own success. As an entrepreneur, you get paid last. Your startup costs need to be paid first. So you’ll want to make sure you’re making more than enough money to treat yourself too. Check out.
According to serial entrepreneur Naval Ravikant, he believes that product/market fit should actually be founder/product/market fit. Essentially, what that means is no one else could run that business better than you. Ideally, you should start abusiness that matches your exact skills, experiences, and personality. This goes beyond doing your passion and actually doing what you’re destined to do. How can you contribute meaningfully to the world through your business? By doing something that only you can do, you can create alegacy that lasts while making an impact in the world. To sum up this business tip: start the business only you can start.o sleep through the night again.
8. Start with anarrow focus & expand
Amazon didn’t start as the everything store. It started as a simple bookstore. And they slowly expanded into toys and other products as time went on to expand their business. That’s how you build a general business. One of the most important business tips is to always start with anarrow focus and expand into relevant verticals as you scale.
By having a narrow focus, you can build a loyal audience who knows what to expect from you. It also gives you awell-defined audienceto make your marketing easier. For example, you can start a women’s fashion store.
At first maybe you sell apparel. But eventually you can expand into shoes, jewelry, fashion accessories, or beauty. Or you can go in a different direction and expand into men’s fashion and children’s fashion. Both types of online stores make sense and have natural vertical complements.
Additionally, you can test out oneproduct store ideas before opening a bigger website. But first, you do should aim to have a big audience and loyal shoppers. You need to know that there’ll be demand for the verticals you do eventually expand into.
9. Always be awareof your competitors’ moves
Business can be cut-throat. Your competitors will always try to knock you down so that they can remain at the top. While you don’t want to obsess over your competitors you do always want to be aware of what they’re doing so you can stay ahead of the game. Which products and services do they offer?How do they market their brand? How do they price their products and services? How do they treat their customers
You need to find out every little detail in the early stages so that you know how to compete. If you find they offer agreat product but terrible customer support, you can put a bigger emphasis on customer relations.
You need to find out every little detail in the early stages so that you know how to compete. If you find they offer a great product but terrible customer support, you can put a bigger emphasis on customer relations. The goal is to find out what their overarching weaknesses are and make those are your strength while still having a great collection of services and products for your customers. But remember, don’t obsess too much over the day to day of your competitors. Your obsession should center around your customers and employees. Make those two groups happy and you’re golden
10. Just do it even ( ifisn't perfect)
The last business tip for new entrepreneurs comes from Nike, just do it. And I don’t just mean starting it. I mean get out of your head, stop overthinking, stop questioning whether you’re making the right call, and just do it.
New entrepreneurs can sometimes be well on their way with their business only to have their thoughts cloud their mind. But that only delays your success. Will you make mistakes? You bet. Willtherebe challenges?
Yup, and you’ll need to jump high to get over them. But isn’t this what you signed up for? Entrepreneurship is about going all in. It’s about taking big risks so you can live the lifeyou want.
The goal isn’t to win the award of perfection. The goal is to build a business that helps people solve a problem. And the sooner you can do that, the sooner you can make people’s lives better.
That’s the impact your business can have on someone’s life.So, the sooner you launch it, the more people you can help.
NB;The Safe House isourmostvitalprogramandtheprojectin the mostneedofsustainable support. Please considerdonating to thiscriticaleffortandwe welcome volunteerswillingto teach lifeskillsaswell. Currently,theday-to-dayoperationofthesafe house islargelydependentonindividualdonorfundingandinkinddonations.
The trust is in urgent need of its own transportation for maternity needs which include.
Transportation to hospital for the teens while in labour, hospital visiting errands, medical emergencies for children, donation picks, Hopley outreach’s and living assistance programs. On average the trust needs to be in Hopley two times a week and about 6 times a month to assist the labour cases both in Ruwa and Hopely.
✓ Is in need of monthly groceries worth $300 US a month.
✓ Medication provision for babies ( including baby formula)
✓ Market for the income generation projects ( sewing and baking)
✓ Capacity to share benefits of all vocational training done at the safe house to the Hopely group
✓ Yearly registration of O’LEVEL students
✓ Provision of gas and payment of utilities such as ZESA ( electricity)
Actionsofthe few:TheCharltantrust safe housewas founded inOctober 2019.This was after theinitialpilot oftheproject within communities hadshown thatdealing with problems ofteenmotherhood byjustgiving accesstoeducation was notactually dealing with theproblem from grassroot level. While theinitialnarrative tochildmarriages inAfrica is basedonforced childmarriage oneisforced toacknowledge thatdueto poverty teenagegirls themselves arenowmarrying themselves offasa methodofsurvival.
Inothercases, girls aresexually abused, andtheconsequence ofthatact allbecomestheirresponsibility. With90-%ofteenagemothers living belowthepoverty datum level theTrust realized thatonewould haveto offer asafespaceforthem first which cateredfortheir basic needs such asshelter, foodandaccesstosafe maternity andpostnatalcare. Empowerment methods suchasvocationalskills andeducationthough sustainable areactually secondary needs intheroadto recovery ofateen mother.Hence thesafe housewas launched.
Thehousing assistance program provides asafespaceforthemost traumatized ofourclients. Weprovide theseyoung womenwith housing andsupport foroneyearatourfacility inRuwa, Zimbabwe (outside of Harare). Weprovide educationservices andvocationaltraining aswell as counseling, sexual andreproductive health services, andchildgrowth, maternity, andskills development. Its mainaim istoaddress theabuse andhomelessness ofteenmothers.
Thesafehousecurrently rents aproperty. Itsaverage carrying capacityis 24young womenwith bunk beds,butthecurrent capacityisa maximum of12adolescent mothers and12children. Since2019,the househasaccommodated72youngwomen. Someoftheyoung women depart earlier thananticipated andothers remainwith uslonger.
✓ Access to internships for ladies that would have fully trained in vocational skills
