Entrepreneur outsteps convention

IN life there are three kinds of people, those who make things happen, those who watch things happen and those who wonder what happened.

For 23-year-old Paula Marowa of Chitungwiza, a dormitory town some 25km from Harare, belongs to the category of doers, those who dream and put their ideas into practice.

While others her age wait to be handed opportunities on a silver platter, she decided to convert her passion into a business idea.

“I am passionate about shoes. So I decided to learn more about shoes. After doing my market analysis, I found a market gap in men’s shoes, which I pursued,” she said.

The youthful entrepreneur began learning the ropes in 2016 from a friend, running for two years until she registered her business, Rukanda Pride, in January this year.

The Chitungwiza-based company’s growth has been steady, producing between 100 and 120 pairs of men’s shoes in a month.

Just like how Italian brands pride themselves in manufacturing precision through hand-made shoes, Marowa has brought the concept home.

“At the moment, we are able to produce about six pairs a day because our shoes are handcrafted.

“We specialise in classic dress shoes, Oxfords, Monk Straps, Loafers, Moccasins and Boots.

“We also produce wallets, handbags and belts,” Marowa said. All her raw materials are locally sourced. With just four staffers at the moment, Marowa is hoping that the new dispensation will provide an environment which will help her company grow to become a big employer.

“I am expecting a massive growth in our industry; we want to be able to get machines that produce shoes on a large scale.

“We also want to be able to provide the shoes at a wholesale level so that retailers will not the burden of sourcing foreign currency to import shoes from countries such as Italy or the United States, which will in turn, grow our economy,” she said.

They are still working to create a space they can stock and sell their products from.

“We are in the process of building our showroom which we expect will help us market our shoes.

At the moment we make products by order and use the internet as our main marketing and selling platform,” said Marowa.

“So strong is her vision that Marowa is furthering her education and is studying to attain qualification in Office Administration with the Institute of Administration and Commerce, to better manage and grow her business.

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